THE last resting place of Wrexham’s most eminent historian, has been restored thanks to the help of his admirers. Alfred Neobard Palmer, who arrived in Wrexham in 1880, was responsible for writing the definitive early history of the town in a number of authoritative volumes of tightly written prose.
His achievements have been marked by commemorative plaques throughout the area, but earlier this year local historians were dismayed to discover that his grave had fallen into a sorry state of disre-pair. Thanks to the efforts of a number of admirers, however, a small trust fund was set up to pay for the restoration of the grave.
Among Palmer’s admirers are Les and Irena White, who have appreciated his work since they first arrived in Wrexham. Mr White said there are plaques in the area honouring his memory, including one put up by the Civic Society at Palmer’s former home, Inglenook, Bersham Road. “It was my wife, Irena, who has been the driving force behind the scheme to repair Palmer’s gravestone, after discovering it had been eroded. It was discoloured, the lead lettering was falling out and the stone was leaning over. “We accepted a quote of £600 from Clarke’s of Pentrefelin, who also kindly knocked a bit off the bill as a donation. “Contributions for the work came from private individuals, local compa-nies, and other associations, including the Denbighshire History Society.
Originally posted in 1998 in the Wrexham Leader.
