The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-11 00:00:00

THE NECROPOLIS.

SHAMEFUL DISCLOSURES

Yesterday, an enquiry was held in:the Vice Chancellor's
Court, St. George's Hall. by Dr. Rolland, one of the officers
of the General board of Health, in London, into certain
statements as to the manner in which interments were con-
ducted at the " Necropolis" cemetery, West Derby road.
The inquiry arose in this manner r—Romnurs got about
ef late, that the wise and salutary order in council,
regulating intramural interments, was systematically
violated at the Necropolis in the interment of more than
one body in a common grave, and that, not only was this
done, but, that the further, and more grievous indecency
of removing bodies from the graves in which they were
first solemnly interred, without the knowledge or consent
of the relatives or friends, into other graves, was of
frequent occurrence. These rumours reached the
Health Committee, and there being reason to believe
that there was some foundation for them, a communi-
cation was forwarded to the Secretary of State, requesting
that a commissioner might be sent down to Liverpool to
inquire into them, and that, if the rumours were found to
be correct, the cemetery might he closed. In conse-
quence of that application, Dr. Holland was sent down,
and he opened the enquiry, as above stated, at twelve
o'clock yesterday.
Mr, M'Gowan, D-putt' Town Clerk, appeared
on behalf of the Health C.tmmittee, Mr. Fresh and the
other sanitary officers being also present ; and Mr.
Ambrose Lace appeared to watch the proceedings on the
part of the trustees of the Necropolis, some of whom, to-
gether with the Rev. Mr. Kirkus, the chaplain of the
cemetery, were in attendance.
Dr. Holland opened the enquiry by reading Mr.
MbGowan's letter to the Secretary of State, Sir George
Grey, and said that while he would now call on Mr.
M'Gowan to sustain the statements contained in it. he
would also afford to the trustees a full opportunity of
refuting them if possible.
Mr. M'Gowan said the enquiry took place with very
considerable pain to the Health Committee, but having
received certain information in reference to this burial
ground, they felt that they could not ba discharging
their duty to the. public unless they took the matter up,
painful though it- might be to them. If, upon enquiry.
the rumours which had got into circulation were proved
to he unfounded, no one would be more glad of it than
the Health Committee ; but if, on the other hand, they
were found to be correct, then it was desirable that
the enquiry should he held, and that some means
should be taken to put an end to so obj-ctionable
a practice. On the lilt of April, 1854, an
order in council was made in reference to the various
burial grounds in the borough, among them the Neer°.
pens, and this order directed that, with the exception of
private graves and vaults, no more than one body should
be buried in any one grave in these places. Informa-
tions reached the health committee, in June, 1856. that
this order was not obeyed at the Necropolis, and an
officer was sent there ore Sunday to watch the interments.
He observed that one grave was very deep, and it struck
him as strange that though a body was placed in it. it
was not filled up, only a little earth being sprinkled over
the coffin. He reported the circumstance, hot the next
morning the clergyman who superintended the establish..
ment, called at the Cornwallis street offices, and informed
him (Mr. M'Gowan) and other persons present, that the
grave was not filled On, not from any improper motive,
but from a disinclination on the par: of himself and the
trustees to have any unnecessary work done on the
Sabbath. The explanation was satisfactory, and the
officer made no more visits to the place ; but if the in
formations which they latterly learned were correct, then

