Genealogy Searches made easier

All burial records are now available online. This facility has been very popular with members of the public and many positive comments have been received including:-

"Your online burial/cremation database is absolutely first class. Well done!"

"The section on cemetery records was extremely helpful and should be followed as a model by other Councils. Thanks you!"

"The genealogy service is fantastic."

"Thank you Wakefield Council for providing such a service for free. It has been very informative."

"Hopefully other Councils will follow you."

Electronic Book of Remembrance

Following a successful trial we have installed an Electronic Book of Remembrance at Pontefract Crematorium.

The original Book of Remembrance has two pages allocated to each day of the year. The book is displayed in a protective case and, each page is turned to the appropriate day. Staff at the Crematorium need to be available if you wish to see an entry for a different day. The Electronic Book contains scanned copies of all the original entries and allows the public to search for individual memorial entries without any need for outside assistance.

Visitors can search the electronic Book of Remembrance and view

• individual memorial entries by day and month
• entries can be enlarged for easier viewing
• different memorials available at Cemeteries & Crematoria e.g. rose tree
• a short video showing the work involved in producing a memorial entry - both calligraphy and artwork

The trial of a new Electronic Book of Remembrance is due to take place at Wakefield Crematorium in the very near future.

Memorial Safety Testing

We have inspected over 20,000 memorials as part of an initiative to ensure public safety. If a memorial is found to be unstable work is undertaken to remedy any faults.