The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-29 00:00:00

INTERMENT OF THE DEAD

A BILL TO BETTER PROVISION FOR THE
INTERMENT OF THE DEAD IN AND NEAR THE

METROPOLIS.
[Note.—The words printed in Italics are proposed to be

inserted in the Committee.]

When as it is expedient to make better provision for
:be interment of the dead in and near the metropolis: be
it therefore enacted by tee Queen's most Excellent Ma-
jesty, by and wits the advice and consent of the Lords
spiritual and temporal, and Commons, in this present
laerliement assembled, and by the authority of the same,
that the cities and liberties of London and Westminster
respectively, tha borough of Southwark, and the
parishes, t rwnships, precincts, and plates mentioned in
the schedule (A.) to this Act; shall fir the purposes of
this Act be one district, to be called " The Metropolitan
Burial District."
11. And be it enacted, that the General Board of
Health shad, act in the execution of this Act; and it
shall be lawful for her Majesty, from time to time, by
warrant under her royal sign manual, to. appoint one
member of such board in addition to the members of
such board which her Majesty may be authorised to_
appoint under any other Act •or Acts, and at plea-
sure to remove the member so appointed ; arid
such board shall for the purposes of this Act be
ore body politic and corporate by the name of " The
General Board of Health," and by that name shall hate
perpetual succession and and a common seal, and shall-
sue and be sued, and have power and,aUthority (without
any licence in enortmain) to take, purchase, and hold
lands, eetiements, and hereditatnents for the purposes of
this Act. . .
111. And be it enacted, that' it shall be lairtful fur the*
said board from time to time to appoint or employ fur
the purposes of this Act, an assistant-secretary, a trea-
surer, and such clerks and officers, and for and in each
burial ground to be provided ,by the said board under"
this Act a warden, and such assistants, gravediggers,
and other servants:as they deem necessary, and to remove
such assistant-secretary, treasurer, clerks, wardens, offi-
cers, and servants, or any of them.
IV. And be it enacted, that no additional member of
the said board to be appointed under this Acteand no
assistant-secretary, treasurer, or other officer to be ap-
pointed as aforesaid, shall hold his office after the expi-
ration of the period for which " The Public Health Act,
1848," provides that the said General Board of Health
shall be continued. •
V. And be it enacted, that the said board shall pro-
vide such offices as they may think necessary fur the
purposes of this Act, and for providing such offices may
purchase by agreement or take on lease any lands which
msy appear to them convenient for the same.
VI. And be it enacted, that the said board shall from
time to time provide, in such places as, having regard to
the public health, may appear to them expedient, and
either within or without the limits of the district, burial
grounds of sufficient extent fur the decent interment of
the bodies of all persons dying within the district; and ip
shall be lawful for the said board, from time to time, in
case it appear to them necessary or expedient so to do,
to enlarge any burial ground provided by them under
this Act, and to make any road to such burial ground,
or, with the consent of the owner of any existing road,
or of the persons in whom the management thereof may
by law be vested, to widen or improve such existing
road, for facilitating the approach to such burial ground,
and for providing any burial ground under this Act, or
enlarging any such burial ground, or making, widening,
or improving roads or approaches thereto, it shall be
lawful fa- the said board to purchase by agreement any,
lands which it may appear to them expedient to pur-
chase for such purpose.
VII. Provided always, and be in enacted, that for the
purposes of this Act the said board may, if they see fit,
purchase and take by agreement or otherwise all or any
of the cemeteries mentioned in the schedule (B.) td this
Act, subject to the rights to graves, vaults and monu-
ments subsisting therein, and (subject to such subsisting
rights) all the provisions of this Act concerning burial
grounds provided thereunder shall extend to the cemete-
ries purchased as aforesaid.
VIII. And be it enacted, that it shall be lawful for
the said board to enclose and lay out the burial grounds
provided under this Act, in such, manner, and to erect
and make therein such buildings and other works as may
appear to them fitting and proper, and to build in every
such burial ground a chapel for the performance of service'
according to the rites of the United Church of England!
and Ireland, or to enlarge any chapel already built (where
there may be any chapel already built, and consecrated
according to the rites of the said United Church, in any.
cemetery purchased under this Act); and every chapel
to t e built or enlarged as aforsaid shall be so built or
enlarged according t a plan approved of by the Lord
Bishop of London; and every such chapel, and every
burial ground, provided under this 'Act, except such por-
tion therA as may not be intended t ) be used for the
burial of the dead according to the rites of the said United
Church, may be consecrated by the said Bishop; arid
every chapel consecrated according to the rites of the
said United Church in any burial ground provided under
this Act (although the same be not locally situate within
leis diocese) shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the
said bishop, and the service to be performed in the
burial of the dead iu the portion consecrated according
to the rites of the said United Church of every burial
ground prodded under this Act shall be according to the
rites of such Church.
IX. And be it enacted, that the said board shall from
time to time appoint so many clerks in holy orders as they
may think necessary to be chaplains to officiate in the
burial grounds provided under this Act, and such chap-
lains shall be licensed by and subject to the jurisdiction
of the said bishop, and such licence shall be revocable by
the said bishop when he thinks fit; and the said board
may assign to such chaplains such duties in relation to
the performance of the burial service in the portions
consecrated as aforesaid of the burial grounds provided
under this Act as the said board may from time to time
think fit; anal the said hoard shall have power to re-
move such chaplains; and one of such chaplains, or
in the absence of all such chaplains, such clerk
in holy orders, authorised to officiate within
the diocese of London as the said board may in this be-
half authorise, shall perform the burial service over the
bodies brought to be buried in the portion consecrated
as aforesaid of any burial ground provided under this
Act which are entitled to be buried therein, except in
those cases in which the incumbent of the parish from
which such body is brought, or his curate, shall perform
such burial service : provided always, that, subject to
the rights of such incumbent, the said board may, upon
the request of the persons having the care of any fune-
ral, authorise any other clerk in holy orders not prohi-
bited by the said bishop, nor under ecclesiastical censure,
to perform such service.
X. And be it enacted, that a portion of every burial
gruuud provided under this Act shall not be consecrated
as aforesaid, and the said board may build thereon a
suitable chapel or chapels.
XI. And be it enacted, that when the said board have
provided any burial ground, and have msdo all such ar-
rangements as they may think necessary for the inter-
ment in such ground of the bodies of the dead, and after
the consecration of such portion thereof as may require
consecration, they shall give notice in the London Gazette
that they have provided such burial ground, and that
interments may be made therein; and after such notice
interments may be made in such burial ground under
this Act.

