SECOND READING. (Hansard, 19 May 1868)

THE BISHOP OF OXFORD
said, that the Bill which lie now moved their Lordships to read a second time, proposed a slight alteration in the Act of last Session relating to this subject. That Act provided for the easier consecration of additions to 508 churchyards, and enabled donors of land for such additions to reserve a certain portion of it to serve in perpetuity as a burial-place for their families. It was provided that the land so reserved should not exceed fifty square yards, or one-sixth of the whole land given. Now the legal authorities construed the clause as though the words "fifty square yards" governed the words "one-sixth," and to mean that not more than fifty yards could be reserved under any gift. That, however, was not the intention of those who framed the clause; and this Bill proposed to permit donors to reserve land to any extent, provided it did not exceed a certain proportion of the whole. That proportion, as he had stated, was one-sixth under last year's Act; but, thinking some of their Lordships might deem it inadvisable to allow so largo a proportion as that to be reserved, he proposed to fix it in this Bill at one-tenth. At the same time he attached no great importance to this second point, and if one-sixth was thought better than one-tenth, he would not press his opinion either way. It had recently been thought well to render churchyards attractive by planting them, and he desired to give encouragement to donations of land for the purpose of enlarging them, by enabling the donors to reserve a portion as burial-places for themselves and their families.

§ LORD REDESDALE
said, it would be as well to guard against making the reserved ground too large, because a donor's successors might neglect to keep it in order, and thus an eyesore would be produced in the neighbourhood of the church instead of an ornament.

THE BISHOP OF CARLISLE
suggested that the provisions of the Act of last year should be extended to cemeteries. He had been recently reminded of the necessity of this by a case in his own diocese. The Burial Board of Kendal had made an addition to their beautiful cemetery; but when the case came to be inquired into it was found that the whole of the cumbrous legal formalities attending the consecration of a burial-ground had to be gone through before the addition could be used. For, on carefully perusing that Bill of last Session, which it was now proposed to amend, it was found that by no possibility could it be construed as applying to cemeteries. Indeed, they would seem to have been 509 studiously and purposely excluded from its benefits.

THE BISHOP OF OXFORD
said, that the object of the Act of last year was to enable the consecrations of burial-grounds in small and poor parishes to be made without the ordinary fees being paid to the officers of the diocese. It was exceedingly important that men of high character should fill that office, and it would be impossible to induce them to discharge the duties attendant upon it unless they were to receive some; remuneration for their services. The system proposed to be introduced by the Act might answer very well in poor parishes; but in the case of large and wealthy parishes the officers should still receive their fees.