Genealogy Chat

One of my family's graves has 6 people in it buried between 1922 - 1979 2 of them babies. We were told last week by the very helpful chap there that graves could be a maximum depth of 9ft back then, allowing 6 burials. Now the limit is 7ft, allowing 4 burials. Also the digging of the grave itself was a perilous task, 9ft deep with no side supports, graves sometimes fell in ontop of the diggers.

A kind man on the rootsweb london list checked a grave for me in Abney Park, I was hoping it was one of mine. Turns out it was a public grave with 10 people in it!! When I looked on the link he found me with who was in the grave there were a couple a day put in over several weeks some only babies. Very sad.

Lil That must have been so upsetting for the family and unforgivable that the council have no record, for that person too is someone's family. The problem with graves purchase is that sometimes it's a limited right to X number of years rather than outright purchase of the grave. My friend had to fight to bury her brother with their mother. In between the deaths their father had remarried and at his death the grave, as part of his estate, passed to the 2nd wife and at her death was passed to HER family taking any rights away from my friends own family. Not everyone thinks of a grave to be considered as part of an estate

My husbands grandma bought a family plot in the 1940's, for her son who died when still a child, to encorporate 3 coffins. When the grave was opened 3 years ago when her youngest daughter died.... it was full, someone else had been buried there. Even after a full investiagation by the local council they do not know who the person is or when they were buried.

what i find a bit disturbing, looking through the grave index for my local cemertry, my Great Grand Mother was buried in 1954 on top of a John Lee who died in 1890, aged 66, seems weird her lying there with a Stranger

When I found my ancestors in the churchyard only a couple of miles up the road (and about which I had no idea til I started all this stuff!), I got very friendly with the warden there who is also into genealogy. The village is now a very popular one for yuppies and the little cottages my ancestors must have lived in now cost quarter of a million plus. SO, the vicar has limited burials in the yard to people with special connection to the village. I have been told that I can go in on top of GGF and GGMx4 (last interred in 1825). That is a comfort to me, really.

They will not dig as far down as the previous buriel. I think by law there has to be so much earth between the two buriels. Julie

Amanda When you pay for a family burial plot you can usually have at least 3 burials. The first is very deep. Next is not quite so deep and so on. I suppose yes they are on top off one another but not as it sounds. My parents bought a plot as mentioned, they are both buried there and there is one slot left for me. I quite like the idea of all being together, but, I suppose it doesn't appeal to all. Liz :-))

Pretty much. My mil had her brothers grave opened when my fil died. Then when she died it was opened again. and you pay each time.

I have a number of people in my family who I have found have been buried in the same grave. Hoping its not too morbid but does that mean each time there was a subsequent burial that the grave was re dug and the coffin was placed directly on top of the previous one?