The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-03-19 00:00:00

THE NECROPOLIS.

THE GOVERNMENT ENQUIRY.

The adjourned enquiry in reference to the Necropolis burial
ground was resumed in the Chancellor's Court, St. George's
Hall, at one o'clock, yesterday, before the Government Com-
missioner, Dr. Holland.
The enquiry appeared to excite much public interest, and a
large number of spectators was present.
Mr. Lace appeared on behalf of the trustees of the Necro-
polis.

Mr. Frederick Hull appeared for one of the parties interested
in having the enquiry pursued.
Mr. M'Gowan and Mr. Fresh were present on behalf of
the ilealth Committee.
When the Commissioner had taken his seat,
Mr. M'Gowan said, in accordance with the Commissioner's
request that he should inspect the books and documents of the
Necropolis, he went there the previous day, but found that the
books were not in the safe, and he was told they were in the
office of the solicitors, Messrs. Lace & Co. Oa enquiry there,
however, he found they were not there, and he therefore
requested that they might be sought for and found. Mr.
lessee's partner very properly and promptly instituted an
enquiry, and, about half past five o'clock last evening, inti-
mated to him (Mr. M‘Gowarr) that the books had been found
in the place of business of one of the trustees. He made an
appointment to inspect them at ten o'clock that morning, but
his ether occupations were so numerous, that he had not been
able to do so. He, however, served a notice, according to the
Couarnissioner's directions, that the books should be produced,
and be presumed they would be found there that day.
Mr. Lace said he had directed that the books should be
heought down, in order that every information should be given,
and they were brought down to the office of Mr. Jones, one of
the committee, the next day, where they were open for Mr.
M`Gowan's inspection.
The Commissioner : I do not think it is a main circumstance
for us ; it is rather a matter for you.
Mr. Hull : Before you enter upon the general enquiry,
would you allow me to make a few observations on behalf of
a gentleman interested in the matter, and whose name has
been already brought before you. My client, Mr. R, M—,
in the month of January last, had occasion to take steps for
the burial of a relative, in the Necropolis. For this purpose,
be went to a highly respectable undertaker, named Bingham,
in Browniow hill, and instructed him to procure for his relative
a decent burial of the beat class which could be obtained in the
Necropolis; a private grave. Those were the instructions given
by Mr. M---- to Mr. Bingham, and Mr. M— attended the
funeral, and, to al appearance, the body was buried in a private
grave. Mr. Bingham, whom I shall call before you to tell his
own story,went to the Necropolis for the purpose of procuring the
best grave. He enquired for the Rev. Mr. Kirleus, and I should
tell you that Mr. Bingham had frequently, as an undertaker, con-
ducted burials there on prior occasions,and was perfectlycognizant
'of the ordinary course of business there pursued. Mr. Rirkus
was not at home, but ho was referred to Mr. Simpson, the
xton, who told him that it would take three days to cut a
private grave, because below a certain depth you come upon a
rod sandstone rock, but be told him there were two graves on
sale, of one of which be was the trustee, and which had been
transferred by the prior owner back to the trustees of the
Necropolis. Ho stated that the grave had been opened a short
time previously for the burial of a child; bat he gave Mr.
Bingham to unders'and that when the funeral took place, the
relatives thought they should prefer to have a vault, and in
consequence of that the newly buried body of the irdent had
been there and then removed from the grave to tlee Vault, and,
therefore, the grave was ready to receie,e another tenant.
Mr. Bingham formed the opinion that this was in point
of fact a private grave, ar in consequence he paid
to Mr. Simpson upon 'Lie 10th of January, £6 Is 6d,
constituting the full 'end the highest price of a private grave.
The relatives of. the deceased gentleman attended the funeral
in the fullfeelief that the body was being buried in a private
gra"— and en the matter rested until Mr. M was requested
Mr. M Gowan, from some information received by Mr.
APGowan, but of which Mr. M -- at the time was utterly
ignorant, to hand him over his receipt for the purposes of this
enquiry. It was after the enquiry had taken place before you
the other day, that Mr. M— read in the public newspapers
a description of the grave in which the body of his relative
had been placed on the 10th of January last: I need hardly
tell you that the perusal of that account excited a great
degree of indignation in his breast, because he found that
there had been buried in that grave three bodies before. Two
of those bodies had been removed for the purpose of admitting
the body of his deceased relative, but one of the bodies still
'remained in the grave. Therefore you will see that although
representation was made that the body of his relative was
being buried in a private grave, yet in point of fact the body
was number 4 in the grave, making it to all intents and purposes
what would be called a common grave. The feeling
he had was, of course, very materially shared in by a great
number of relatives the gentleman happened to possess.
Therefore, he instructs me to appear before you to-day to
mention these facts, in order that they may form a subject of
-your enquiries in the general matters you have to look into.
fle complains that there was a fraudulent representation made
to him, and that £6 is 6d was extorted from his pocket; but
the chief motive which moves him is not the money, but the
' feeling excited in the breast of himself and of his relatives, and
his desire that the idea should not go forth to the world that
be, being in Liverpool, consigned his relative to a common
grave, when his relatives surviving in Ireland, and other
places would naturally think he ought to have paid ordinary
respect to the body of their deceased friend and relation.
The Commissioner : I don't exactly see how this relates to
the present inquiry. It is rather a question for a court of law.
Mr. Hull : It comes before you in this way : either it is a
private grave or a common grave. If they made it a common
grave, then they broke the order in council by burying too
many. bodies in it.
Mr. M'Gowan submitted that it might appear in the
enquiry, because it might be an element in the consideration
of Sir George Grey how far, when practices of this kind
were brought home, he might feel induced to continee
any indulgence or privilege to them of which he could
deprive them. On the occasion of the last day's enquiry
it was stated that the body in the ground was that of a
grown person. Now it was stated by Mr. Hull on behalf
of his client, that the representation made was that only
the body of an infant was buried there.
Mr Hull said, ev( n the representation that it was an
infant never reached his clients ears. He believed that it
was entirely a new grave.
Mr. Lace said the trustees were not to be made respon-
sible because Mr. M--'s own agent did not carry their
message. When the undertaker came ho said it was necessary
that the body should be buried immediately ; the Sexton
said it would take them three days to cut a private grave,
but told him that there were two or three graves ready
from which boles had been taken out, and among these
was the grave which ,was then taken by the undertaker.
The Commissioner thought the object of Mr. M----
would be fulfilled by this public statement which relieved
him from any blame. Tee enquiry, however, was one for
a court of law, and which he did not think he could
pu'lle any further.
'Richard Smith : I am the grave digger. I do not remember
when T---- was buried. I remember when S— was buried
in it. It was in September, 1856. Before S-- was buried
the grave ,was opened, and a small body was left in. I
remember the burial of J— R— in grave 1.138. There
.was a body in it before, and the grave stone with F—'s
name, who was buried there, was removed, the writing defaced,
and the stone then replaced. I know the grave 2,892. I
went down into it, and took one body out of it to make room.
There were two bodies in it. The body which I took out I
buried in the common grave. Another body was then placed
in 2,892.

