The strip of land on which Benedict Biscop later built his main monastery, on the north side of the river became Bishopwearmouth. Bishopwearmouth became a parish around the 12th century. The parish of Bishopwearmouth with its boundaries laid out in early medieval times, became the church of St Michael.
It stands today near the urban centre of Sunderland. In response to public concern over the threats to health caused by overcrowded burials and laying some dead to rest beneath floors of churches, particularly at St Michaels, meant necessary development of Bishopwearmouth cemetery opened in 1856. The consequence of this meant the loss of an interesting source of social history and evocative memorials.
One memorial that was moved to Bishopwearmouth cemetery, a white marble statue depicts a grieving mother holding her dead child. This commemorates a tragedy which took place on 16th June 1883 at the Victoria Hall. 183 children 115 boys and 69 girls tragically were suffocated and crushed in a stampede, rushing downstairs to claim a free present at the end of a special children's entertainment show. Originally the statue stood in Mowbray Park but after it's removal to the cemetery it was vandalized and forgotten.
The memorial has now been restored to its original condition, at a cost of £63,000, with a protective canopy to protect it. Now council leaders have placed the memorial back in Mowbray Park. It was re-dedicated during a ceremony involving 183 children, who laid a single flower at the base of the restored figure. A display of material connected with the Victoria Hall disaster has been put on show at Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens. One of the items is a wooden horse with its legs broken, said to have been one of the prizes being given away on stage on the day.
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