"Cold ground"

[Ellis of Lostock]

Does anyone know, in cemetery records, what the entry "Col^d ground" might mean? It appears in the column marked "Situation of Grave or Vault", together with a description of the type of grave concerned. The question relates particularly to Colne cemetery, Lancs, UK.

[Valda]

Hi

It would help to be able to see an image of the abbreviation  - could it instead be an abbreviation for consecrated? Consecrated ground would be the areas as in churchyards where the ground was consecrated by the Church of England. Unconsecrated ground would be where non-conformists were buried.

Regards

Valda

[Ellis of Lostock]

Ta Valda, it definitely isn't "consecrated" or "unconsecrated", they appear as seperate words. It's always written "col^d ground". I'm afraid I can't do an example electronically!

[Valda]

Hi

Next attempt still doesn't really hack  those initials, but a cemetery register might also be indicating common ground as opposed to privately purchased graves?


Regards

Valda

[Ellis of Lostock]

You might be onto something, as (for the limited examples I've got photocopies of) "Common Ground" never appears with "Cold Ground" (just to irritate, I've found a Ground Col^d!!)

I'm reasonably sure its an abbreviated word starting col- and ending in -ed, probably -ed.

Hmm.

[toni*]

my initial thoughts were that it might have meant the North side of the churchyard i.e. the devils graveyard cold because the sun doesnt shine there,  and peoples preferences were to be buried elsewhere although the churchyard soon filled up and they had no choice but to beburied on the Northside - i ramble on i have found another possible word to do with graveyards beginning with COL which is Columbarium which means the area where after cremation they were interred, but cremation wasnt in regular use in the Uk until late 19thc. in fact it was frowned upon

this bit comes from that wicked encyclopedia:
Cremation was declared as legal in England and Wales when Dr. William Price was unsuccessfully prosecuted for cremating his son;[63] formal legislation followed later with the passing of the Cremation Act of 1902 (this Act did not extend to Ireland), which imposed procedural requirements before a cremation could occur and restricted the practice to authorised places.[64] In 1885 the first official cremation took place at Woking. Ten cremations then took place in 1886. In 1892 a crematorium opened in Manchester, followed by one in Glasgow in 1895 and one in Liverpool in 1896.

[Ellis of Lostock]

I think Toni is on to something, as I've just checked and the entries (I have) so dated are all post 1894?

[stevieuk]

I`m wondering if it might refer to "Coloured Ground", possibly meaning an area where coloured people were buried?

Col^d , is very possibly an abbreviation of coloured.

[Ellis of Lostock]

Not coloured people (assuming you mean non-caucasian  ) but it would make a typical entry read "Ground coloured green", but why should this be? Is it referring to colouring in of a plan maybe?