The Churchyard

St James' Church is closed to burials but is open to the interment of cremated remains. 

The oldest areas of the churchyard are those designated as North, South and East. In 1877 the graveyard 'extension' was instigated. By 1910 the churchyard was filling up and an area known as Collinson's Croft was purchased, this is shows as 'the new portion'. In 1955 the 'Parish Council Cemetery' was added. 

In June 2001 a team of volunteers set out to record all the memorial inscriptions in Barton churchyard. 'Celebrating Our Ancestors' took nearly three years to complete but it is now a useful source of information for local and family historians. 

In the 1950s a decision was taken to lower gravestones over a certain age. The stones were laid flat, in-situ, rather than being moved, which means that their exact location is still known. Most of them were buried under a few inches of soil making the task of finding them for recording more difficult. There are over 940 identifiable graves in the churchyard with the earliest recorded burial dated 1571. There is no evidence of these earlier burials as they would have been marked by a simple wooden cross which has long-since decayed. 

It is calculated that the churchyard holds almost 7,500 burials, including interred ashes. 

Burials now only take place in the Parish Council Burial Ground which is adjacent to the Churchyard. 

If you are interested in finding out more information about our churchyard or family history, please see our Parish Records page.