Weaste Cemetery

Biographies of people buried between 1880 & 89

Christopher Graham (1828 - 1887)


 Christopher Graham was a soldier in the 64th (2nd Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot and saw service in the Indian Mutiny.


He was born in 1828 in Revesby, Lincolnshire and baptised there at the church of St Lawrence on 7th June 1829. (Revesby lies between Boston and Horncastle). His father was William Graham (born 1794 in Tumby, Lincolnshire) who was a Farm Labourer and his mother was Hannah Graham (born 1799 in Lincolnshire). In 1841 at Revesby, Lincolnshire, William was aged 47, Hannah aged 42, Christopher was the eldest aged 11, and his siblings were George aged 6, Eleanor aged 5 and Joseph aged 1.


On 23rd February 1846, Christopher joined the 64th (North Staffordshire) Regiment of Foot, and allocated the service number 2438.  He was 18-years-old. After his initial training, Christopher and the 64th Regiment set sail to India in 1848 and stayed there for 13 years. The 1851 census shows that he was stationed in Hyderabad. The medal record transcription shows that Private Christopher Graham was awarded the Indian Mutiny medal for 1857 – 1859. The 64th had seen action in the Relief of Cawnpore and Relief of Lucknow. The Regiment returned home in 1861 and was stationed in England, Ireland, Scotland and Jersey for the next 20 years.


In 1865, Christopher married Maria Hayes at St Philip's Church, Manchester. Maria was the daughter of Jeremiah Hayes. However, there was a call to action in 1867 in Malta, where the Regiment suffered badly from cholera. It is not known if Christopher was sent to Malta, but he was discharged from the army in the same year, 1867 and spent some time at the Royal Chelsea Hospital.


In 1871, Christopher was a boarder at Dalton Street, Salford, but there is no record of Maria. However, in 1874, Lancashire BMD records the death of Maria Graham in Blackley, Manchester. And in the 1881 census, Christopher (widower) is lodging with the Merriman family at 16, Alma Square, Stretford, near Manchester. On 8th June 1887 Christopher Graham died, aged 58. He was buried at Weaste Cemetery on 13th June in the grave of the Chadwick family, Plot 32, grave number 2730.