The Church Yard Extension

Whittington Church is fortunate to have a Churchyard where burials may take place; Whittington is the only Church in the Worcester South East Team to have one. Space within the Churchyard was being progressively used up, the Parochial Church Council were obviously aware of the situation and had been seeking ways of overcoming the problem.  

Burial records going back to the beginning of the 18th Century are held on a computer data base and these can be quickly searched for details such as dates, family links etc. Contact the Web Editor for confirmation about whether your relatives are actually buried at Whittington. A print- out of the actual details will involve a modest charge for the cost of administration. This charge is based on The Church of England Table of Parochial Fees.

The Weston family, who had lived in the village, and farmed the Crookbarrow estate, owned the land adjoining the Churchyard. In 1995 they generously agreed to donate an area of land to provide an extension to the Churchyard. A boundary fence was erected around the extension in the summer of 1996, and early in 1997 a hedge was planted alongside and within the fence. It consisted of: 10 Oak Trees, 200 Hawthorn, 50 Field Maple, 50 Elder, 100 Hazels. This composition of plants should enable a dense rural hedge to develop in about ten years, giving the Churchyard a sound and appropriate boundary. Both the fence and hedge were paid for by the Parish Council who are the Burial Authority. Further trees have been added including two specimen Oaks, Sycamores and Birch. A Glastonbury Thorn was planted by Whittington Women's Institute to commemorate the centenary of the national movement.

The old boundary to the Churchyard was formed by a "ha-ha", a stone wall on one side of a ditch. The unwanted growth and brambles were removed, to reveal the wall which will eventually be restored, access to the extension will be via an earth bank over the ditch.

A Service of Thanksgiving and Consecration of the Churchyard Extension was conducted on Sunday December 7th 1997 by the Bishop of Dudley, Rt. Rev. Dr. Rupert Hoare. Some 80 people gathered under ever darkening skies to give thanks for the transformation of the Church, and to witness the Consecration of the Churchyard extension. Following the service the congregation retired to the Village Hall for light refreshments.

Records show that the Churchyard has already been extended three times before. Firstly in 1844 just after the present Church was built. It was extended again in 1885 when land was provided by Benjamin Williams Leader and once more in 1925 with land provided by Herbert March.