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Registration of Burials Act 1864

27 & 28 Vict. c. 97 · Enacted 29 July 1864 · Extends to United Kingdom

Up to date with all changes known to legislation.gov.uk, revised to 1 February 1991.

An Act to make further Provisions for the Registration of Burials in England.

[29th July 1864]C1

Annotations to the whole text

Modifications

C1

Preamble omitted under authority of Statute Law Revision Act 1893 (c. 14)

Contents

  1. 1All burials to be registered.
  2. 2By whom books to be kept.
  3. 3Copies of registers to be sent to registrars of diocese.
  4. 4Penalty for failure to comply with Act.
  5. 5Registers to be evidence.
  6. 6Registers to be subject to regulations of 6 & 7 W. 4. c. 86, as to searches, &c.
  7. 7As to “burial ground.”
  8. 8Short title.

1All burials to be registered.

All burials in any burial ground in England which are not now by law required to be registered shall be registered in register books to be provided for each such burial ground by the company, body, or persons to whom the same belongs, and to be kept for that purpose according to the laws in force by which registers are required to be kept by rectors, vicars, or curates of parishes or ecclesiastical districts in England.

2By whom books to be kept.

Such register books shall be so kept for every such burial ground by some officer or person to be appointed to that duty by the company, body, or persons to whom such burial ground belongs.

3Copies of registers to be sent to registrars of diocese.F1

Copies of the register books kept under this Act for every such burial ground shall be from time to time made, verified, and signed by such officer or person as aforesaid, and sent by him to the registrar of the diocese wherein the burial ground to which the same relates is situate, to be kept with the copies of the register books of the parishes within such diocese.

4Penalty for failure to comply with Act.

If any such company, body, or persons, or any such officer or person as aforesaid wilfully fail to comply with any of the provisions of this Act, they or he shall be guilty of an offence against this Act, and on summary conviction thereof before a justice of the peace shall be liable for every such offence to a penalty not exceeding F1level 1 on the standard scale.

5Registers to be evidence.

The register books kept under this Act, or copies thereof or extracts therefrom, shall be received in all courts as evidence of the burials entered therein.

6Registers to be subject to regulations of 6 & 7 W. 4. c. 86, as to searches, &c.F1

The register books kept under this Act shall, as to searches therein and copies thereof and extracts therefrom, be subject to the regulations of the M1Births and Deaths Registration Act 1836, so far as those regulations relate to register books of burials kept by rectors, vicars or curates.

7As to “burial ground.”

In this Act the term “burial ground” includes a vault or other place where any body is buried.

8Short title.

This Act may be cited as “The Registration of Burials Act 1864.”