PERMISSION to exhume more than 1000 bodies, to prepare a
churchyard for sale, has been withheld by the Church
Commissioners.
The PCC of St John the Evangelist, Stoke-next-Guildford,
unanimously supported the transfer of the former burial ground to
the Guildford diocesan board of finance for sale. The proceeds were
to be used to help fund the building of a new church centre to help
mission. The Bishops of Guildford and of Dorking, and the
Archdeacon of Surrey, the Ven. Stuart Beake, had also given their
backing to the scheme.
But, after receiving 84 representations against the scheme,
including a petition with 1234 signatures, the Church Commissioners
ruled against it last month. They weighed up the potential
benefits, in terms of mission, against the Church's presumption
against the disturbance of human remains, and the possible pastoral
damage caused by overturning this presumption.
The ruling states that the cost of the disinterment and reburial
was not certain: "It was therefore not possible at this stage to
assess whether a sale of the west burial ground was likely to
provide a significant sum towards the proposed hall-replacement
project, and therefore whether there was sufficient justification
for overturning the presumption against the disturbance of human
remains."
St John's is listed in the Domesday Book. Parish records state
that the churchyard contains 1180 burials, the last of which took
place in 1939. The petition opposing the scheme, submitted by the
Josephs Road Residents' Association, states that, in 1977, when
half the burial ground was destroyed to build the rectory, graves
were smashed, and the remains were removed or lost, including those
of Sir James Stirling, the first Governor of Western Australia.
The Rector of St John's, the Revd Mark Woodward, supported the
scheme. The congregation had grown "significantly" in the past nine
years, he said. Because the church buildings were used for a
courses and activities, there were "huge pressures" on current
facilities, and a new church centre was needed.
Several members of the congregation gave representations in
favour of the scheme. The Diocesan Advisory Committee had
encouraged the parish to continue developing its plans, and
Archdeacon Beake said that the scheme had the diocese's "full
support".
"While we are naturally disappointed by the outcome of today's
hearing, we have been encouraged by the committee's commendation of
the vision at St John's, and that the door is open for a further
application," Mr Woodward said.
The ruling states that the Bishop can prepare fresh proposals
under the provisions of the Mission and Pastoral Measure, at a
future date.