HERITAGE TALK: REDISCOVERING BALLAST HILLS BURIAL GROUND

Ballast Hills Burial Ground lies on the east side of the Ouseburn Valley, on the north bank of the River Tyne in Newcastle. Between the mid-17th century and 1853 it served as a major unconsecrated burial place for people from across Tyneside and beyond. Established by Nonconformists and used by those outside or excluded from the Anglican parish system, it became the final resting place for many maritime families, labourers, migrants, and members of the working poor, including many from Anglican parishes.

In this talk, Dr Myra Giesen, project lead for the Ballast Hills Burial Ground research project at Newcastle University, will share highlights from the AHRC Curiosity Award supporting the rediscovery of this largely forgotten site. The presentation will outline how fieldwork, archival research, and community-led investigation are helping to reconstruct the burial ground and recover the lives of the people connected with it.

Although Ballast Hills lies in Newcastle, the burial registers and surviving gravestone inscriptions reveal strong connections with communities along the lower Tyne. The talk will highlight individuals and families linked with places, such as North Shields, Wallsend, and Willington, using their stories to explore the social, religious, and occupational diversity of historic Tyneside during a period of notable change.