HL Deb 19 July 1887 vol 317 cc1324-6

Amendments reported (according to order).

Amendment moved to insert the following sub-section, at the end of Clause 2:— In the case of any disused churchyard, cemetery, or burial ground, at least one month before any tombstone or monument is removed an advertisement of the intention to remove or change the position of tombstones and monuments in such burial ground shall be inserted three times at least in some newspaper cirulated in the neighbourhood of such burial ground, and such other steps as may be found practicable shall be taken to inform persons interested in such tombstones and monuments of such intention as aforesaid. In the case of any disused consecrated churchyard, cemetery, or burial ground, at least one month must elapse after the issue of the third advertisement so issued, and at least one month before a licence or faculty be issued under the Metropolitan Open Spaces Act, 1881."—(The Lord Mount Temple.)

LORD DE ROS

said, that he had now no objection to the adoption of this Amendment, as in addition to the advertisement the noble Lord had made it necessary that such other steps as should be found practicable should be taken to inform persons interested that tombstones were to be removed.

THE EARL OF SELBORNE

said, he did not see the use of providing that other steps should be taken if they were not specified.

THE EARL OF WEMYSS

said that the reason given in Committee for the necessity for some alteration in the Bill was that tombstones might be removed without the persons interested having any warning. That difficulty was now proposed to be met by this Amendment, which provided for the insertion of advertisements in some newspaper circulated in the neighbourhood of the burial ground. But families changed their residences and went into other localities, and thus an advertisement in a newspaper in the neighbourhood where the graveyard was situated might never be seen by those for whom it was intended. He thought it would be well to enact that a record should be kept like a parish register of the inscriptions and epitaphs on all tombstones, so that no evidence as to family connection or title might be lost.

THE LORD CHANCELLOR (Lord HALSBURY)

remarked that the Amendment did not apparently do anything to preserve such valuable evidence as the inscriptions and epitaphs on tombstones. He would have thought that after the discussion in Committee the noble Lord in charge of the Bill would have provided some machinery whereby copies should be taken of all tombstones removed, which copies should be made evidence instead of the originals in Courts of Law. The provision for advertising was most illusory, and families which had left a neighbourhood might know nothing about the removal of the tombstone until they happened to return to the parish to look for it and found it was gone.

LORD HERSCHELL

said, he agreed that there ought to be provision made for a copy of all epitaphs and inscriptions to be taken and preserved. He begged to move the adjournment of the debate that such provision might be brought up.

Moved, "That the Debate be now adjourned."—(The Lord Herschell.)

Motion agreed to.

The further debate on the said Amendment adjourned to Tuesday next.