The headstone of Edward Pease is in Darlington's Quaker burial ground

A small, simple headstone in an overgrown corner of a hidden North East burial ground belies the huge contribution of the man whose remains lie there.

It's just one of many plain stone memorials to some of Darlington's most prominent people in this tranquil location just yards from the busy town centre.

Edward Pease was the driving force behind the The Stockton and Darlington Railway, the world's first public railway to use steam locomotives.

Known as 'the father of the railways', Pease provided the vision - and much of the money - for the pioneering line, and famously lived in what is now a pizza shop on Darlington’s North Road.

He died in 1858, aged 91, and is buried in Darlington. Yet you would struggle to find the grave of this giant of a man.

The headstone of Edward Pease, inset, in the burial ground behind the Friends Meeting House in Skinnergate, Darlington (Image: ANDREW WHITE)

Not many people are aware of the existence of the Quaker burial ground in Darlington – located behind the Quaker Meeting House on Skinnergate.

It is a hidden oasis of peace and tranquility in a busy town centre - and Pease is just one member of several Quaker families who influenced the history of Darlington who are buried there.

The land has been used as a burial ground by Darlington’s Quaker population - officially the Religious Society of Friends - since the 17th century.

The uniform and simple design of all of the headstones in the burial ground reflect the Quaker belief that all people are equal in life and death (Image: ANDREW WHITE)

A plaque in the grounds explains why the headstones are so simply designed and why the graves are not marked by the kind of elaborate memorials you might expect to see.

Initially, all headstones were banned, because marking a person in this way could be seen as elevating them above others.

This stems from the Quaker belief that there is something of God - or the divine - in everyone. No person is venerated above any other and all are equal in life and death.

The first was installed in 1789, by which time the Quakers had agreed that a small, simple stone would be appropriate, marking the name, date of death, and age.

But they objected to using the names of days and months which derived from pagan gods so they substituted numbers.

For that reason, Edward Pease's headstone, reads simply: 'Edward Pease. Died 7th month, 31st 1858. Aged 91 years.' And nothing more.

Details on the Edward Pease headstone. Known as the 'father of the railways' the grave of this historically important man is marked by a simple stone (Image: ANDREW WHITE)

Read about previous Objects of the Week here:

• What secrets were kept by seal recovered from the depths of a Durham riverbed?
• What's the story behind County Durham's wobbly bridge - and its tragic history?
• How this County Durham town clock's bells are still chiming for townsfolk after decades

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Pease is just one of the hundreds of Friends who have been laid to rest in the burial ground - there are 70 bearing the surname Pease alone.

Many of the names are still well known figures in the town's history, prominent in the railways, wool and linen industries, banking, politics and philanthropy.

Other names may not be so easily recognised, but each undoubtedly made an impact in their community.