St Peters

St Peters Church Graveyard Tour – Items of Interest Please walk very carefully in the graveyard. The path is uneven and not all obstacles are immediately evident.

Come out of the main door and turn right. You will see the original font next to the door.

Continue along the north side of the church to the old north door and look for the boot scraper on the right.

Turn and retrace your steps, taking note of the date 1736 carved above the main door. Just past the door you will see a large plague stone.

Walking westwards on the path away from the church, you will find the grave of William Oulton (Gamekeeper), who died in 1852 aged 62. He is also commemorated with a plaque in the church.

Turn left and head towards the newer graves. One of the last memorial stones in the old section describes the plight of Mary Illidge, who died in 1842 aged 58. She was afflicted with “Dropsy” and underwent 9 operations in 23 months, when 178 quarts of water were taken from her.

As you walk back towards the south west corner of the church, take some time to review the damage caused to the memorial stones, when the graveyard was bombed during the 2nd World War. Look for holes and pits in the headstones. Some have fallen and many were completely covered by debris.

As you start to walk along the south of the church, you will find our oldest visible gravestone on your right. John Okell died in 1697 aged 51. Note the stonemason ran out of space on the top line of the inscription, having to split the word “BODY” between two lines, proving that even a craftsman isn’t perfect!

Now turn around and look up at the church where you will see a sun dial just below the roof, sadly without its brass hands. These were stolen, along with the lead from the roof in 2014.

Walking to the far end of the church, you will find the grave of Chloe Gambia, a “negress” who worked her way to the senior position of Housekeeper on the Aston Estate. She is buried with William Hadlow, who died in 1828 and was the Butler. A memorial plaque inside the church also records his death.

Finally by walking along the east wall of the graveyard, you will come to the grave of George Harrison, Mayor of Chester between 1824 and 1832. He died in 1866 and is buried with his wife, Catherine Harrison, who was a renowned artist. Some of her portrait work is exhibited in the Grosvenor Museum in Chester.

This is the end of the tour – we hope you have enjoyed St Peters Church. If you do not require this sheet, please leave in the church for others to use.