(3.) The direction of the roads in the cemetery: these must be wide enough for the hearses and mourning coaches, and there must be convenient places provided for turning round.
(4.) The direction of the paths:[234] these and the roads should be as straight as possible, so as to economise available burial ground, paths should be sufficiently wide to allow an entrance to be made in them to the adjoining vaults or walled graves, these being frequently covered with a massive tomb or ledger very difficult to remove. The vaults and walled graves, being of a better class, are generally put in the borders of the burial ground, close to the paths.
(5.) In some soils deep and careful drainage is necessary. This should be carried out with ordinary drain pipes laid at a depth of at least 10 feet, and so communicating with each other and the grave spaces, that even in a clay soil each grave as it is sunk should be found free from water.
(6.) Surface drainage, especially of the roads and paths, is also necessary.
(7.) Provision must be made for the disposal of the soil excavated from the graves, as very little punning or ramming of the soil thrown in after a burial should be permitted, and thus there is always a large quantity of material to be otherwise disposed of.
The cemetery must be divided into Church or consecrated ground, Dissenters’ ground, and Roman Catholic ground, in such proportions as may be found to suit the particular requirements of the locality in which the cemetery is placed.
These divisions must again be subdivided into sections according to the class and description of the proposed grave, and each of these subdivisions and grave-spaces must be accurately marked with a distinguishing letter and number, so that on reference to a plan and a register book, any person’s grave may be easily found, however long a time may have elapsed since the interment took place, and although no headstone or mark over the grave is there. It is needless to say, that the plan of the cemetery has to be most carefully prepared, and the ground equally carefully set out, to prevent any chance of error occurring, or serious consequences might result. It may be well to remark that no body can be removed after burial without an order from one of Her Majesty’s principal Secretaries of State, or by faculty from the Bishop in consecrated ground.[235]
The following description of the different sections necessary in a large cemetery may here be of use, the fees chargeable for the privilege of burying in each section advancing with the letters appropriated to the sections.
Section A. This is appropriated to workhouse paupers or very poor persons only,[236] the depth[237] of the grave may be limited to 6 feet, and the size should be 9 feet by 4 feet; only coffins made of wood should be allowed in this section.[238]
Section B. This is of a slightly superior class to the last, the depth and size may however be the same, but a larger fee can be charged, and the position of the section with reference to the paths should be better and more convenient.