We have landscape architects working on exciting new design plans, and they have asked whether there are still bodies in the churchyard. How can we know if they were taken away? In the 1970s, the local authority put in a disabled ramp, and carved out the land in front of our main entrance. Wouldn't they have had to remove bodies from at least that area? (The other day, I saw something that looked like a bone sticking out of the ground.)

IN THE 1960s, '70s, and '80s, it was quite the thing to remove gravestones from churchyards, especially those that could no longer be read, but bodies were almost never removed. It is harder legally to remove the bodies than to remove the church!

Removing bodies requires permission from living descendants (Victorian burials and onwards), and burials could be anywhere and everywhere in the churchyard. As the church is 19th-century, they may not have buried right against the walls.

Records of burials were normally kept, and, if the graveyard is now "closed" to new burials, that record - probably a map - will have been archived somewhere. The old records in the church office or vicarage may have something; or, as the graveyard was not used recently, papers may be in a local archive. Do not expect a neat and tidy map; you may just find scraps of paper kept by clergy as their best guess.

If you can go back through the PCC minutes, you may trace a reference to where old records are archived - locally, or as arranged by the diocese. Try asking long-standing members of the church - they may remember things from the past that give a lead.

In terms of the landscaping, I suggest that you consult the diocese, the secretary, or the DAC secretary, on the process. Once you have found the date of the most recent burials, expect to have to try to contact the descendants.

Archaeology will be involved, with a watching brief until the builders reach human remains; then those remains that are removed will have to be carefully assessed by the archaeologist, and appropriate reburial will have to take place - either in the churchyard, or at a local cemetery. Your faculty will specify which this should be.

Nowadays, it is more common to remove gravestones only when there are safety issues, and the burials remain. There is increasing re-use of graves for contemporary burials.

As you make plans, I suggest that you check also whether there has been an area set aside for the burial of ashes, even in an otherwise closed churchyard. While ashes are usually buried on condition that their location is not treated as a designated grave, there will be local sensitivities to consider.

If you have spotted a bone, or what may be a bone, check with the diocese on what you should do next. Human bones should be reburied with due respect.

Send your questions to: maggiedurran@virginmedia.com.