Wingate grave error caused by 'perfect storm' of problems

Thomas Bell's headstone was placed on the wrong grave in 2005 (file photo)

A "perfect storm" of problems led to a family grieving at the wrong grave for 17 years, an inquiry has found.

The Bell family found the headstone for their father Thomas had been put on the wrong grave at Holy Trinity in Wingate, County Durham in 2005, when they went to bury his wife Hilda in June.

A church probe found records had been poorly kept.

The report said it could not guarantee other historic errors had not been made.

The Venerable Bob Cooper, Archdeacon of Sunderland, said it was a case of "great sadness" but his recommendations going forward should ensure similar problems "do not happen again".

He said a stonemason had fitted the headstone for Thomas Bell in 2005 but "because of insufficient process and also poor record keeping" it was "placed on the wrong grave".

The churchyard is now under the care of Durham County Council

The Ven Mr Cooper said the vicar at the time, who has since died, "did not keep records to the extent that would be considered best practice" while the notes of the verger, who has also passed away, were not handed over to church officials at the time of her death and had since been lost.

He also said it was "best practice" to place a marker on the grave at the time of burial but "this did not happen here", and someone from the church should have attended the placing of the headstone and "cross-referenced with the grave records" but that also did not happen.

He said the overall lack of records had been "compounded" by burglars in the late 1970s who broke in and burnt church documents on the altar.

The Ven Mr Cooper said since being closed and coming under the care of Durham County Council which had "limited resources", certain parts of the churchyard had become "overgrown and the whole aspect of the graveyard changes year by year".

He said: "The term 'a perfect storm' is used all too often in modern parlance, however on this occasion it seems particularly apt".

He made a number of recommendations including:

• Vastly improved record keeping by the church.

• Training for clergy on the "legalities and practicalities of graveyards".

• An overhaul of the churchyard by the council to put it into a manageable state to "facilitate families in identifying graves".

• Markers be placed on the grave at burial and pictures be taken to be held with graveyard records.

• A parish representative should attend when a headstone is placed by a stonemason.

But, he added, it "cannot be guaranteed that historic cases like this will not reoccur because there will be gaps in the records for many reasons in parishes across the Diocese of Durham and further afield".

Ian Hoult, Durham County Council's neighbourhood protection manager, said the authority had not yet been contacted by the church but added: "We would be happy to work alongside the parish and the diocese regarding the maintenance of the grounds."