| AdminHistory | Prior to the 1853 Burial Act, burial depended upon church, chapel or parish burial grounds, or the Birmingham General Cemeteries Company. After the passing of the Act and the inspection by the General Board of Health in 1849, the Borough Council created its own Burial Board in 1858. The burial grounds within the borough were due to be closed in July 1859 (extended to July 1863), the primary function of this new committee being to identify new sites for burial grounds within the Borough.
The board had to be replaced after a year, when the members resigned after a proposal for a cemetery in Knowle was rejected by the Borough Council, despite the board negotiating with the Great Western Railway for cost of transporting coffins on the train and passenger rates. The new board immediately identified a site at Witton, which was purchased and drained in 1860. Over the next few years buildings were erected and the cemetery opened in 1863. A Superintendent of the Borough Cemetery was appointed and the burial fees established. The Burial Board went on to establish a Roman Catholic mortuary chapel at Witton.
The functions of the board were to maintain and administer the cemetery, investigate complaints, staffing issues, and the like. From time to time, the board established sub-committees for specific purposes and there appears to have been a Finance Sub-Committee, but there are currently no minutes for any of these. In December 1874 the Burial Board was merged with the Estates Committee (see BCC/1/AM/1). |