Ash Parish Council

Due mainly to a rising population, overcrowding in church graveyards became a serious health risk during the mid 19th Century. As a result, in 1853 a Burial Act was passed enabling local authorities outside London to administer their own cemeteries with vestries electing their own Burial Boards to manage them.

Approximately 33 years afterwards, on 29 October 1886, Ash Vestry, the forerunners of Ash Parish Council, agreed that a new Burial Ground should be provided and that day appointed a 7 member Burial Board. By 31 December 1887 the purchase had been completed, at a cost of £152, of a field near St Peter’s Church, covering 1 acre 2 rods and 4 perches. By agreement at the June 1913 annual parish meeting, a further plot of land covering 4 acres 2 rods 19 perches was purchased for £225.

The estimate for providing and laying out the burial ground and building a Chapel on the site came to £970, including £360 for building the Chapel. Having submitted the lowest tender of £540, Tompsett and Kingham were appointed to carry out the construction of the Chapel using Bath Stone in preference to more expensively quoted Portland Stone.

The Chapel, approximately 25’ 2” long by 14’ 1” wide, has a high pitched tiled roof and a large wooden south doorway. Inside are believed to be several of the original furnishings such as the pulpit, the vestments cupboard, organ which is still in working condition and evidence of pews being fixed to the west wall.