The notes that I have on the Bishopwearmuith cemeteries are: St. Michael's Church, Bishopwearmouth. The burial ground was in use from the early days of the church and was probably much larger in area than appears today as bodies have been found in South Gate and a good deal of space was used for private vaults. According to the registers, the churchyard contains tens of thousands of burials. The burial ground was closed by the General Board of Health in 1849 as it was full. In 1806 the position of the tomb-stones was largely altered and in the 1930 - 40s, after a copy of their inscriptions was made, the tomb-stones were used as flag stones. A great many burials were in vaults under the church itself. These vaults have had their inscriptions scheduled before filling in and concreting over. One of the earliest known is the burial of George Topias, yeoman, in whose will, dated 1582-3, is stated 'To be interred in the church of the said Wearmouth under my own stall where commonlie I used to sitte.' Bishopwearmouth Cemetery, Thornton Place (Galleys Gill). This was opened in October, 1839, to relieve pressure on St Michael's churchyard which was seriously overcrowded, the ground having been given by the Rev. Dr. Wellesley, the Rector of Bishopwearmouth, and enclosed by the parishioners. The cemetery should have been closed in May 1854 but owing to the difficulty of obtaining another suitable place for interment, the Secretary of State allowed it to remain open until the Chester Road Cemetery was completed. In 1849 it was reported that there were 400 interments per annum. Hind Street Cemetery. This was opened in 1831 on land given by the Rector of Bishopwearmouth, to take the bodies of the cholera victims. Part of this burial ground was underneath the National School. In 1849 it was said to be unusable. Through the burial ground flowed the Wearmouth Burn and underneath the school there were twelve large vaults with 70 bodies. The remains of a number of burials were removed to Chester Road Cemetery when the new road system was built in the late 1980s. Alan Vickers.