Charles Larom was said to be a Baptist Minister on a document on FMP registering his son Charles birth in 1837.
Dave

Hi

The General Cemetery were the burials took place was opened in 1836 for Non-conformist burials.

The people in the new middle class were mainly Nonconformists, that is, they were Protestants who were separate from the Church of England. They were also known as Dissenters. Nonconformists had their own churches and worshipped in their own ways.

They did not want to be buried in Anglican cemeteries presided over by Anglican priests. In addition, this newly evolved and empowered middle class wanted changes in society : for example, they wanted conditions for the working class to improve.


See history here:

http://gencem.org/timeline-2/#1836

Angela

White's 1833 Directory (emphasis added)...

The BAPTIST CHAPEL, in Townhead-street, was erected in
1814, for the use of the congregation which, during the preced-
ing eight years, had occupied the chapel in Coalpit-lane. The
Rev. Charles Larom is the minister.

Larom was still the minister in an 1849 directory.

Hugh

There are photos of the Townhead Baptist Chapel at PictureSheffield - several of the interior and this of the frontage:

http://www.picturesheffield.com/frontend.php?keywords=Ref_No_increment;EQUALS;y02007&pos=10&action=zoom&id=48954

If I am reading the date stone right it must have been rebuilt or altered in 1845.

Hugh

Dave,
Thank you so much for you speedy and very helpful response. I was at first confused by the death and burial dates of Mary Martha until I remembered that English date conventions are different from those in the US. Now it all makes perfect sense!
I'm actually quite surprised that the Shearmans were affiliated with the Baptist church rather than the Congregationalists. But I'm delighted that you confirmed my assumption that they were non-conformists. This fact is important to my narrative.

One last question: Does the headstone for Grave No. K47 have any inscription?

Cheers,
Leslie

Leslie, if you read the earlier answers you wil see that the minister officiating at Thomas Shearman's burial was Charles Loram, the Baptist minister at Townhead. If you Google Loram or Townhead you will see that there is a digitised book online written by Loram and published in 1870 about the history of the Townhead Chapel and its influence on other baptist chapels around the county.
Dave

Dave,

Thanks for providing additional information about Charles Larom.

I love how everyone contributed new bits of info--an information "pile-on!"

Cheers,
Leslie

Angela,

Thanks for pointing me to the history of the cemetery on the Sheffield General Cemetery Trust Website. I somehow overlooked that page as I was trying to figure out the different cemeteries in Sheffield. The history was quite illuminating.

Cheers,
Leslie

Hugh,

Thank you for the further info on Larom's Townsend Baptist Chapel. All of you "Indexers" are terrific! How great to have such knowledgeable and helpful folks to help us far-flung researchers.

Cheers,
Leslie

Dave,

I just downloaded Larom's history of Townhead Baptist Chapel and have already perused a chunk of it. It's quite charming in its typical nineteenth-century religious verbiage. The are some delicious quotes applicable to my narrative! Thanks for letting me know about it.

Cheers,
Leslie