 Thoroton
St Helena
Churchyard
The churchyard is quite small and is bounded on the south and west sides by
buildings, and on the east by open fields.
The number of headstones is fairly small. The main features of interest are
a number of flat stones at the south east corner of the church. Amongst them
can be found the earliest decipherable stone which is dated 1745. Whether the
stones were vertical to begin with, cannot be ascertained.
The other feature of interest is the headstone, rather overgrown, of Ethel
Gordon Manson. Ethel Manson became the first state registered nurse when state
registration was started in 1921. Born in 1857, she became matron of St Paul’s
hospital aged 24. She was responsible for proper training for nurses, founding
the British Nurses Association and the British College of Nurses. Dying in
1949, aged 90, her bitterest enemy was Florence Nightingale. She was the widow
of Bedford Fenwick, MD.
 Area
of flat stones in the churchyard |
 The
oldest grave marker |
 The
headstone of Ethel Gordon Manson |
| 
Area
of flat stones in the churchyard
The
oldest grave marker
The
headstone of Ethel Gordon Manson
