Family’s tribute to Newark Cemetery’s traditional grave digger from Balderton

Tributes are being paid to one of the last remaining grave diggers who served the Newark and surrounding community for more than 40 years.

Ian Shipley died suddenly at his home on Sunday October 13 at the age of 61, and his mum Kathleen has worked with the Newark Advertiser to pay tribute to her much-loved son.

Born and raised in Balderton, Ian attended John Hunt Primary School and later the Grove School (now Newark Academy), and Kathleen said his teachers said that although he was bright, he was more interested in watching the birds out of the window — a passion for wildlife he would follow all his life.

Ian’s career choice came about when he took on work experience as a young man working as a gardener in parks and gardens in the Newark area, and when the vacancy for a grave digger came up in 1982 at Newark Cemetery, he applied and was eventually accepted.

He was taught his craft by the ”old timers” who had held the position for many years, Kathleen said:

“They taught him how to properly dig a grave, and he loved his job. He didn’t ever want a machine to do the work, he said a grave should be dug properly, by hand, for the person and their family, and that it should be dressed properly.

“It was so important to him that that it was done correctly, for the mourners and the undertakers, that’s the way he was taught.”

Ian kept a diary of how many graves he dug over the years. The total number is unknown at present, but during an interview with the Advertiser in 2006, the number stood at 2,780 graves and now that number will have grown to hundreds more — including that of his father Leslie’s.

He was Newark Cemetery’s grave digger for 20 years before going self-employed as Ian Shipley Grave Diggers Ltd, and he dug graves in churchyards, cemeteries, and natural burial grounds all over Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire. He had also written a number of books on the subject.

“He loved the respect that digging the grave by hand brought,” Kathleen said, “It was challenging and hard work, he wasn’t very big but he was very strong and he knew the land well and all the water levels.”

Ian told many tales of his time in his career over the years, including a young apprentice who saw three nuns walk through one cemetery and was convinced they were ghosts, and also to find out whether Polish Minister General Sikorski’s coffin was in a brick vault or a simple burial.

His long-time colleague at Newark Town Council, Karen Helliwell, contributed to the tribute.

She said: “Ian was a gravedigger for the Town Council for over 20 years and was well-respected by everyone who worked alongside him. He was a traditional gravedigger and was proud of that, his graves were hand-dug and coffin shaped which is very rare these days. He took great pride in his work.

“A published author on the subject, Ian’s books included many historical facts and stories relating to our London Road Cemetery providing an insight into his experiences that would otherwise have been forgotten. He will be remembered as a hardworking, conscientious and highly valued member of staff. Our thoughts are with his family and many friends.”

On top of his well-respected work for the community, Ian was a member of punk rock bands the Screaming Willies and Nervous Tension.

He also leaves behind brothers David and Paul, and was a much-loved uncle and great-uncle.

After sadly losing his wife Alison in 2019, he was an adored ‘dad’ to their two dogs Choco and Wag, the latter of whom would accompany him when he worked.

Sadly, he was just weeks away from retiring in December, when he passed away, and was in the process of buying a house in Fernwood.

Now, Kathleen is urging everyone to keep an eye on loved ones who live alone, as she and Ian would check in with each other daily, and it was after she couldn’t get hold of him the day he died that the alarm was raised.

Ian’s funeral will be a private one, at a date to be confirmed, and he has chosen his own plot in South Collingham.