Friends of the Bath Jewish Burial Ground up for heritage award

Friends of the Bath Jewish Burial Ground is one of three finalists for a regional award celebrating people and organisations who keep local history alive.

Findmypast’s Everyday History Heroes 2026 was launched on 5 August by historian and TV broadcaster David Olusoga; created by a partnership between UK family history website Findmypast and annual free local history festival Heritage Open Days, it allows members of the public to vote for the best overlooked historic sites in the UK.

Three sites have been shortlisted for each of the eight regions of England: East, East Midlands, North East, North West, South East, South West, West Midlands and Yorkshire.

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Owned by the Board of Deputies, the Bath Jewish Burial Ground, in the South West category, tells the stories of the ordinary families, migrants, craftsmen, business owners and children who helped shape the city in southwest England over more than 200 years.

The site is one of the very few relics of the now vanished Bath Hebrew Congregation, with the Friends support group set up in 2005 by the Combe Down Heritage Society and the local Jewish community to both conserve the site and restore the small Georgian building that lies within it to house an educational resource.

Writing on its Facebook page, the group said: “A vote for the Friends of Bath Jewish Burial Ground is a vote for preserving Bath’s rich and diverse heritage. Please like, share and encourage your friends and family to vote too. Every vote counts, and together we can help ensure that this unique site receives the national recognition it deserves.”

Speaking to WhoDoYouThinkYouAre magazine, David Olusoga said: “History isn’t just about the famous names. It’s about millions of ordinary people whose actions shaped the world we live in today. We want to celebrate the amazingly diverse heritage and cultural sites that help us connect with people of the past, and understand how families and communities like our own lived, worked, and made their mark.”

The cemetery was extended at least twice, in 1835 and 1862. The last dated headstone is 1921, although it is probable that a long standing member of the community was buried here in 1941. Today, the cemetery, hidden away behind high stone walls is a little known part of Bath’s heritage. It is the only remaining physical site of the city’s 19th century Jewish community.

No burial register has survived, but research has identified that around 80 men women and children are buried here, including dentist Mr Sigmond the dentist with his ‘patent dentifrice’; Mr Braham, ‘spectacles, theodolites, stereoscopes’; Mr Leon, swords and knives, as well as Mrs Abraham’s ‘splendid wardrobe of dresses’ for the Bachelors’ Fancy Ball; through to jewellers, shopkeepers, tailors, furriers, as well as many poorer people buried in unmarked graves.

Christina Hilsenrath, chair of trustees of the Friends of Bath Jewish Burial Ground told Jewish News: “We are the guardians not only of these graves, but of the stories of the ordinary people who lived, worked and worshipped  in Bath. Every person buried here led a unique life, and through years of research we have been able to rescue those individual stories from being forgotten and return them to the history of the city and the Jewish community.”

She added: “We have also been able to tell the story of a small provincial Jewish community — a history that is still under-researched and too often overshadowed by the much better-known histories of Britain’s large urban Jewish communities. Bath’s Jewish community may have been small, but it was an integral part of the city’s life, as well as Jewish life in Britain and its story deserves to be heard.

“What makes this work particularly special is the way these stories continue to connect people today. Our research has put us in touch with descendants of people buried here in Britain, the USA, Australia and South Africa. Through the Burial Ground, families separated by generations and continents have been able to rediscover their connections with Bath and with their Jewish heritage.

“For a small volunteer charity caring for a small provincial Jewish burial ground, to have these stories recognised on a national stage is immensely meaningful. At a time when antisemitism is once again a growing concern, it is particularly important to celebrate the Jewish contribution to the history and heritage of Britain. These people were part of the fabric of Bath, and their stories are part of our shared history.”

The two other nominees for the South West regional award are the Clifton Suspension Bridge Museum and Worle History Society.

Public voting for an overall national winner and seven regional winners runs until 1 September 2026. Winners, announced on 10 September 2026, will receive a £1000 donation to help fund their community initiatives.

Voting here.