This guide provides a list of sources that may help you locate the grave of a family member or ancestor who was buried in a churchyard or cemetery.

 

Where do I begin?

Unfortunately, no index or plan exists that records the location of every individual’s burial plot in Somerset. It is worth bearing in mind that a grave may have been lost over time (either due to wear and tear, vandalism or church re-landscaping) or was unmarked (such as the grave of a pauper).

To begin your search, you will need to know in which parish, town or village an individual was living when they died. From 1837 onwards, death certificates will record an individual’s date of death and the address at which they died. Remember that the individual may not have resided in the town or village in which they passed away (for example if they were in hospital).

 

Civil cemetery records

Records concerning the present day running of public cemeteries, including cemetery plans, are usually held by the local authority that administers the cemetery. This can be a parish or town council, Somerset Council, North Somerset Council or Bath and North East Somerset Council. An online search for the name of town or parish and cemetery should bring up details of cemeteries in the required area, including contact details.

 

Church of England and Nonconformist cemetery records

 

Burial registers

Burial registers record whether a burial service took place at a church or chapel. However, while these can be useful in confirming that a burial service took place, they rarely include a burial plot number. For more recent burials it is advisable to contact the relevant church or chapel in the first instance. Contact details for Church of England parish churches can be found on the A Church Near You website. 

 

How to search the online catalogue for burial registers

To check whether we hold a Church of England burial register at the Somerset Heritage Centre for the parish and dates required, click on the relevant parish listed under the Browse Collections section of our online catalogue. Church of England burial registers are listed under series 2 and subseries 1 (for example: D/P/woolv/2/1). The majority of registers up to 1914 can be viewed on Ancestry.

To check if we hold records of Nonconformist burials, select the relevant  Nonconformist church/Methodist Circuit from the ‘Browse Collections’ section of our online catalogue and read through the relevant catalogue for references to burial registers. Alternatively, search our online catalogue for D/N/* burial* and the name of the town or parish. For example: D/N/* burial* Bridgwater . For burial records of the Society of Friends (Quakers) search for DD/SFR* burial* .

 

Burial ground plans

Plans of churchyards or burial grounds are usually held by the relevant church or chapel. Contact details for Church of England parish churches can be found on the A Church Near You website.

Occasionally, a church or chapel has deposited older churchyard or burial ground plans with us. These plans may show the layout of graves and provide plot numbers, or the names of those buried. Those that only provide plot numbers are of limited use without accompanying records that list these numbers and record the names of those buried.

The plans we hold usually date from when a churchyard or cemetery was extended and were not always updated. For example, a plan made in 1920 may only record graves that were used up to this date and not beyond.

 

How to search the online catalogue for burial ground plans

To check whether we hold a burial ground plan at the Somerset Heritage Centre, select the relevant Parish Church or Nonconformist church/Methodist Circuit from the ‘Browse Collections’ section of our online catalogue.

If a Church of England burial ground plan has been deposited with us it will usually be listed under series 3 and subseries 5. For example: D/P/woolv/3/5. On very rare occasions, a plan may also be found in a burial register. If so, this will be noted in the catalogue entry for the burial register (see above).

To check whether we hold any such plans for Nonconformist churches you will need to read through the relevant catalogue for references to burials and graves. Alternatively, you can search the online catalogue for the name of the town or parish and:

• D/N/* burial*
• D/N/* grave*
• D/N/* death*
• DD/SFR* burial* (for Society of Friends or Quakers)
• DD/SFR* grave* (for Society of Friends or Quakers)

      For example: Bridgwater D/N/* burial*

 

Burial Boards

By the middle of the 19th century many churchyards were full, posing a risk to health. The 1853 Burials Act authorised the closure of overcrowded churchyards and the creation of civil cemeteries. These were run by newly created Burial Boards, elected by the vestry of a parish, until the creation of parish and urban/rural district councils from 1894.

The majority of Burial Board records can be found amongst the collections of parishes, parish/town councils and urban and borough councils. They can sometimes include registers of burials and graves (including plot numbers), but rarely include plans identifying their location.

To check what Burial Board records we hold, search the online catalogue for “burial board” and the name of the town or parish. For example: “burial board” Taunton 

 

Faculty papers

Permission is required from the Diocese of Bath and Wells to make alterations to a churchyard. Faculty papers can record decisions regarding graves, sometimes providing burial plot details.

To check if we hold faculty papers concerning a grave of a family member or ancestor, search our online catalogue for D/D/cf*  and the surname of the individual. For example:

• D/D/cf* Cooper

To check if faculties exist for general alterations to a churchyard search for D/D/cf*, the name of the town or parish and a keyword such as churchyard, grave* or cemetery. For example:

• D/D/cf* Weston cemetery

 

Burial records in other collections

To find possible burial records amongst other collections (including Parish Councils) on the online catalogue, search for the name of the parish, town or surname and:

• cemeter*
• churchyard
• burial*
• death*
• grave*

     For example: Taunton cemeter*

 

Monumental inscriptions

We hold a number of monumental inscriptions for churches, churchyards and cemeteries. They record inscriptions on gravestones and memorial plaques that were legible at the time the survey was taken. Monumental inscriptions don’t usually come with a plan. However, they can provide a rough idea as to which section of the churchyard or cemetery the gravestone, etc., was situated.

To check if we hold monumental inscriptions of interest, search our online catalogue for the name of the parish or town followed by monumental inscriptions. For example: Taunton monumental inscriptions

 

Mental Health Hospital cemeteries

While we hold burial registers for some former Mental Health Hospitals, including Mendip Hospital and Tone Vale Hospital, no corresponding plans of such cemeteries have been deposited with us.

The cemetery of the former Mendip Hospital is looked after by Mendip Hospital Society. Graves in the former cemetery of Tone Vale Hospital are no longer marked.

  

Other sources

• Commonwealth War Graves Commission: provides a record of those who died during the First and Second World Wars.  
• Find A Grave: allows individuals to share and upload details of graves and memorials in many cemeteries and churchyards throughout the world, including England, Scotland and Wales.