Volunteer investigators have rediscovered the long-lost grave of 15 orphans, more than a century after their burials. The children, aged between three and 18, had resided at a former Barnardo's children's home in Manningham, Bradford, known as Dr Barnardo's Home for Little Incurables, before their deaths between 1898 and 1911.
The care facility specialised in providing for children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses, such as rickets and tuberculosis, which were widespread at the time. The orphans were interred in a grave at Undercliffe Cemetery, Bradford, purchased by the charity's founder, Dr Thomas Barnardo. Over the years, the grave sank into the ground and became lost.
Now, volunteers from the cemetery's charity have located the mass grave after painstakingly transcribing burial records. The team also excavated the area, revealing a headstone inscribed 'Dr. Barnardo' for the first time in approximately a century.
Volunteer Efforts Uncover History
Irene Lofthouse, a volunteer and trustee at the charity, explained that the records encompassed 125,000 burials and required five years of transcription work by volunteers. She stated, 'It was a revelation to find out that Bradford had been a location for Dr Barnardo's Home for Little Incurables and we and our research volunteers were excited by the discovery. As the database record gives the grave number, groundwork volunteers were then able to locate it and assess what needed to be done to restore it, enabling the cemetery to commemorate both Barnardo's work and the children buried there.'
She added, 'Each time we uncover a record and a grave it adds and acknowledges not only to Bradford's history but also national achievements - of which Barnardo's is a part.'
The Children Remembered
The 15 orphans buried in the grave are:
- Arthur Westwood, age 6, buried June 16, 1899
- James Alfred Elton, age 15, buried February 15, 1900
- Samuel Martin Minns, age 15, buried August 23, 1900
- Joseph Frederick Sunley, age 16, buried August 27, 1900
- Arthur Ayling, age 11, buried January 22, 1901
- Robert James Denny, age 14, buried March 1, 1901
- George Francis Brown, age 3, buried August 26, 1902
- Horace Russell Everett, age 16, buried October 17, 1902
- Thomas Michael Varley, age 17, buried July 24, 1903
- Walter Aleck Percy Goddard, age 9, buried July 27, 1903
- Esther (Kate) Mason, age 14, buried September 18, 1903
- George Hague, age 12, buried December 18, 1903
- Richard Saunders, age 13, buried April 28, 1904
- Florence Edith Jane Pegler, age 18, buried December 31, 1904
- Benjamin Lestrille, age 11, buried September 3, 1906
The home provided residential care for up to 25 children before relocating to a larger premises in Harrogate in 1911, which could accommodate twice that number. Many of the children were orphans or came from families struggling with poverty.
Restoration and Commemoration
Volunteers, including local gravedigger Graham Swain, are currently undertaking extensive restoration work on the grave and the surrounding area, which had sunk several feet below ground. Over 120 tonnes of soil have been added to stabilise the ground, allowing public access in the future. The grave, located in the consecrated part of the cemetery, was previously marked only by a modest headstone reading 'Dr. Barnardo'.
The restoration team is adding a new surround for the grave, complete with individual memorial plaques for each child and their own flower holders. Researchers from the Undercliffe Cemetery Charity have collaborated closely with Barnardo's Making Connections team, which holds records of children supported by the charity over the past 150 years. They aim to compile a history of the children's home and the life stories of those buried in the grave.
Nadine Good, North Regional Director for Barnardo's, expressed gratitude: 'We are deeply grateful for the care shown by the volunteers at Undercliffe Cemetery and for their incredible efforts in honouring the memories of these children, who were supported by Barnardo's more than 120 years ago. The Undercliffe team's dedication to preserving local history means these children can be remembered for generations to come by the community they were once a part of.'
The restoration work is expected to be completed by mid-2026.
