Grave Depths (into which I've sunk)

[Keith Sherwood]

Hi Everyone,
Have this week come across the unusual inclusion of a Grave Index in the transcription book of Cambridge St. Edward Parish Registers.
And I was wondering about the differing depths of just a small selection from one family I was looking up for another Rootschatter.
Some graves were dug 6 feet deep, some 7 feet, some 8 feet, and some 9 feet.
Would only one foot difference in depth have been enough to accommodate the coffin for the next member of the same family to be buried in the grave later on?
In one grave: In 1863, a burial at 9 feet; in 1871 a burial at 8 feet; and in 1877 a burial at 7 feet.
And in another example, for the same family: In 1852, a burial at 9 feet; in 1860 a burial at 8 feet; in 1862 a burial at 7 feet; in 1863 a burial at 6 feet.
So if indeed a foot was considered a reasonable depth between coffins, who worked out initially how deep the first burial should be?
And my final question (totally unaware of any of the rules about any of this), how far underground were coffins allowed to be, i.e. how near the surface could you be buried?
I'm sure some of you know the answers to all this; I apologise for my ignorance!
Keith
N.B. I'm beginning to think that the expression:"Six Feet Under" might indicate the minimum permissible depth of an interred coffin...

[Darcy]

He Keith,

I don't know a lot about it but I believe a coffin has to be at least 3 feet from the surface with at least 6 inches between coffins.

That's the sum of my knowledge. I would imagine that different areas would have different rules.

Darcy

[Keith Sherwood]

Darcy,
Then it looks as though this thread might generate a bit of lively discussion on the subject!  I bet the rules, if there were/are any, were continually being abused or ignored...
Keith

[dawnsh]

I'll ask my dad, he's a funeral director and has been for 45 years, I'm sure he'll have some info rattling around that's more useful out of his head than in it. I'll see what he's got to say on the subject.

Dawn

[PaulineJ]

My (hazy) memeory tells me that it was at one time minimum 3ft, but then in the victorian era, it was increased to 6ft.

Which is why some churches have grounds higher than the doorways/paths?, instead of digging up & re-burying, they dropped another 3ft of soil on top of the existing graves..

Pauline

[Keith Sherwood]

Dawn,
That would be an excellent idea - I expect the rules and regulations how been changed over the years as churchyards became overcrowded and even full up, and then municipal cemeteries were opened as well...
And Darcy - this has got nothing to do with grave matters - I've just oveheard the commentary on the French Derby at Chantilly (run against the backdrop of a magnificent chateau) and you won at 14-1!
Actually the horse spells its name "Darsi", but it was a strange coincidence nevertheless...
Keith
P.S Pauline, Your post came while I was preoccupied for a moment with something else there.  But, yes, the most amazing example of a place with churchyard topsoil levels being many feet above the level of the street is the medieval City of York...

[tazzie]

   Hi Keith....

   Have a look here...

   www.ashpcsurrey.gov.uk/cemrules.


   It has the guide lines set out .

                       Tazzie

[Isles]

In 1794 Inverbervie Town Council were having a 'grave' problem at the Kirkyard.  Older graves had not been dug deeply enough, and the bones of previous burials were being turned up.
The Council enacted that, in future, graves would have to be at least five feet deep from the surface of the ground to the bottom of the grave, and that anyone taking charge of a funeral and not observing this provision would be fined.
The grave digger would also forfeit his fee and incur a further penalty of triple his fee !

Isles.

[dawnsh]

Dad says there's an element of truth to being '6 feet under'.

Before a new grave is/was dug, the family buys/bought the plot and tells/told either the cemetery or churchyard how many the grave would be for.

Historically, the depth was manually dug by grave diggers using very long handled spades, 6ft long, so they knew when to stop or carry on. Not particularly accurate though. So a grave for 1 would be 6ft deep, 2 would be 7ft deep, 3 people 8ft etc. This depth allowed for the subsequent interments and for the ground to settle as the lower coffins collapsed. If at a later date a grave for 2 was then required for 3, they had spare room but the shallower top would have been filled and sealed by sand and cement not just earth.

Public graves were very deep as it was in the cemeteries interests to get as many in one hole as they could, 6 coffins deep was not unusual.

Some cemeteries have subsequently run out of space and have created mounds on top of old disused public graves more than 75 years old by adding another 6ft of top soil and starting again.

Dawn