Publications
National Memorial Card Index, by Philip Jones, published December 2008 in Sussex Family Historian (vol. 18 no. 4, article, pp.208-210) accessible at: W.S.R.O. [Lib 15860] & The Keep [LIB/508971] & CD SFH40 from S.F.H.G.
Preview:Memorial cards were originally a product of the Victorian celebration of death. They were usually supplied by the undertaker on behalf of the bereaved. Some were sent to relatives and friends in black edged envelopes as notification of the death, as invitations to the funeral, or simply in remembrance of the deceased. The peak of memorial card 'popularity' was probably in the 1870s and 1880s.
The cards were printed in black or silver on white or beige cards. Some took the form of a single black-edged card measuring about 11.5cm by 7.5cm with a blank space left in the centre for the appropriate details to be entered by the printer. These usually included the name and age of the deceased, date of death, and date and place of burial. Sometimes other useful information was included, such as date of birth, name of spouse or parents, address of the deceased, cause of death and grave number in a municipal cemetery. Other memorial cards were double, with the details of the deceased printed inside on the right and a religious text or verse on the left.
The National Memorial Card Index was begun in 1990 and now contains over 6,000 cards, covering the period from 1842 to 1994, and most English plus some Welsh counties.
The cards were printed in black or silver on white or beige cards. Some took the form of a single black-edged card measuring about 11.5cm by 7.5cm with a blank space left in the centre for the appropriate details to be entered by the printer. These usually included the name and age of the deceased, date of death, and date and place of burial. Sometimes other useful information was included, such as date of birth, name of spouse or parents, address of the deceased, cause of death and grave number in a municipal cemetery. Other memorial cards were double, with the details of the deceased printed inside on the right and a religious text or verse on the left.
The National Memorial Card Index was begun in 1990 and now contains over 6,000 cards, covering the period from 1842 to 1994, and most English plus some Welsh counties.