the gr tve was left open for a very different object indeed
in short, that each ceinuson grave was ()retied, not for
the internient of one body, but of as many bodies as it
would contain. Ho was also informed that it was the
practice to remove the body deposited in a certein grave,
say to day, to some other grave on the morrow, without
the knowledge, of the relatives, !hat other grave being a
common receptacle for st verel other belies, after which
the first grave was used again for a new interment, and
the same process of retnovil over and over again repeated.
That, he, was informed, was the ordinary practice in
rogerd to common graves; hut, he was also informed that
bodies were in like manner removed from private graves,
from those graves which parties had purchased for the sole
use of themselves and families. He would make no
comment on such conduct, but would simply call on
the witnesses to make their statements.
The following witnessess were then examined, but not
on oath.
Mr. W. K. Tyrer : I am a solicitor in practice in Liver-
pool, and I reside about half a mile from the Necropolis
and I have passed this place for the laq ten years. I have
avoided passing lately as much as 1 can, there being very
nifoneivo odours who., tho wind has heen s little to tho
east of south. The odour was a very sickening odour, and
I say it is the smell of putrid flesh. Along the street
leading to the workhouse it is very bad. Since 1854 the
offensive smell has become worse. I attended a funeral in
the Necropolis in the early part of last year, and en that
occasion the remains of the lady were deposited within a
foot or eighteen inches of the surface, and I say also that
the coffin of a child was removed to make room for hers.
The little child's coffin was afterwards placed on the top of
the new ceffin, and to my recollection there was very little
room between the flag and the small coffin. At night the
smell is worst. I have frequently heard people observe on
the offensive odours arising from the cemetery. I heard of
Otis enquiry, and came here on my own accord. lam
satisfied if this erquiry is made public, you will get plenty
of evidence of the existence of the offensive smell.-
Mr. James Wi son : lam ae inspector of nuisances. In
June 1856, I was directed to pay attention to the Necro-
polis. On the 15th of that month I was there, and I saw
a coffin in a grave without earth upon it. 'The grave was
five or six feet deep. I. saw a second coffin placed in it
without any earth being placed between. The first coffin
was quite flesh. - The grave was not filled up when the
second coffin was put in. It was then about halt past
four o'clock- I remained until all the funeral had
finished, the ground was closed when I left. When 1 left
there were about two inches of earth thrown over the
coffins; and a few plansi were then laid across the grave.
I reported what I saw. I told the man at the gate, and
the minister in charge of the place, who I was.
Mr. Henry Aynsley, inspector of nuisances, deposed to
the chaplain of the Necropolis, Mr. Kirkus, calling at the
Qornwallis street offices the following morning, and ex.'
plaining the reason the grave reported on by Wilson was
not filled up immediately after the interment, was simply
because that both he and the trustees were unwieling that
any unnecessary labour should bs done on the Sunday. He
then pledged his word as a gentleman and clergyman that
it should be done the first thing next morning. He also
pledged his word as a clergyman and gentleman that since
the order in council, two bodies were never placed in a
common grave.
John kitthatton : I am a builder and contractor in a
small way. I was recently asked by Mr. Wl:lowan to
devote some attention to the Necropolis. I commenced to
go on* the 21st of last February, and ceased to do
so on last Friday. I saw, on the 25th, placed
in a grave the body of a person, named Henry Hodgson,
a dock gateman. The grave was ten feet two inches deep.
I measured it with my tape before, the body was put down.
The coffin, on being put down, was covered with a little
earth, a "sprinkling," and the rest of the grave left
open. but covered with planks at the top. Ori the
26th of the same month, the day followirg, I saw a coffin,
marked Mary Simons, put into the same, grave. I CiD
point out the grave at any time. Mary Simon's coffin was
too large to go down to the bottom, and they took it up
and placed it in another grave. I afterwards saw, on the
Ist March, Daniel Tbisletort buried on the top of Henry
Hodgson, in the same grave. On the 4th March I saw
Ann Jones buried in the same grave ; on the 6th March
Ellen Roberts was buried in the same grave; the grave was
then about five feet open, and was covered, as before, with
planks, on each occasion there was only a little earth
thrown over the coffin.
Mr. John Simpson WCR then called. lie is the sexton
of the cemetery ; and as. any party guilty of these practices
is liable to a penalty, it was left to him to say whether he
would answer the questions or not, He declined to answer
the questions.
Evan Roberts, a labourer at the cemetery, said that he
had seenanore than one body placed in a common grave,
and that that was done up to the present time.
James Barlow, stone mason at,the cemetery, declined t
say whether he had seen more than one body buried in
,moron grave. He had seen bodies, since 1854, taken
out of graves, not by relatives, and placed in other common
graves He never saw it done in the 'case of family graves,
without the consent of relative,.
Richard Smiat, a labourer employed at the /eVeropolis,
said : I have seen since April, 1854, more than one body
buried in a common grave. The geueral practice has been
to bury them in a grave, one at a time, and then take them
out and bury several of them in one grave. That has been
the regular practice lately—to keep two or three " tidy"
graves open, and after we bury the people ill them, we take
them up the next day and bury them in another grave,
three or four together. The " tidy" grave would be about
five feet, and might be kept open for a month. The people of
Liverpool often visit the graves where their friends are buried;
they go to the grave where the coffin was first placed, not
knowing of the removal. The practice lately has been to
burs in " tidy" graves The body of a man named V-
v., is placed in a tidy" grave, and next day removed to a
cernmon grave, and batied with three or four other bodies
in it. I could show the graie where that man now lies.
J— C—, brother-in •law of V—, here rose, and said
that he was present at the first interment. He was not
aware of the removal. He went to visit the grave afterwards