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Burial in consecrated RC ground for person committing suicide 1923?

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  • Burial in consecrated RC ground for person committing suicide 1923?

    Burial notice in local Cardiff newspaper announced it to be at her RC church, where she was an active member.

    Because of this, I assumed her burial would have been in consecrated ground. Someone has queried this - does anyone know what the practice would have been back then?

    She lived a few hours after attempting suicide by drowning - death cert said suicide. Newspaper articles on inquest gave account of her being rescued after being seen to throw herself into the sea. Inquest result was suicide whilst balance of mind disturbed.

    Would the burial have been in an area within the church grounds which was designated unconsecrated or was the whole of the church burial ground consecrated? Is it in literature that I have an idea of person who died by suicide being buried outside the church ground walls? Could the priest have decided for consecrated ground as knew the family in a poor area and that she was not in her right mind?

    Grateful for any help on this one.
    Liz

  • #2
    they would have had actual cemeteries then anyway, so burial in church may not have been on the cards. cremation is another thought.

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    • #3
      Thank you kyle for your quick response. I must dig out the death notice and check whether it says burial or just funeral. I thought the church would have its own burial ground. The funeral service was definitely in the RC church.
      Last edited by Liz from Lancs; 30-08-12, 08:12.
      Liz

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      • #4
        Not cremation - RC church does not believe in cremation.

        I think what may have happened is that the funeral service took place in church but without some important rites - no Mass, possibly? I'm not sure how much leeway the Priest had about burying a suicide in consecrated ground but maybe it had something to do with whether she received the last rites or not and it sounds as if she certainly lived long enough to do so.

        So - may have been buried in an area of the graveyard reserved for suicides? Or the suicide "ignored" because she had received extreme unction and repented of her sins?


        Interesting question!


        OC

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        • #5
          OC - I have googled and found: ' Christian burial is to be refused to suicides (this prohibition is as old as the fourth century; cf. Cassian in P.L., XL, 573) except in case that the act was committed when they were of unsound mind or unless they showed signs of repentance before death occurred.'

          http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03071a.htm

          So, it would have been within their rule as she was of 'unsound mind'. That's another mystery solved. Thanks...
          Last edited by Liz from Lancs; 30-08-12, 08:29.
          Liz

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          • #6
            I too think it was probably a notice that a funeral service was to be held in the RC church, followed by burial. I'm not RC, but most of the RC churches I know of are fairly recent buildings (compared with C of E churches) and haven't had graveyards. I think the burial was probably in a municipal cemetery.

            Jay
            Janet in Yorkshire



            Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

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            • #7
              Thanks Jay - will never know for sure now but at least she wasn't buried in unconsecrated ground...
              Liz

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              • #8
                Jay - problem solved...website of St Albans, Splott...no burial ground . So you are right and she would have been buried in the Municipal Cemetery.

                I get there in the end! Thanks everyone!
                Liz

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                • #9
                  RC church didn't allow cremations until fairly recently. Now they are the norm.

                  As she was an active church member and didn't die until later (even by a few hours) the priest may have decided she died of something else.....never mind what was on the cert. I know of quite a few times priests have "bent the rules" to help out grieving families.

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                  • #10
                    Thanks Libby - She definitely had a funeral service at her church but as they have no burial ground, she would have been buried in general cemetery.
                    Liz

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by Liz from Lancs View Post
                      Thanks Jay - will never know for sure now but at least she wasn't buried in unconsecrated ground...
                      Not sure a municipal cemetery is consecrated ground - I think that's only around churches in the church yard.

                      Margaret

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                      • #12
                        I concur with Margaret.

                        Jay
                        Janet in Yorkshire



                        Genealogists never die - they just swap places in the family tree

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                        • #13
                          In my local cemetery, PARTS of it are consecrated and "owned" by the various local churches. Other parts are not consecrated, that means they are not dedicated to any particular faith.

                          OC

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                          • #14
                            Thanks for your comments. Sorry, not explaining myself v. well. Meant not buried in some separate part of her church's burial ground stigmatised by being unconsecrated etc.

                            I am not pursuing this one any further but thank you for clarifying things for me.
                            Liz

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