Is this strange, or is it me?

[BumbleB]

From the new images available on FindMyPast, I now have separate headstone images for 3 of my family burials.  Location is St Mary, North Elmham, Norfolk.

Firstly - Sophia Archbell, the beloved wife of Joseph Archbell - buried 17 December 1879.
Secondly - Laura Archbell, daughter of Joseph and Sophia Archbell - buried 15 November 1890
Thirdly - Joseph Archbell buried 26 January 1897 (no family members named)

Any thoughts, anyone as to why this happened? 

[Joney]

They all died in the winter months, so it would make me wonder if the family were prone to bronchitis, pneumonia or other disesases which are much more prevalent in winter.  Or are you wondering why everyone is not buried in one family grave ? I believe that when graves were dug, the depth depended on the number of burials intended.  There was likely to be a different charge for a  deeper family grave.

[GrahamSimons]

From what we are doing now in our churchyard - if a grave is to be shared, then it's dug double depth for the first burial. If it's not double depth, there can't be a second burial.
A grave plot might also be double (or more) width of course. In that case it would cost more but several family members could be interred together. It's possible to reserve a grave plot so that family can be side by side, but that incurs a fee as well.

In your case I'd deduce that the churchyard was being used in a logical order (which is what we do now), so Sophia buried 1879; many burials in that row; then Laura....many burials... then Joseph

[Stanwix England]

I wonder if it's something to do with the conditions of the ground generally? At my local graveyard, there don't seem to be many multiple burials at all. I can't think why, because when it was begun it was a time when that was common - so there must have been a practical reason I guess.

Are you able to have a general look at the other gravestones?

[BumbleB]

Many thanks for your thoughts. 

I hadn't really thought about "winter" burials, and also looking at my records for Joseph, it is  possible/probable that he did not purchase a larger burial plot.  He was a gardener/nurseryman.  He didn't leave a will, and administration reveals only a small amount of money.  I found separate graves slightly strange as I have family graves in other parts of England where there are family members in the same grave. I also can't look at any other graves as I don't live in Norfolk.

All very interesting.  Thank you.

[rosie99]

I also can't look at any other graves as I don't live in Norfolk.

You can scroll the film either side of those images

[BumbleB]

Doh!   

[coombs]

In Little Wakering, Essex, many of my family are buried in the north east corner of the chuchyard, and some are in shared graves, but a couple are both buried in separate graves but next to one another. Many seemed to die inbetween November and February as well, so the winter months. A great grandfather died on the penultimate day of 1958 and was buried 3 Jan 1959. His wife had died on 1 January 1953.

[GrahamSimons]

In response to the uneven deaths with higher mortality in winter - this graph shows the data from our rural churchyard. As the winter progresses, people are indoors longer and are more likely to gain infections, and of course the food supply from the previous harvest will be steadily decreasing, so we see a rise in mortality, falling away in spring and summer.