Burial Authorities
(including Burial/Cemetery Board and Local Authority cemetery records)
Before the mid 19th century, most people were buried in church graveyards. However, the population in some urban parishes had increased dramatically so that overcrowding in some churchyards was presenting a serious health risk by the 1850s.
The Burial Act of 1853 gave local authorities the power to open their own public cemeteries. Vestries elected some ratepayers to serve on a Burial Board which administered the cemetery. Many urban parish churchyards closed during the 1850s or thereafter as they became full and burials now took place in the Burial Board cemeteries instead.
In 1894, joint committees of members of the Urban (and Rural) District Councils and the Parish Councils took over the Burial Boards' duties and administered the cemeteries. Since 1974, the District Councils have exercised this responsibility.
People of many different denominations are buried in local authority cemeteries.
The records of cemeteries relate to all aspects of the administration; not all include burial information for individuals. Please contact the appropriate archives for precise details of holdings.
Records are available for the following civil cemeteries but please note, many can only be seen on microfilm. A number of the cemeteries below have indexes available on our Family History Indexes page
Alston: microfilm available at Carlisle Archives and Kendal Library
Appleby: microfilm available at Carlisle Archives and Kendal Library
Applethwaite, St Mary (Windermere): microfilm available at Kendal Library
Barrow-in-Furness: microfilm available at Barrow Archives, index available online
Beckermet Thornhill: index available online
Bowness, Westmorland: microfilm available at Kendal Library
Carlisle: microfilm available at Carlisle Archives, Whitehaven Archives and Kendal Library
Cockermouth: indexes of some burial grants and Anglican/Congregational burials available at Whitehaven Archives also index available online
Crosscanonby: available at Carlisle Archives (microfilm at Whitehaven)
Dalton-in-Furness: microfilm available at Barrow Archives and Kendal Library
Garrigill: microfilm available at Carlisle Archives and Kendal Library
Grange-over-Sands: microfilm available at Barrow Archives and Kendal Library
Grasmere: microfilm available at Kendal Library
Hensingham: index available online
Kendal (Castle St): microfilm available at Kendal Library
Kendal (Parkside): microfilm available at Kendal Library
Kirkby Stephen: available at Kendal Library
Maryport (Netherhall): microfilm available at Carlisle and Whitehaven Archives, index available online
Nenthead: microfilm available at Carlisle Archives and Kendal Library
Netherwasdale: index available online
Parton: index of gravestones available online
Penrith: microfilm available at Carlisle Archives and Kendal Library
St Bees: index available online
Sedbergh: microfilm available at Kendal Library
Silloth (Causewayhead): available at Carlisle Archives
Stanwix: available at Carlisle Archives
Ulverston: microfilm available at Barrow Archives and Kendal Library
Upperby: microfilm available at Carlisle and Whitehaven Archives
Warcop: available at Kendal Library
Wetheral: available at Carlisle Archives
Whitehaven: microfilm available at Whitehaven Archives, index available online
Wigton: microfilm available at Carlisle and Whitehaven Archives , index available online