The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-08-27 00:00:00

THE

for whose special reception it had been consecrated.
(Hear, hear.) Then what was to be done ? The
resolution proposed to form a burial board. He was
anxious that a burial board should be formed
1 with free hands, perfectly unfettered, and it was
one of the acts of preliminary meetings which were
i held, in order to arrange matters, so as to bring them
I succinctly, clearly, and in an intelligible manner, before
the public, that a deputation was appointed to confer
I with the worthy Chairman, as to whether he had any
objection to the appointment of a burial board, or to the
purchase'of land elsewhere, and he had much pleasure in
saying that the rector met them most cordially, and
expressed his willingness to assist in the constitution of
a.burial board, and in carrying out the wishes which tlia
ratepayers might express. (Hear, hear.) At the same
time he very naturally stated that, although as the Rev.
Mr. Campbell, he was ready to assist them, still, as
rector, he must see that the rights of succeeding rectors
were preserved intact, and the answer of the deputation
was, that of course the rights given to the rectors by law,
should be preserved as they were at present—at least,
that it should be left to the legislature to deal with them
as they thought fit. (Hear, hear.) Now, with regard to
the extent of ground required, suppose each grave to be
nine feet long, and three feet wide, which he took to be
the smallest dimensions a grave ought to have, an acre
would receive 1,600 bodies. It was important to observe
that, under the altered state of the law, it depended upon
the state of the land, how soon a second body could be
put down in the same space. A clay soil occupied the
longest time in decomposing, and a sandy soil, the minimum
of time. It was quite clear that 27i acres of land, subject
to this restriction, and to the other restrictions of the act
of parliament, which required space to be kept for planting,
laying out paths, and erecting buildings, and calculating
' the rate of 1,600 bodies to an acre, and 10,000 inter-
nts in one year, the entire surface would be absorbed in
years, allowing twenty acres to be the extent really
' .ble for interments. But suppose that more than
y acres were available, and that each grave was not
rce, they might then eke out the time to
ow, he was sure no one there would desire
... .

ay should only suffice for four
They would agree with him in
(one that day should be rightly
tod of time that it would not require
,uue over, at least in their lives. (Hear, hear.)
Air. Jeffery then detailed the result of interviews he had
had the previous week, at the Home Office, with Mr.
Under-Secretary Waddington, to whom he presented a
memorial from the churchwardens, requesting three months
for the closing of the cemetery. Mr. Waddington ex-
plained that he felt the law pinch rather tightly, but had
forwarded the memorial to Sir George Grey, from whom a
favourable answer was hoped, which could not, however,
arrive in time for that meeting, as Sir George Grey was
absent from London. Mr. Jeffery concluded by moving
that the resolution be adopted.

ey did that
ar, hear.) 1

r such

Mr. Thornley seconded the motion.
Mr. Carne said that he was astonished at the facility
with which Mr. Jeffery swallowed his own words, and
appropriated as his own those of other gentlemen. It
would be in their recollection, that on the 28th of March,
two years back, he (Mr. Carne) and his colleague in the
church wardenship, felt it their duty to put themselves in com-
munication with Dr. Sutherland on this very subject, and
having received an order from the Home Secretary to close
St. Martin's Cemetery, they called a meeting for the
purpose of having a burial board appointed. On that
occasion he used the very same arguments which were now
urged by Mr. Jeffery. He pointed out that the land at
Walton could last only four or five years, according to the
rules laid down under the act, and he contended that it was
therefore imperative on the people of Liverpool to appoint a
burial board, and to procure more land, the more especially
as by that means, seeing that the whole of Walton was
consecrated, the dissenters would have a portion of the
ground set apart for their use, while the churchmen would
also be provided for. He mentioned the instance of London
ving purchased 200 acres, of Marylebone having pur-
ased a like quantity, and of Workington having purchased
still greater quantity for a parish cemetery, and he
;gested that 150 acres was the least quantity that should
vided for Liverpool. He was met by Mr. Jeffery,
It only spoke against the arguments, but also pro-
,hat it was not advisable to take any further steps in
tter then. That resolution was carried out, and so
tter for the time ended. For himself, he had always
f opinion that Walton was not the place for a
ry, and that a burial board selected from the prin-
asses of the community was very desirable for the
town of Liverpool.

