William Avery's Grave
In June 2015 photographs of the grave of William Avery (1832-1899) were obtained from Raymond McLaren of Dartford, Kent who visited the site in May that year. The grave was original erected when William Avery's wife, Maria Proctor Avery, died in 1895. William's name was added later near the bottom of the gravestone after he passed away in 1899. Unlike many of the elaborate headstones created during the Victorian Period, this simple stone marker is a perfect memorial to Avery who was known not only for his beautiful needle cases but also for his philanthropy.
The Avery gravesite overgrown with ivy (photograph courtesy of Raymond McLaren).
The William and Maria Avery gravesite with some of the ivy removed (photograph courtesy of Raymond McLaren).
Detail of the top portion of the grave with the following inscription:
In Loving Memory
of
MARIA PROCTOR AVERY
of Headless Cross
Who Entered into Rest
June 14th, 1895
Age 63
Detail of the bottom portion of the grave with the following inscription:
Through the Grave and Gate of Death
We Pass to Our Joyful Resurrection
also
WILLIAM AVERY
Who Fell Asleep
July 31st, 1899
Age 67
The Gift of God is Eternal Life V1 23
Maps of the Plymouth Cemetery in Redditch
Historical maps available at the website www.old-maps.co.uk give us clues to how the cemetery changed over the years. Below is a map of the area from 1905, created shortly after the death of Mr. William Avery, as well as a current map of the same area from Mapquest.com.
Detail of a 1905 map of Redditch, Worcestershire from www.old-maps.co.uk (Avery grave site marked with a red star).
Detail of the cemetery from Mapquest.com in June 2015 (the cemetery section is olive colored).
