The grave of Walter Richard Daines

When St. James's was built in 1863, the churchyard was just a small area immediately surrounding the church, the cemetery at the mother church of S. Mary's, Hampton, still serving the new parish. The churchyard still contains several large family memorials, including the earliest grave, the only one in 1864, being that of Walter Richard Daines, a name well known in early parish times. As the population of the new parish was growing, the original churchyard surrounding the church was found to be too small. As the cemetery at Hampton was thought to be impractical, in 1882 the vicar of Hampton gave an acre of land in Park Road next to the church to be used as the parish burial ground.

Later, in 1888, the churchyard was completely enclosed in order to try to keep children out and therefore avoid the damage that they were causing. The magazine of May 1888 reported: “Our Churchyard has been completely enclosed, and it is hoped that it will now cease to be a playground. We regret that there seems to be among the rising generation a very low opinion of the sanctity of God’s acre.” Read the article Our Churchyard. However, the magazine of July 1890 reported: "Attention has been called to the acts of wanton mischief and theft of flowers, by which our churchyard has been disgraced, and the feelings of many have been distressed by the want of respect shown to the dead. The church wardens have offered a substantial reward of £5 to anyone who shall give such information as shall bring any offender to justice and secure their punishment according to law."

The lych gate in its original position

The churchyard underwent further alterations and improvements. The offertories on St. James’s Day in 1897 went towards the cost of moving the lych gate from its original site on St. James’s Road to its current position on Park Road “in which position it will be useful, and will be seen to much greater advantage than it is at present”. Later, in 1900, the path from the lych gate was improved with the hope that the lych gate would become the usual entrance into the churchyard from Park Road.

Also in 1897 “a suitable and handsome Memorial Cross was erected in the churchyard by public subscription to the memory of our late much esteemed Station Master, Mr. Vesey”. In 1899 several of the chestnut trees in the churchyard were taken down to make more room and improve lighting in the church. Another reason was because boys were throwing stones at the conkers and consequently the stained glass windows were at risk of being broken. Over the years, still more space was needed and so in 1901 trees were cleared to make more room in the churchyard. Smaller ornamental trees, such as copper beeches, yews, variegated holly were planted in their stead. A parishoner gave a seat for the churchyard in 1910, to be used by those who came to visit the graves of their friends.

There were continual complaints about the misbehaviour of children in the churchyard. They were playing there, trampling on the graves, interfering with the flowers and throwing stones at the conkers. The June 1896 and May 1900 magazines reported: "The Police have instructions to be on the alert, and to arrest anyone interfering with the decoration of the graves…..There is no thoroughfare through the Churchyard, and the Churchwardens wish me to say that if it is used as such by errand boys and others, they will be compelled to lock the gate." It was felt important to look after the graves and trim the shrubs. "The Sexton has directions to cut back any trees and shrubs that are becoming overgrown, and that are interfering with neighbouring graves."

The churchyard in the 1920s

During Revd. Coad-Pryor’s incumbency the churchyard was kept in good condition and in order to continue this, a churchyard fund was initiated around 1917. Some of the soldiers who were hospitalised in Upper Lodge, Bushy Park, were buried in twelve Canadian war graves in the churchyard. There are also five British war graves.

The war memorial

During 1916 it was proposed to have a war memorial for those "resident in, or connected with, Hampton Hill, who have fallen, or may fall, in the War". Read the article War Memorial. After the war the Vestry ordered that no artificial wreaths under glass should be placed on the graves. So it was decided to erect a memorial to all those parishioners who had lost their lives during the war. The memorial bears the following inscription: “Their name liveth for ever more. These died the death of honour for God, King and Country.” The July 1920 magazine reported: “May 26th, will long live in the memories of those who took part in the impressive service of unveiling the War Memorial; the Bishop's address, the singing, the quiet sad thankfulness of the occasion all contributed to make it a real ‘Red Letter’ day in the Parish. The arrangements were carried out with a restful reverence which we must all have felt. There was careful preparation of the ‘Form of Service’, containing the names of those whose death of honour we were commemorating.”

Keeping the cemetery tidy has always been a problem with constant reports of damage to the lych gate, fences and even the graves themselves. In October 1923, the men of the parish were asked to help and a churchyard committee, made up of “workers rather than talkers”, was formed to deal with the matter. In 1924 the churchyard was further extended into the vicarage field with much of the preparatory work being done by voluntary help to reduce costs. A new wall was built to keep the dogs out and the gate was kept locked except for a few hours in the daytime. The Bishop of Kensington consecrated the extended churchyard in 1928. More work was done the following year with the trees being lopped, the space around the water tap being bricked and made tidy, and dustbins being provided for the rubbish.