31r. Hull here observed that there was no transfer at all
in the register of the grave to Mr. M--. lie held a
receipt for £6 is 61, but the registry cash bo.k showed
only a payment of £2 10a 61. He wished to know where the
'rest of the money went to, or to whom the grave now belonged.
Mr. Lace said that the trustees admitted there were great
irregularities in the keeping of these books, but the explanation
of this entry was very simple. Mrs. Jones, who owned the
grave, wished to go abroad, and she sold the grave for £4 10s,
which was paid to her out of the £6 Is 6d.
Air. Hull : Whole the registrar ?
Mr. Lace : The Rev. Mr. Kirkus.
Mr. Hull : And where is Mrs. Jones ?
'4 Mr. Lace objected that this was an attempt to mix up
two matters—Mr. M—'s civil rights and a public enquiry,
He had the transfer from Mrs. Jones ; and, if Mr. Hull

called at his office every information would be given to him.
Mr. Hull : If you wish to convince me, produce the register
here in open court.
Mr. Lace declined to do so, contending that the course
'attempted to be pursued by Mr. Hull was most improper. He
• should try his right in another court.

Mr. Aug : And so I will.
Mr. Chilton, solicitor, who produced a receipt, said that
when he paid £6 is 6d for the grave 4,243, he considered it
was a first grave. It was open, and the sexton told him that
it had been only opened for a body which however was not
brought there. [By the register it appeared that the grave had
belonged to three or four different parties. There was no
entry of a transfer to Mr. Chilton, nor any mention of the
burial of his child there about ten months' ago.]
Richard Smith said that he remembered this grave, and
that just before the bnrial of Mr. Chilton's child, he took a
body out of it, and buried it in a common grave. The grave
was open, ready for any person to buy when Mr. Chilton
came to buy it. We have often done this. The
witness here desctibed, as on the first day, the nature
of what they termed a " bone-house." It is a deep
grave or pit in which they bury the bodies, two at