AN UNDERGROUND crypt has been uncovered in the churchyard of All Saints’, Martock, in Somerset, after an 18th-century tomb collapsed on Saturday.

The resulting 12-foot sinkhole has been cordoned off by Martock Parish Council, which is responsible for the maintenance of the churchyard, long since closed for burials.

Paul FilleryThe Vicar of Martock, the Revd Paul Fillery

The Vicar of Martock, the Revd Paul Fillery, told the Church Times on Monday: “We are dealing with a collapsed family vault dating back perhaps to the 1750s.

“Underground, they constructed a substantial room made of local Ham stone with a solid floor and ceiling. The family would have been placed on shelves that lined the walls. This was topped outside by a box tomb monument with their names on the faces of the monument.” The inscriptions on the outer tomb are no longer legible because of the damage caused in the collapse.

Erosion over time had led the roof of the vault, and, consequently, the whole structure to fail, Mr Fillery said. “We can’t see any human remains as yet, but there could be four people buried in that space.”

The site is Grade I listed; so it would need to be “carefully repaired and restored” by the Parish Council, he said. “We are working closely together with them and the diocese. The church buildings adviser, Mark Lidster, has already been to visit the site. We are concerned to make the site as safe as possible and will be monitoring the adjacent graves to be sure they are stable. Obviously this will be a considerable restoration exercise, involving cranes and heavy-lifting gear.”