The lych gate in 1897

New lych gates were added as a gift and these made an improvement to the Park Road entrance to the churchyard. Since Revd. Brunt's arrival in 1951 there were anxieties among parishoners about buriels in the churchyard. "Every parishioner has a right to be buried in the churchyard in normal circumstances, but not in any particular part of it. In the past, people have formed the impression that they have purchased in the churchyard pieces of land on payment of a fee - usually very much smaller than that required in a public cemetery, and no one has objected to this, as far as I know. But these fees, given and received in good faith, have no legal authority...." Read the article Graves in the Churchyard.

The notice board from the south-west door was moved to the centre gateway in Park Road in 1951. The gate at the east end and the wrought iron railings and gates at the west end were erected the following year. They were far superior to those confiscated for war materials during the war and were given by the firm of S.J. Cadwell & Son, structural steelwork engineers in Windmill Road until about 1980.

A large teak-framed notice board, with glass doors, made at Twickenham Technical College, was erected on St. James’s Road frontage in the early 1960s. The doors were removed after it was vandalised and then it was moved to face Park Road around 2000. A new smaller metal board was sited there when the church hall was built.

The main noticeboard in the 1960s

The main noticeboard in 2008

A 'Mass Attack' in 1967

Until about 1962, there were, in the now rough grassed area around the central copper beech, thirty or so unmarked small burial mounds which were believed to be the graves of children who had died in the influenza epidemic of 1919. These were levelled and a Garden of Remembrance created for the interment of ashes near the Lych Gate. Paving stones were laid to enclose a rectangular lawn with two rose beds at each end. Read the article The Garden of Remembrance. The churchyard was tidied up, as the Comet recorded: “Code named ‘mass attack’, about 50 parishioners took part in the operation ….. weeds were removed, the very long grass was mown and fresh flowers were planted”. A few years later a garden seat to the memory of parishioner Pop Leatherdale was provided. The Book of Remembrance in the church contains the names of the persons whose ashes have been interred. Other “mass attacks” on the churchyard took place regularly, with the Churchyard Guardians again leading and organising them.

Left: Revd. Chubb and churchwarden at Lt. Col. Joseph Boyle's grave and urn Above: The memorial stone

The only grave in the churchyard to which anything approaching pilgrimages appear to have been made was that of Colonel ‘Joe’ or ‘Klondyke’ Boyle who had been a resident in Wayside. The December 1971 Spire reported: "Apparently he had done remarkable things in the Klondyke in 1898, but the climax of his adventurous career came in 1917, when he appeared dramatically on a motor-cycle at Jassy, and took decisive action to save the lives of the Rumanian Royal Family, and then proceeded so to take charge of things that he was able to save the whole country from famine and disaster, becoming in fact its ‘uncrowned king’. ...... Queen Marie trusted him immediately, and the friendship between them became almost an idyll........" Read the article The Hero who Lived at Wayside. After his spectacular career as a gold prospector in the Yukon he was head of an allied mission to Russia in 1917 where he re-organised the Russian railways. He received many decorations for this work and for the valuable work he did for the Rumanians.

The churchyard in the 1800-1900s

He died on 14 April 1923 at Wayside and was buried in our churchyard at his own specific request. Members of his family along with many others of high rank attended his funeral. Queen Marie had the ancient cross and urn sent from Roumania, and for a number of years made visits and put orange lilies on his grave. His remains were exhumed sixty years to the day after his death and reinterred in his home town of Woodstock, Ontario with much ceremony. At a simple ceremony in 1987, exactly three years later, a memorial to Lt. Col. Joseph Whiteside Boyle, D.S.O. was unveiled in the churchyard. Read the article Joe Boyle: The Epilogue and the newspaper articles.

Up until 1990, Churchyard Working Parties continued to help keep the churchyard tidy. However on 31st October 1990, an Order in Council stated that the churchyard was closed for burials, except for reserved places in existing plots, though the interment of ashes in the Garden of Rest was still allowed. After the closure, churchyard maintenance became the responsibility of the local authority, the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames.

The massive task of recording all the details of the graves and drawing plans was completed in 2001. St. James’s Churchyard Records (1864-2000), orginally only available as a booklet, consists of a ground plan with each individual grave marked and numbered and with extra notes where applicable. Read the article Churchyard Records (1864-2000). An online searchable database for the churchyard records was developed in 2007 where they can be searched by surname or year.

There were numerous complaints about dog fouling in the churchyard so in 2011 signs were erected to remind dog owners not to allow fouling.