Baskerville has been as active in death and he was in life. First interred under a conical building in the grounds of his own home in accordance with his deist beliefs, his corpse has since been moved on nine separate occasions. In 1829, after having been placed on display in an ironmongers shop, Baskerville’s remains were transferred to the catacombs of Christ Church in the centre of Birmingham. In 1897, however, authorisation was given for the demolition of Christ Church and the bodies in the Catacombs were removed. Baskerville was reinterred in the Church of England cemetery, at Warstone Lane in the town’s Jewellery Quarter, in a vault beneath the chapel. At the entrance to the vault was placed the tablet from the wall of Christ Church, with the date of its removal added ‘February 26, 1898’. Not everyone has been happy with Baskerville’s resting place. In 1963, a petition was presented by Councillor John Silk to Birmingham City Council requesting Baskerville’s remains be removed from Warstone Lane to unhallowed ground stating ‘it is unfortunate that one of our greatest citizens has had his dearest wishes deliberately flouted.’ The petition found no favour and Baskerville continues to rest in Warstone Lane cemetery in the consecrated ground he was so anxious to avoid. Whether this is Baskerville’s last resting place, only time will tell.
