Mexborough & Swinton Times – Friday 1 September 1893
Conisborough Burial Board.
The Consecration Question.
Another Letter from the Archbishop.
A meeting of the Conisborough Burial Board was held on Tuesday night, when there were present Messrs. C. Kilner (in the chair), G. R. Walker, J.P., G. T. Nicholson, and C. H. Ines. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed, on the motion of Mr. Walker, seconded by Mr. Nicholson.
The Chairman asked if there was anything arising out of the minutes.—The Clerk (Mr. Maxfield) said there was the question of the resignation of Mr. Clarkson. He saw Mr. Clarkson, as requested by the Board, and he said, very determinedly, that he would not hold his seat until November. Not only that, but he said he should not offer himself for re-election. He (the Clerk) thought it was quite necessary to call a Board together over the matter, seeing that it was something about which they had no choice.—The Chairman: Then that makes an end of the matter. We did our duty in reference to it.
A letter was read from the Ancient Order of Foresters, London United District, Clerkenwell, asking for an instalment of the interest due from the Board on the loan of £500, viz., £27 12s. 3d., due on Aug. 16th. It was decided that the amount be forwarded.
A circular had been received in reference to a certain kind of tombstone, and the Clerk asked what should be the cost for affixing to a grave a stone of such a kind.—Mr. Holmes said he had never seen a gravestone of such a character before.—The Clerk said neither had he.—The question was deferred until such time as it might be necessary to deal with it.
The Chairman said he had another letter from the Archbishop. It was as follows:—
“Bishopthorpe, York, 14th August, 1893.
Dear Sir,—I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of August 2nd. Referring to paragraph 23 of the ‘Directions as to proceedings under the Burials Act,’ issued by the Local Government Board, it does not appear to me that the Burial Board is at liberty to decide that there is no necessity to provide a chapel in the consecrated part of the ground, unless there be some special circumstances in the parish to warrant that decision. A mere opinion held by the Board that one chapel, and that unconsecrated, is in any case better than two, does not seem to me such a decision as is contemplated by the Act.
The circumstances of the parish of Conisborough in relation to the cemetery are such that the necessity for a chapel belonging to the Church of England is as urgent as it could well be in any parish, in consequence of the distance of the cemetery from the Parish Church, and therefore if local circumstances are taken into consideration, as I cannot doubt was intended by the Act, it is difficult to understand the decision of the Board, except on the general principle that the Church of England should not under any circumstances have a consecrated chapel provided. Everything depends upon the interpretation of the clause, and I must decline to proceed with the consecration of the ground until an appeal has been made to the Local Government Board, or a question asked in Parliament with regard to this particular proceeding.—Yours faithfully, WILLIAM EBOR.”
The Chairman said it was a letter written in answer to one from Mr. Maxfield, on Aug. 2nd, according to instructions from the Board.—Mr. Walker: The Archbishop does not decidedly say he objects to consecrate the ground without there is a chapel.—The Chairman: No.—Mr. Walker: Well, it happened to be the chairman of the meeting the other day, when I was told by several persons at that meeting that the Archbishop had decided he would not consecrate unless there