Churchyard and Cemetery
St. Mary Magdalene Parish Churchyard, Church Lane, Brampton, Huntingdon PE28 4PF
The churchyard of our parish church is not maintained by the church itself; responsibility has been handed over to the Parish Council. Each year money is set aside to look after the paths, trees and grass. We are also responsible for topple testing memorial stones, to avoid danger to members of the public and our workforce.
A few years ago the parish replaced a rose garden with a memorial garden, named the Garden of Remembrance, where local families could plant a rose in memory of a family member. It has created a reflective, gentle space. Unfortunately, this is now full; however, residents are able to purchase a memorial plaque to be mounted on an obelisk in the Garden of Remembrance to honour loved ones. Please contact the Assistant Clerk at assistantclerk@bramptonpc.co.uk for more information.
Our churchyard has a "residents only" rule to avoid overcrowding, however there is the exception of a resident who had to leave home for full-time care outside of Brampton.
The Montague plot for the Earls of Sandwich is housed here. They were local landowners for many generations and included the eponymous John Montagu, the 4th earl who asked for some beef between two slices of bread so that he could stay at the gaming table. Others then asked for "the same as Sandwich", and the rest, as they say, is history. Earl Montagu also sponsored Captain Cook who thoughtfully named the Sandwich Islands - now the Hawaiian islands - after his patron.
There is history a-plenty in our churchyard, including a grave for a black family slave, who must have been highly thought of indeed to be afforded such an honour.