I am researching deaths in Gt Torrington and am viewing "Devon Burials" that bring up "Anglican" "Register of burials in the parish of Gt Torrington". Now there are two burial places in Gt Torrington and they are Gt Torrington Cemetery as well as St Michael & All Angels Church. My problem is which of these two places are the burial entries for. I need this to be correct as after I enter the details to my Family History software I then add all family details to the appropriate place on Find a Grave. Thank you for any help you can give me. Terry
HI Terry, this could be a difficult one!. Great Torrington Cemetery as I'm sure you know was consecrated in 1856 and it does look as if the Churchyard was closed for burials the same year. There is a very long discussion in the House of Lords, I'm afraid I haven't read it all through but I think thia was in the time of the infamous Bishop Philpotts who I think delayed things a bit in Torrington? https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/1856-06-27/debates/f66275f9-5a4c-4aa3-9588-6d8c169f3289/Burial-Ground(GreatTorrington) I know that here in Exeter people appear in the burial registers even if they were buried at the Higher Cemetery but it doesn't usually say so in the register, the only way of checking is by looking at the Cemetery records. It looks like there are some Torrington records in Barnstaple but there seems to be a big gap. Have you seen the note in the register that says 'The Churchyard was closed 1 December 1855 and the licence for interments in the New Cemetery was not issued until Sept 1857 and that gap is reflected in the register. So it sounds certain that after September 1857, it was the Cemetery what happened in the gap I don't know. I think we had a talk about this a long time ago and I can't rmember the details. I hope you get a reply from someone who knows more, Sue
Thanks for the reply Sue. I think that the odds are that most burials before 1/12/1855 would be in the cemetery. After 1/12/1855 would be in the cemetery. Terry