XII. And be it enacted, that when - the said board
shall be of opinion that interment (otherwiselhan in the
burial grounds provided under this Act) should be dis-
continued, wholly or subject to any exception or excep-
tions, in any part or parts of the district, they shall re-
port to her Majesty their opinion accordingly, and so
from time to time when the said board shall be of
opinion that interment (otherwise than as aforesaid)
should be so discontinued in any part or parts of
the district in which such interment has not been already
ordered to be discontinued, or in any place excepted
from any f inner order for the discontinuance of inter-
ment, they shall report to her Majesty in like manner;
and at any time after the presentation of any such re-
port it shall be lawful for her Majesty, by and with the
advice of her Privy Council, to order that after a time
mentioned in the order interment in the churche•i,
chapels, and churchyards, and other burial ,piaces, and
elsewhere within any part or parts in any such report or
reports and in such order mentioned of t's district,
shall be wholly discontinued, or shall be discontinued
subject to any exception or exceptions mentioned in
such order; and every such order shall be published in
the London Gazette, provided that notice of every such
report, and of the time when it shall please her Majesty
to order that the same be taken into consideration by
the Privy Council, shall be published in the London Ga-
zate fourteen days at the least before the same is so
considered.
XIII. And be it enacted, that, subject to the provi-
sions herein contained, and the regulations made under
this Act, the parishioners and inhabitants of the
several parishes and places within the district,
(after the time from which interment has been
ordered. to be discontinued in the whole district;,
or within any part or parts of the district in which
interment has been ordered to be discontinued,
after the time from which interment has been ordered
to be discontinued therein, shall have the same rights of
sepulture in the portion consecrated as aforesaid of
every burial ground provided under this Act as they
respectively would have had in the burial grounds in end I
for their several parishes and places; and the in-
cumbent of every such parish shall, by himself or his
curate, upon giving such notice as may be required
in this behalf by any such regulations as of iresaid, I
have the same rights and authorities for the per-
formance of religious service in the burial ef the
bodies of the parishioners or inhabitants of his parish
in the portion consecrated as aforesaid tf every burial
ground provided under this Act as if the same were a
burial ground of such parish; and the parishioners and
inhabitants and the incumbent of every such parish and
place shall respectively have such rights as aforesaid,
notwithstanding the exception from any order for dis-
continuance of interment of any burial ground or burial
grounds, or right of burial in any burial ground or
burial grounds, in or belonging to any such parish or
place, unless in such order as aforesaid any burial
ground or burial grounds so excepted be declared to, be
Icontinued for such parish or place in lieu of all rights of