A.J.s Grave Site

On Saturday 15 January 1949, Arthur Jefferson died. The funeral service took place in St Nicholas Church, Barkston. The Rector, the Rev G.L Clowes officiated and he was buried in the small Barkston & Syston Burial Ground, Honnington Road, Barkston on Wednesday 19 January 1949.

The site remained unmarked for a number of years. The late Bill Cubin, curator of the Laurel & Hardy Museum in Ulverston announced at the Detroit `82 International Convention of the Sons of the Desert (aka Laurel & Hardy Appreciation Society) that `A.J.`s grave had been located. He set up a fund with family and well-wishers to contribute money towards paying for a headstone on the grave. Eric Woods took over the project in July 1994 and on 21 September 1994, commissioned John Mossop, a retired stone mason from Dalton in Cumbria, to produce and site a headstone made from green Lakeland stone. The details and wording on the headstone were given prior approval by Stan & Olga’s closest family. On 18 October 1994 the headstone was sited.

Olga and Bill leave Barkston

In 1950, Olga and Bill left the Plough Inn to become licensees of The Bull Inn in the larger village of Bottesford. Records exist that Stan & Ollie visited them on several more occasions at The Bull Inn and also visited Grantham during their theatrical tours of 1952 and of 1953/4.

The Plough Inn no longer exists as a Public House and has been converted into a house with two flats. However, the exterior of the building has little changed. The present owners are fully aware and are very proud of the Laurel & Hardy connections and have aptly named No 22 West Street `The Old Plough`. Until very recently an elderly lady lived in the upper flat. According to local villagers she would often mention how honoured she was to have been living in the quarters that were once owned by Stan’s father.

Sons Visit to Barkston 2003

We are planning a morning trip out to Barkston before the Beau Hunks tent meeting at The Bull Inn, Bottesford, on Saturday, July 19th 2003 and all are welcome to join us. It will provide an opportunity for Sons to casually have a look around the village, to see the exterior of the old Plough and maybe grab a bite to eat at the Stag Inn before travelling on to Bottesford. But above all, it will provide us with an opportunity to pay our respects to Stan Laurel`s father, Arthur Jefferson, who without a doubt, through his encouragement, set Stan off on a path to be one half of the worlds greatest comedy team.

Full acknowledgements go to The Grantham Journal, Neville Coulding, Mr and Mrs Eardley, Willie McIntyre and The Bowler Dessert no 48, The Intra Tent Journal no 83, AJ Marriots superb book `Laurel & Hardy - The British Tours`, Eric Woods, Nancy Wardell and the late Bill Cubin for their support in completing this article.

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