A group which has given names and dignity back to more than a thousand forgotten Scots buried in an asylum graveyard has received a national award.
Friends of Hartwood Paupers' Cemetery was named Scottish Project of the Year in the 2023 National Lottery Awards.
They are a group of dedicated volunteers who formed to restore the graveyard at the former Hartwood Asylum, near Shotts, where patients and staff were buried between 1895 and 1952.
Among their findings was the discovery of a grave belonging to a missing First World War veteran, who will now receive the official war headstone he deserves.
Loraine Duncan, the groups' founder, said: “It is an honour for Friends of Hartwood Paupers Cemetery to win a National Lottery Award.
“The volunteers have put so much hard work into remembering the lost souls of Hartwood Asylum and it’s wonderful to have this recognition.
"The individuals buried in the grounds of he hospital have been forgotten for too long, so it gives us great joy to know that their stories are being told and they are no longer hidden from society.
“We’re massively grateful to everyone who plays The National Lottery for the funding which has enabled us not only to restore the cemetery but, most importantly, create a piece of living history that gives dignity to those who are buried there.”
Friends of Hartwood Paupers' Cemetery emerged victorious against competition of 3,780 nominees across the UK to reach the public voting stage in this year’s National Lottery Awards, which celebrate the inspirational people and projects who do extraordinary things with the help of lottery funding.
The project has been named as the Scotland winner following the public vote which was held earlier in 2023.
Hartwood Asylum opened in 1895 and closed in 1998. There were around 1,255 people buried in 630 graves within the psychiatric hospital grounds. The majority were ‘pauper lunatics’ according to the records, with no money or means to be buried outside the hospital.
When the hospital building was cleared out, the record books detailing the names and grave markers were rescued from a skip.
A team of local volunteers cleared the weeds and rubbish from the cemetery and matched names with grave plots.
Thanks to their meticulous research, and the support of National Lottery funding to finance the project, they have managed to identify all of those buried, and remarked graves, installed name plaques and improved the condition of the neglected cemetery as well as reaching family members across the world through their website.
The National Lottery Award follows news that Hartwood Cemetery has recently been added to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission following the discovery of a grave belonging to a First World War veteran.
The soldier, Patrick Tierney, had been marked as a missed casualty following the end of the war.
Read more: Lottery Awards for All: Scottish groups share funds
Volunteers from the ‘In from the Cold’ project, which aims to research and identify all service men and women missing from the official Commonwealth War Graves Commission list of casualties from the First and Second World Wars, uncovered evidence proving his grave was in Hartwood Cemetery.
The soldier's cause of death was recorded as "died post-discharge of general paralysis of the insane". Plans are now underway to erect an official war grave headstone.
Jonathan Tuchner from The National Lottery said: “Congratulations to the Friends of Hartwood Pauper’s Cemetery on winning a National Lottery Award.
"The group have shown incredible dedication to ensuring the people buried in the grounds of Hartwood Asylum are remembered and the cemetery becomes a place of historical significance for future generations.
"Mental health is still surrounded by stigma so the work the group have done to remember these individuals seems more relevant today than ever.
“It’s thanks to National Lottery players, who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes, that the work of projects like Friends of Hartwood Pauper’s Asylum is made possible.”
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