Unconsecrated Grave??

[MrsS2012]

Hey!
I’m currently undertaking some research for someone and have come across something that I just want clarified if possible.
I’ve found her grandparents both buried in Queens Rd Cemetery in Walthamstow, however they are in different plots and her grandmother’s record states that the ground was ‘unconsecrated’ whereas his was consecrated. I know sometimes this can indicate that cause of death was suicide but not always. What makes me think it wasn’t is because when I found my client’s fathers burial record he is buried in the plot next to his mother? It does not state on his record if the ground was consecrated or not?
Just curious as to why they might have been buried separately?

[PaulineJ]

Consecrated means it's been consecrated by the Church of England.

Not CofE ==  unconsecrated ground

[MrsS2012]

Consecrated means it's been consecrated by the Church of England.

Not CofE ==  unconsecrated ground

Thank you for your reply, I just wondered if there would be any reason why one half of a couple would be buried in unconsecrated ground and one not? Could it be that they were different religions?

[Chris Doran]

It means that he was CofE and she was something else, probably Roman Catholic or Nonconformist.

Lots about Queen's Road here, including plot maps. If the headstone(s) shown are for other people, it may be that the grave(s) have been reused -- at least that's what I think all the red ink on the registers on Ancestry signifies.

[MrsS2012]

It means that he was CofE and she was something else, probably Roman Catholic or Nonconformist.

Lots about Queen's Road here, including plot maps. If the headstone(s) shown are for other people, it may be that the grave(s) have been reused -- at least that's what I think all the red ink on the registers on Ancestry signifies.

Thank you! Funnily enough we found two marriage indexes for the couple in question, same month and year but one in Dore, Derbyshire and one in Ecclesall, Yorkshire. As Dore and Ecclesall are fairly near each other we were debating whether it was two different couples or possibly two marriages for the same couple, which could very well be the case if they followed different religions! Two ceremonies?

[Chris Doran]

The Burial Register has a column "By whom Ceremony performed". You might be able to tie that name to a particular church and hence denomination. The Walthamstow section of the London Kelly's directory probably starts with a list of churches and their incumbents.

The headstone, if it still exists, may also be a clue as  to whether she was RC, e.g., carving of a Saint, especially The Virgin Mary, rosary beads, or the words "Pray for the soul of ..."

[MrsS2012]

The Burial Register has a column "By whom Ceremony performed". You might be able to tie that name to a particular church and hence denomination. The Walthamstow section of the London Kelly's directory probably starts with a list of churches and their incumbents.

The headstone, if it still exists, may also be a clue as  to whether she was RC, e.g., carving of a Saint, especially The Virgin Mary, rosary beads, or the words "Pray for the soul of ..."

That's really helpful thank you. Is there a way I can view the headstone without going to the cemetery. I did search Boulton under the find my grave index but it comes back with no results.

[Guy Etchells]

Consecrated means it's been consecrated by the Church of England.

Not CofE ==  unconsecrated ground

No sorry this is not correct.

Consecrated means the whole burial ground (or section) was consecrated at the time it was opened. Normally a Church of England burial ground or section of a cemetery.
Unconsecrtated means the burial plots will be consecrated by the relevant faith as or when required and indeed some for people who had no faith or religion may never be consecrated.

Consecration is the making or declaring something, for instance the ground or a grave plot, sacred.
Cheers
Guy

[Chris Doran]

From their website I gave you above, it looks as if the Cememery Friends have photographed and transcribed every grave, so if the people you want aren't in their Memorial Inscriptions list, I'm afraid you're out of luck.

If you have plot numbers, you can double-check on the maps, where graves are annotated with names (presumably from the headstones). However (a) there doesn't seem to be an index to which subsection map contains a particular numbered grave, so you have to try them all, and (b) I noticed some gaps between the the subsection maps where whole rows of graves aren't shown, and just possibly weren't transcribed or photographed.

Guy is, of course, correct about it being possible to consecrate graves individually, but the QR registers have a "Consecrated?" column which would say whether this had been done in the cases in question.