New grave site - graveyard plans ?

[toby webb]

How did a sexton decide where the next grave would be? How did people reserve spaces so that families were often kept together? How did the sexton know what parts had already been used? Did he keep, and pass on to the next sexton, a plan? There are all sorts of similar questions. Does anyone have a site for answers?
Thanks, Toby.

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi Toby

I will try and answer some of your questions

How did a sexton decide where the next grave would be?

There should be a plan of every churchyard but sadly most of them are missing or lost in the archives.  I have given you part of the Churchyard Plan of St John Sub Castro in Lewes, Image 601 shows you how the plan started off, and image 611 shows what happened to it over a period of time.  (those coloured in pink (by myself) still have a monument over the grave, the rest have been flattened out to aid mowing the grass)
So you can see, the sexton knew where people were buried and when.

How did people reserve spaces so that families were often kept together?

Families were able with the help of the plan to reserve several spaces for a family plot or a vault - which on this map are down alongside the pathway in the Stein Grave area.

I think the rest of your questions can be answered from the plans below

Hope that helps

Chris in 1066

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi again

The sexton was an official assistant to the Parish Clerk, responsible for grave digging, bell ringing and other jobs in and around the parish church.  He was appointed and paid by the parish incumbent or churchwardens.

Many churches also had a 'Burial Committee' to handle delicate matters of "whom should lie where" etc.

Chris in 1066

[toby webb]

Thank you Chris in 1066.
                                         Although I suspected that there had to be one, this is the first time I have seen such a plan.  I must redouble my efforts to try to find if there might be one for the churchyard of particular interest to me.
    Many thanks, Toby.

[Chris in 1066Land]

Hi there

I have had a couple of PM's concerning the names on the plan - here is a list I compiled back in 1998 of same - but only the names of those coloured in pink.
These are the only ones that have memorials that were photographed and transcribed

St John Sub Castro, Lewes - Extension to existing Burial Ground (opened 1865)
B – Centre
1st Row
500   Savage      1866
498    Pettett      1885
497   Crowhurst   1885
496    Elphick   1916
2nd Row
493    Lucas      1893
492    Bedford   1893
491    Hussey      1890
490   Parsons   1911
489   Batup      1887
488   Voakes      1875
486   Earl      1889
485   Larwill      1889
484   Gosling   1890
3rd Row
482   Chandler   1892
480   Banks      1899
479   Blackman   1891
478   McPherson   1892
477   Diplock   1893
4th Row
476   Lucas      1946
475   Norman   1891
474   Virgo      1892
473   Bishop      1892
472   Thurtell   1892
471   Bishop      1880
470   Moppett   1893
469   Frost      1894
468   Head      1894
467   Strong   1894
5th Row
466   Evans      1895
465   Bailey      1896
464   Lawson   1896
463   Hutson      1901 (4th Row)   
462   Fairs      1895
461   Markwick   1895
460   Morgan   1894
459   World      1894
458   Saxby      1896
457   Lang      1896
6th Row
456   Foster      1896
453   Verrall      1897
452   Fitton      1897
451   Sandles   1898
450   Davies      1897 (Charge of Light Brigade)
448   Watson   1899
7th Row
446   Cox      1884
441   Buckwell   1899
439   Steven      1898 (Iron Cross)
438    Wadey      1897
437   Weston   1897
436   Morris      1896
8th Row
435   Hillman   1899
433   Dyer      1883
431   Pumphrey   1899
430   Relph      1899
429   Teague      1900
428   Grover      1900
427   Coleman   1900
426   West      1901
9th Row
415   Gander      1903
414   Townsend   1903
413   Huggett   1916
411   Weaver   1900
410   Osbon      1900
408   Wright      1900

C – North

1St Row
223   Dunford   1906
224   Rawles      1883
225   Scrase      1884
227   Mason      1884
2nd Row
239   Strong      1892
240   Batup      1881
241   Jeffery      1884
242   Brown      1881
243   Cole      1881
244   Sandals   1881
245   Brake      1882
246   Geal      1882
247   Gladman   1881
3rd Row
248   King      1880
249   Wall      1880
250   Peacock   1880
252   Richardson   1880
253   Welling   1880
254   Salvage   1880
255   Watford   1879
4th Row
264   Hollands   1878
265   Huggett   1878
267   Cokram   1878
268   Shoosmith   1879
5th Row
269   Potter      1879
270   Taylor      1878
271   Carey      1876
272   Mansbridge   1876
273   Beck      1878
274   Hallam      1878
275   Luckings   1877
276   Pettit      1877
277   Hunsley   1876
278   Cox      1876
6th Row
294   James      1876
295   Peacock   1875
296   Mantell   1874
7th Row
303   Markwick   1883
304   Crouch      1874
8th Row
306   Phillips   1873
308   Pettit      1872
309   Gander      1845
310   Crowhurst   1872
311   Trill      1894
312   Foster      1858
313   Wincham   1872
314   Bailey      1874
315   Carter      1877
9th Row
320   Hallam      1871
321   Paris      1871
322   Ware      1871
323   Fowler      1872
324   Birdseye   1871
10th Row
326   Strong      1870
327   Bance      1870
11th Row
333   Gower      1869
334   Stace      1869
335   Cox      1870
336   Lindfield   1866
12th Row
338   Pellett      1867
339   Pelling      1868
341   Ellis      1868
343   Pettett      1868
345   Cox      1871
13th Row
353   Shoulder   1868
354   Bridgman   1867
355   Jenner      1866

Chris in 1066

[toby webb]

Thanks but my interest is in Wiltshire. Too busy raking for the moon to be bothered with such plans?
Toby.

[Suffolk Mawther]

Sometimes these churchyard plans are kept in the vestry of a parish church.  I asked my neighbour when she was the churchwarden if there was one for our parish church.  She found it and I was able to borrow it for a couple of hours one afternoon. I copied onto the back of a roll of unused/unwanted wall paper - seemed the quickest option given the time I had available.
As the Local History Recorder for the parish, I keep a copy at home, with the rest of the village paperwork I have collected over the years and it is useful for visitors - as the church although open at all times, is unmanned (a note of who I am and where to find me is in the church).

Pat ...

[toby webb]

Thanks for that idea Pat. Probably a long shot however for this particular churchyard was closed ( full) over a 100 years ago.
Toby.

[Suffolk Mawther]

Hi Toby,

Our churchyard was also closed a long time ago, as is usually the case.  However, we were fortunate to be able to extend our cemetery next to the churchyard.  Often extensions, or new cemeteries have to be away from the parish church in another part of the village/town.  Our plan covers both sections, the old and the new.   Always worth enquiring at the parish church itself also, some churches have lodged the original plans with the local county Record Office.

Pat ...