Burial in unconsecrated ground

[Susan48]

I'm not sure this is the best place for the subject but it does concern the burial of a Roman Catholic.

In July 1899 a 57-year-old man named Joseph McCabe was buried at Kingston Cemetery Portsmouth. The record is available on Findmypast in the Hampshire, Portsmouth Burials dataset. The image of the entry contains some interesting extra information, namely that the burial was in a Catholic slot 9th row 30th grave, and also in unconsecrated ground. Joseph had been resident at Union House, Milton.

I do not have a copy of Joseph's death certificate, but does anyone know why he should have been buried in unconsecrated ground?

 

[Sue_3]

My understanding is that consecrated ground in a modern cemetery has been blessed in accordance with the rites of the Church of England. People of other faiths would therefore usually be buried in unconsecrated ground.

 

[Stuart]

This is from the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, talking mainly about municipal cemeteries:

In these a certain portion is consecrated according to the rites of the Church of England and the remainder is left unconsecrated. Of this last such a proportion as may be necessary is assigned for the use of Catholics, who are free to consecrate it for themselves. Moreover, when a chapel is erected upon the Church of England portion of the cemetery, a similar building must as a rule be provided in the other sections. The act assigns to the "Burial Board", at least indirectly, the control of the inscriptions to be set up upon the tombstones in the cemetery, but these powers are generally administered without hardship to Catholics. When Catholics are buried in ground which is not specially consecrated for their use the priest conducting the funeral is directed by the "Rituale Romanum" to bless the grave, and if the priest himself cannot conduct the funeral further, to put blessed earth into the coffin. Children who have died before baptism, we may notice, should be interred apart in ground which has not been consecrated; and it is usual even in the consecrated portion to assign a separate place for infants that have been baptized.

Since this must have happened quite often, and it's something the Victorians thought important, it's not too surprising there were standard ways of dealing with it. And acts of Parliament - like the Consecration of Churchyards Act 1867.

 

[Susan48]

Thank you for the helpful responses.
And would someone please correct my spelling slip in the title of the thread? It was done in haste.