Why am I buried here?

[ayling1]

I'm curious if anyone has researched the process for arranging to be buried at a parish churchyard. My ancestor, Thomas Ayling (1689-1759) lives in Heyshott and Cocking. He dies in Cocking, but is buried at St. James in Stedham --all in West Sussex. He has a headstone there. He was fairly well off. So how would one reserve that plot in the 18th century? Via the Rector? Money paid or would would it be based on a position of his own father, such as being churchwarden? In his Will he doesn't request that he be buried there. So I am assuming his son, also living in Cocking, would have arranged via some kind of documentation/direction to go to Stedham. IF so where would that be recorded?

Any help would be appreciated :)

Chris Ayling
Cranbrook, BC Canada

[ElizabethHerts]

Chris, we still have not resolved this problem. It is so frustrating.

For further information see this thread:

http://www.genealogistsforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=22551&highlight=Thomas+Ayling

[Jill]

There are three other burials at Stedham for Aylings from Cocking:

John Ayling 25 Sep 1727
Ann Ayling 21 Oct 1723
William Ayling 8 Oct 1718

[ElizabethHerts]

Jill, thanks for those. I suspect that we have them - we don't have a shortage of information, rather we are drowning in it! However, nothing has led us to the parentage of Thomas. I haven't looked at this for a while, while I believe Chris is examining every avenue. I got sidetracked looking at the ancestors of the husband of Thomas Ayling's daughter's husband, Thomas Andrew, which was a far more fruitful search.

[ayling1]

Thanks, Elizabeth. I did see that post. Thanks for putting it all together for someone to view in future. One tweak, though. "John bapt. 6 Jan 1743 Cocking Parish Church" is to a Thomas an Ann Ayling. Different parents. I have a good working theory on Thomas' parents. I just need to work through the records again to make sure. Heyshott and Stedham are basically treated as the same parish in some cases, for example. It appears that Heyshott might not have had ground considered consecrated until the late 1600's or early 1700's. There is village lore of folks carrying their coffins out of Heyshott up the road to Stedham. Maybe Thomas or his father had previously arrange/reserved a burial plot for Stedham? Interestingly, William Ayling (D. 1718), who is buried with his family in a headstone cluster just in front of Thomas' row closer to the 1000+ year old yew tree in the church yard, has a Stedham burial record saying his is from "Pishum" which the transcriber changed to "Cocking" (which is correct) but his Will says he's from Stedham. They are the only two Ayling families buried there from the south. All the other Ayling are from the northern part of the parish(Totehill, Ash, etc). I just would like to know the "procedure" for someone arranging to be buried. Surely it was something that took quite some planning with some kind of records --if only an exchange of funds?

[Olde Crone]

I don't know if this is relevant but certainly in one parish register I have studied(for a parish in Cheshire)the sale of burial plots etc is recorded in the back of the register.

OC

[ElizabethHerts]

Thanks, Elizabeth. I did see that post. Thanks for putting it all together for someone to view in future. One tweak, though. "John bapt. 6 Jan 1743 Cocking Parish Church" is to a Thomas an Ann Ayling. Different parents.

Thanks for pointing that out, Chris. I had noted it:

Entry from Cocking The Parish Church 1558 - 1839
First names John
Surname AYLING
Sex s
Baptism Date 06-Jan
Year baptised 1743/1744
Father first names Thos
Father surname AYLING
Mother first names Ann
Mother surname AYLING
Parish Cocking
County West Sussex

John's mother is given as Ann.
Is this correct?


The above were my notes in my tree.
I have removed him now!