.dan Dover said that if he could believe that
Aers of the scheme really intended what they now
, he would remain silent, but he could not help
that the meeting was called somewhat from the
tance that certain gentlemen had differed with the
ad rector in regard to the fees. (Cries of " no, no.")
" yes, yes," for he could net help thinking that, if
.d not been for that unfortunate disagreement, they
ild not have had the pleasure of meeting together that
j—(laughter)—because he well recollected, in corrobora-
in of what Mr. Carne said, that not a long time
go Mr. Jeffery, in. vestry assembled, did oppose the con-
,n of a new cemetery, saying, as he (Mr. Dover)
iv said, that they had one already. He did not rise to
,pose the ap:.ointment of a burial board, because he
,vas anxious to consult the feelings of every man, be his
religion what it might—(bear, bear)—but be did rise to
say that they should take care that they did not mix up the
squabbles of parties and cliques with the question. (Hear,
hear.) They should take care that the board was imparti-
ally constituted, for if it were not, they might depend upon

structi

it that means would be found to'thwart its action. But
with regard to Walton Cemetery. Ho had been in the

habit of attending the general vestries regularly, and he
knew of no such resolution as that referred to by Mr.

Teffery, stipulating that a part of Walton Cemetery should
--nucrated. He knew of no such resolution, and if
adopted by the vestry, it was done in total
gnorance of the circumstances of the case, and of their
position. The land was purchased and paid for, and
vaildings erected on it for the required purposes. All was
lone under the authority of the Church Commissioners,
pilot all that the vestry authorised the churchwardens to do
vas, seeing that the local place of interment was nearly
'till, and that further accomodation was required, to provide
)ther burial ground precisely on the same principle and on
he same plan as the existing parochial burial grounds.
inch a place (Walton) was accordingly purchased. They
aad been taxed lid in the pound for it—a tax which had
fielded in the course of nine years some .£ls,ooo—and he
lid contend, then, that before that burial place
was set aside, very strong reasons should be
offered. (Rear, bear.) The fact was, that so far from its
being an unfit place, it was the most fit place about

it ever.vas

Liverpool

In the first place the surface was clay, and
irter digging a few feet they came to sand, which, as Mr.
Jeffery observed, was the best passible soil for interment.
There would be little or no expense in digging the clay,
7as dug it would require no brick walls to
ides of the ground from falling in. That would
,he case if they purchased land altogether of a sandy
They would then require brickwork to strengthen
sides, and would so render the interment a heavy charge
an the poor. That objection could not be against Walton.
It had a good situation, it was at a convenient distance
from town, and in addition to that it was already laid out.
It was true there was some gentlemen who had a con-
scientious objection to intering their dead there in conse-
quence of the ground not being consecrated, but he believed
that the public at large did not share in that feeling. A
great many of the dissenters were satisfied with it. He
knew that some dissenters preferred the church burial
,rvice to their own, but whether they did or not there was
necessity, if they wished it, that any clergyman
a Church of England should read its service.
immediate neighbourhood there was the
'lrish Cemetery, and of those interred in

'hen it

keep a

Walton

it not more than one-tlii.rd, he believed, were church-
men. He had never heard an objection to it on
the giound of its being consecrated, and if they have enter-
tained such an objection, he would ask, should they not
provide special ground for each of the denominations of the
Baptists, of the Methodists, for the Roman Catholics and
the Jews, all of whom had different feelings on the subject ?
”Id wk if it was intended 'm have a chaplain for the
o the unconsecrated ground ?
When von have nrinphia.d T .-;11 4,01

knew then

was something concealed in'this

'eq hesitation of Mr. Jeffery to answer the

question showed it. He was willing that there should be
a burial ground provided for those who differed from the
Church of England, but let them not force members of the
Church of England, and dissenters, who did not object to
buriel service, to throw up Walton, and put the
krishioners to enormous expense in providing, unneces-
-1.4, a burial place elsewhere. lie believed that Walton
as a very good purchase. They paid about £3OO an acre
r it, and he felt convinced that they would get no other
y close to the town for less than £5OO an
'e was another point to be considered in reference
Did they suppose that the rector, whose duty
and down to his successors his rights and privi-
ntact, would stand quietly by with his hands in
ie.& and allowed them to dispose of those rights ?
Duld not do it without a parliamentary contest, and
expense of such contests the parish had already

icientl

to Walton

. _
Mr. Sidney took exception to the powers of the select
vestry in those matters, and declared himself an advocate of
the old fashioned general vestries. He contended that, as
the rates were levied in common, the parishioners in general
had an equal right to the cemetery, and that the feelings of
all should be considered in the matter. He did not know
at whose instigation the whole of Walton had been conse-
crated but in consecrating it a resolution of the vestry had
been directly violated. He could not find any man of the
selectic,t vestry who did not thank his God that he had
thur g to do with it—(laughter)—and Mr. Davis alone
atuPto defend it. In conclusion, Mr. Sidney declared
washf no
supportin party in the matter, and concluded by
r. JeifZfe,re motion.
Came brou ' then replied. He conceived that when Mr.
to open Walton Cemetery,
his resoluqon two years back,it was
he admitted he did oppose
and, acting under that impression,
'AP Chairman :"Vu ge
it.m
Carne, then.
His j object
have misunderstood Mr.
meter), op
eaedt was the reverse of getting the
. know that he had a fancy in

Walton 0