Graveyard mapping at St Mary's

How to use the map

The graveyard mapping tool is an interactive map that allows you to view the graves on the St Mary's churchyard. You are able to search by name, age or burial date all the records that have been entered.

Zooming – Use the mouse scroll wheel to zoom in/out. Alternatively, use the plus and minus icons in the top left of the map.

Moving – Move around by holding the left mouse button and moving the mouse to drag the map.

Rotating – Hold the Alt + Shift keys at the same time as clicking and dragging with the left mouse button to rotate the map. Clicking the arrow to reset the rotation to North at the top.

If you are using a touch screen device, you can also move the map by sliding your finger across the screen and operate the zoom and rotate functions using two fingers.

Read the full user guide

Behind the scenes

Experts from Atlantic Geomatics made two visits to St Mary’s to gather all of the data needed for our digital map: the first to map the graveyard and interior monuments using the cutting edge Pegasus backpack and the second to photograph each and every memorial both up close and in context.

Historic burial record images were provided by the Essex Records Office (see below) and more recent burial records were provided by St Mary’s for scanning.

Fun facts about the Pegasus Backpack

The backpack is worth £120,000
It is made from carbon fibre so it is light and you can easily carry it
It has five unbelievable cameras that pick up everything
They connect to over 20 satellites
It only takes Aaron and the backpack 2 or 3 hours to map a church
There are only two in the whole of the UK

The St Mary’s Heritage Hub Team and the Essex Society for Family History were also joined by some very special visitors for both of Atlantic Geomatic’s visits to map the graveyard at Woodham Ferrers: years 5 and 6 from nearby St Mary’s C of E Primary School.

Their visits and their responses are best described in their own words through the quotes below and the ‘Fun Facts’ they have produced about the Pegasus Backpack!

“As we walked into the churchyard, we were so curious about what we were going to do!”.

“Aaron from Atlantic Geomatics told us all about his job and where he travels. He was quite impressive. It turns out he travels all around England on amazing expeditions to different churches!”

“The old burial registers were really interesting because some of the people weren’t even from Woodham Ferrers. They were called ‘wayfarers’. We were also surprised to learn that the first ever person on the burial register (more than 500 years ago) was called Lettice! The names and spellings were a bit different then!”

“Our second visit was educational and very entertaining! Tim took pictures of graves and marked out where they were. When Tim uploads a photo, anyone can see it – people from Australia might see it!”

Exhibition

An exhibition about the fascinating insights gained into the burial records, the process and technology, the resulting resource and the beginnings of our Family History research project will be on display at St Mary’s in the autumn. Please check back here or join the mailing list for updates.

Family History Research

The next phase of the Graveyard Mapping project is to populate the record for each individual within our churchyard with further history on their life, family and background. We welcome any further information or images you may be able to contribute regarding the individuals named on our memorials.

If you wish to provide information, ask questions about a relative, get involved in the project research, or simply keep up to date with what we are doing, please contact our Heritage Hub team via email: stmaryshh@gmail.com

Essex Records Office

If you wish to see any of the images provided on our portal in more detail or would like to download and purchase a high resolution copy for yourself, please contact the Essex Records Office directly.

Legacy

One of the legacy objectives of the St. Mary’s Heritage Hub project is to present our local heritage in an exciting and memorable way whilst preserving it for generations to come. We’d love to share it with you. For more information email stmaryshh@gmail.com to discuss this further and make a booking.

Graveyard Mapping