Choice of burial place

[Liza115]

I'm wondering why a family living in one parish would bury two generations in the churchyard of the neighbouring parish instead of in their own. The Palfreys lived at Trelowgoed, near Crossgates, in Cefnllys from about 1800 until at least 1855. A father and son, both called Richard, were buried at Llanbadarn Fawr in 1807 and 1853. Their wives, who died in 1817 and 1874, were buried there too, along with descendants who lived in the parish of Llanbadarn Fawr. I can see on the map that St Padarn's churchyard (Llanbadarn Fawr) south of Crossgates is much closer to Trelowgoed than St Michael's (Cefnllys), so it would have been more convenient.
However, Richard the younger is listed as a vestryman or churchwarden at St Michael's in 1815, so he must have had some connection with the more distant church. His children were baptised at St Michael's between 1809 and 1815, and one was married there in 1835. It was still accepting burials during that period.
Could people choose where to bury their dead? I understood that single pregnant women were sent back to their parish of origin, as the parish where a baby was born had an obligation to support it in times of need, so the parish of birth was important. Were there any rules about people needing to be buried in the parish where they lived (who died at home) or was it just a matter of whichever was closest?
Just wondering.
Liz


 

[Liza115]

I have found out a bit more about this area, and I think the choice of burial place was determined by the season of the death of this father and son. The parish church of Cefnllys, St Michael's, had existed from medieval times, when there was a castle on the nearby hill and a small settlement near the church. By the early 1800s, only the church and a few farmhouses were still in use, with most of the small population living in the northern part of the parish. The elder Richard Palfrey died just a few days before Christmas, in 1807, and his son in early December 1853.
Samuel Lewis, in his 1833 publication, 'A Topographical History of Wales' described St Michael's church as being "romantically situated on a precipitous knoll, embosomed amid higher hills, and is somewhat difficult of access in winter".
December burials were probably best done elsewhere.

 

[GrahamSimons]

Current rules in the Church of England say that only people living in the parish have the right of burial in the churchyard. Others need the consent of the PCC; whether that is given will depend on many things including links the deceased had to the parish and also churchyard capacity.

[Liza115]

Thanks, GrahamSimons. Those current rules are what I would have expected, so you can see why I was puzzled.