Ryde Social Heritage Group research the social history of the citizens of Ryde, Isle of Wight. Documenting their lives, businesses and burial transcriptions.
RYDE SOCIAL HERITAGE GROUP
Based at Ryde Cemetery Heritage & Learning Centre. Preserving, documenting and promoting the social history of Ryde on the Isle of Wight.
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The Heritage Resource Centre in Ryde Cemetery is open every Tuesday 10am-1pm

The Centre will be open some Saturdays 10am till 2pm
Dates for August are 14th & 28th. Dates for September are 11th & 25th

Pop in and see us, a choice of themed guided walks are available
ENTRY IS FREE

Looking back...

Interesting things that happened in Ryde in the past

Aug 1971 - 50 Years Ago
Aug 1921 - 100 Years Ago
Aug 1871 - 150 Years Ago
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Welcome to the Ryde Social Heritage Group Website

Ryde Social Heritage Group research the social history of the citizens of Ryde, Isle of Wight

RSHG was formed by a small group of friends in 2002 and became a formally constituted group in 2005. RSHG exists to research, document and share information about the history of Ryde, Isle of Wight, UK, including the development of the town, the people, their lives and deaths, businesses and entertainments.

Since 2002 we have been recording information from Ryde Cemetery producing maps and recording inscriptions and we search through archives to find biographical information relating to the people buried there. We are also researching about the people, businesses, development and significant events that happened in Ryde.  We collect documents, information and artefacts relating to Ryde and have a growing archive which we make available to the public at Open Days and exhibitions.  We produce books and leaflets, hold exhibitions and give guided walks and presentations to help people understand the rich history and the significance of our town.

Next Event


Carnival Exhibition
Our Carnival Exhibition will be in the old Pack’s building in Cross Street, Ryde for the whole of Carnival week, 22 – 29 August.
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Other items
The Victoria pier
About 200 yards east of the Promenade Pier, the Victoria Pier was built in 1863.
Smuggling
In the early days, the Island was a very good place for smuggling; with its many bays and inlets, contraband could easily be brought ashore undetected.

View all other items.
The grave database was last updated:
31 / 07 / 2021
Click here to view the latest grave information for Marie Rosa Pages
Latest News
Official Opening Ceremony Tues 3 Aug 2021
We were very much blessed with glorious weather for the official opening of our New Research Room at the West Street Cemetery Resource Centre this last Tuesday.
Louis Zink's Hairdresser shop in Union Street
Featured Grave for August
Mr Louis Zink is featured for August, he ran a well-known hairdresser’s business in Union street.
July 2021 Biographical Details Added
In July, our busy research team added 30 biographical records to names on the website, including that of Jean Rodolphe Du Thon, 16-year-old grandson of Mrs Lind of Westmont. 

View all the news.
Photo of the Month
Ryde Architecture
The property called “Sudbury Villa” was a substantial residence situated in upper George Street and for many years it was widely known as ‘The Doctor’s House.”

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Features & Stories
Family Sail for Peru
It’s a long way from Nelson Street, Ryde to the mining town of Oraya in the Peruvian mountains.

View all features & stories.

Database of Graves and Names

The Graves Section is by far the largest section of the website: the database currently holds over 23,000 records, from Ryde, Ashey, Binstead, St John’s, St Thomas’ and Holy Cross cemeteries. The website is updated on a regular basis.  You can search for an individual by typing the surname into the search box in the top right hand corner of this page or you can go to our Graves search page for more advanced search features. If we have any more information about a person we have attached files to the relevant record. Scroll down to the bottom of any record to see more information and/or photographs.

Cemetery Maps

The website also contains information to help you locate a grave in Ryde Cemeteries.  Each record gives a RSHG map number and grid reference.  If you go to the map page you can print off a copy of the relevant map or maps.  You can also look up the name of a person in the Alphabetical Indexes, the indexes contain all the names that are on the maps whether the Transcribing Group has been able to read them or not.  Some graves cannot be read because they are too eroded, have no markers or are too overgrown, so if you can’t find who you are looking for by using our Search features it’s worth checking the indexes. Further details of how to do this can be found on the Map page. The map and index files may take a few minutes to download, depending on the speed of your connection.

History of Ryde and Ryde Cemeteries (IW, UK)

The section on History is sub-divided into the history of the town of Ryde Isle of Wight, and each Church and Cemetery.

Nature

The section on Nature provides details of the flora and fauna found in Ryde Cemetery as this is also part of the heritage of the Cemetery grounds.

Photo Galleries

The Gallery section has photographs on People, Nature, Ryde Town, The Cemetery, and Ryde Social Heritage Group (RSHG) Activities.  An enlarged view of all the thumbnail images on this website can be obtained by double clicking on any thumbnail picture.

About Ryde Social Heritage Group

The About Us Section contains details about Ryde Social Heritage Group (RSHG) and lists Committee members, how to join the group and RSHG magazine Beyond the Graves.

More Features:

Each month, the front page has a Featured Stories, and a dated list of News items. Also an Other Items section, which are random photographs and articles of interest. The stories on these three pages are archived so that you can always read any you have missed.  There is also a photo of the month.

Talk to us

Please let us know what you think of this web site. We value your opinions.

..or come and find us!

Click here for Ryde Cemetery’s Location on Google Maps