The Graveyard of the Society of Friends

This land is surrounded by Bush Wood and has been enclosed for over a hundred years; before 1870 it was the Becontree assembly rooms and the practising ground of an archery club. It was purchased for Quaker meetings mainly at the expense of J. Gurney Barclay. The present meeting-house was built in 1968. (photos). The graveyard, enclosed by a brick wall (except where this has collapsed and has been replaced by a railing fence at the south edge), consists of a grass lawn edged by the simple Quaker memorial headstones with a border of planted shrubs by the wall. Amongst the headstones is one to Elizabeth Fry. This was originally in the grounds of Barking Abbey, but was moved here for safety.

The flora of the graveyard was surveyed some 60 years ago by Gulielma Lister, niece of the famous Lord Lister. The report was published in the Essex Naturalist (Vol. 27) as "THE FLORA OF WANSTEAD PARK DISTRICT by GULIELMA LISTER, F.L.S." .

In the report she lists 30 species found there and mentions how the turf retains some former flora which has gradually disappeared from the adjacent Forest, and that these are disappearing as the graves increase. Plants mentioned include Harebell, Petty-whin, Creeping Willow, Bedstraw, Mat-grass and Wavy Aira.

In visits made in the early 1990's it was seen that these fears were justified: Harebell, Petty-whin, and Creeping Willow were not found, although 72 species were. Devil's-bit scabious Succisa pratensis was noted on a visit made on 20/07/2005, as was Tormentil Potentilla erecta. The list below shows these, with an indication (L.1941) of those that were mentioned by Lister. For her list, comprising all the plants of the area, click here.

Management work carried out over the years by Les Rice, a member of the Wren Conservation Group and the Newham Conservation Volunteers, may have given an opportunity for some of the missing species to re-appear, and indeed many others are doubtless present that have been overlooked.

Plants found in The Graveyard of the Society of Friends, Bush Wood

("L.1941") indicates that the species was mentioned by Gulielma Lister in her work dated 1941)

"Stace" relates to the page number in The New Flora of the British Isles by Clive Stace, 2nd edition

top