Many who succumbed to the cholera were interred together in the common ground in the Coorouden (New Street) cemetery. In 1871, the workmen at Ardeer Ironworks erected a monument to the memory of those unfortunates. The monument is situated at the top of the main drive in the Coorouden cemetery. The inscription reads:
In this Plot
Rest
Six Hundred and Six of the
Inhabitants of Stevenston
Who died between 5th Aug. 1845 and April 1871
To Their Memory
The Workers of Ardeer Ironworks
Dedicate this Monument
Cholera-Memorial-Stevenston-300x278-300x278.jpg (28.79 KiB) Viewed 4995 times
Last edited by Hughie on Tue Jun 12, 2007 12:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Used to passed it quite a bit taking a short cut through the cemetery on my way home place used to give you the creeps big style on your own also used to play British bull dogs on the bit of grass to the SW of it with no headstones which I assume must be paupers graves? (quite a few in there)
If I may digress "sort of" off-topic for a moment. Wasn't "the nursery" (kindergarten or pre-school whichever you prefer) near Adams Avenue shops in Saltcoats a former Cholera hospital. While living in Dippin Place as a boy, I remember it being called the "fever hospital" by some of the adults.
I find this very interesting, I didn't know about that being the Scarlet Fever Hospital until Mildred Grant emailed me and told me a few years ago. My brother and I were told we had scarlet fever during the war and were taken there just as our older brother (or was it our sister) was being allowed home. I must ask oor Susan in Stevenston.
Aha, scarlet fever. I recall my late Dad having a fairly large patch of skin on his upper arm that looked white and flat - difficult to describe. There were no ridges, etc. just flat white skin. I wonder if that had anything to do with "fever"; innoculation, etc?
The New ST. Cemetery didn't open until 1862, previous to that it was the High kirk burial ground, the actual cholera victims were buried at Stevenston shore, the obelisk was moved to New St. I was informed by Jimmy Clements that he had got C.Blakely Latin teacher at Ardrossan Academy to translate the Latin inscription that was on the memorial.
I assumed that the area to the left of the monument in the following photo was the burial ground. Perhaps there were others who died from Cholera who are buried at the shore.
Jimmy Clements wrote in part:
nearly all the people, and they comprised weavers, colliers and labourers, who succumbed to the cholera were interred together in the common ground in the Coorouden cemetery. Later, in 1871, the workmen at Ardeer Ironworks erected a memorial to the memory and to all who had to be interred in common ground up till that time. The monument takes the form of an obelisk and is situated at the top of the main drive in the Coorouden cemetery. The inscription reads:
In this Plot Rest Six Hundred and Six of the Inhabitants of Stevenston
Who died between 5th Aug. 1845 and April 1871
To Their Memory The Workers of Ardeer Ironworks Dedicate this Monument
My understanding was that it was originally an infectious disease hospital. So TB, scarlet fever, cholera. Anything that would infect the community landed in the hospital. Hard to believe now as the hospital was isolated - no houses etc
