The Church Yard
Shortly after 1885 the portion of the old churchyard that was originally set aside for single interments was completely filled.
As the rules of burial in that portion did not allow gravestones, the incumbent Vicar - Canon Frank Powell (Vicar 1885 - 1939) - placed a large memorial cross in the ground, for those laid to rest between 1836 and 1890.
In 1895 Miss A.M. Thompson had purchased a field behind the vicarage and presented a portion to the church as an addition to the churchyard. The land was consecrated on July 16th 1895 and a sundial placed there.
There are approximately 4,300 bodies in the graveyard, of which 1,300 are children under the age of 10 years.
A book containing details of inscriptions and location of all graves in the Church Yard is held in the Church - please contact the Church Wardens if you would like to access these details. Or go to ‘Our Graveyard’ section here.
Interesting Graves
There are several gravestones worthy of study in the yard.
You will find one near the vestry door with a date preceding the opening of the church. This is because they are reburials of bodies that were originally interred at the Liverpool Parish Church (Our Lady & St Nicholas) at the Pier Head. The bodies were moved when a portion of St Nicholas' churchyard was cut off at the time when the road to the Landing Stage was constructed.
We have a number of tombs belonging to the Gladstone Family of Court Hey - relations of the former Prime Minister William Gladstone.
There is a memorial to Norman Harrison, second engineer on the Titanic, who lived with his wife Mary at 27 Baden Road, Knotty Ash. His body, if recovered, was never identified. His memorial bears the inscription "Faithful unto Death".
It is said that there are more Lord Mayors and Mayors of Liverpool buried here than in any other churchyard in the city.