I went to church in Rothwell today, so it wasn't until I took some flowers to put on my mother's grave that I discovered someone had been digging in the north side of the churchyard, It looks as if it has something to do with electricity, but I am unaware of anyone giving them permission to dig and am waiting for the other chrchwarden, and the parish secretary and treasurer to get back to me before doing anything. Have we the authority to give that permission anyway? If we wanted to do anything inside the church we would have to get a faculty or at least a de minimus permission; does the same apply in the churchyard? And what if they have already disturbed a burial? There aren't many marked graves on the north side, but I know that is where they moved a number of ancient and fallen gravestones when they felled a dangerous tree and generally made the graveyard neater (but less interesting and beautiful) not long before I moved to Swallow twenty-two years ago. Anyway, as soon as I have heard from the others I will have to get in touch with Lincoln for advice. I've got a phone number from the barriers round the hole, although of course that may be the barrier hiring company rather than the actual diggers, so that should be a starting point. I know that when they were undergrounding the electricity cables at the end of last year, the company dug up the village hall carpark (which runs alongside the churchyard) without permission, and the VH secretary (to whom I have done a Cc on my email) had to be pretty fierce with them. At the very least their action lacks courtesy.
Tuesday
It transpires that a long time ago a group including the Clerk to the Parish Council (who, in her other hat, is Hon. Sec. to the PCC) agreed that, subject to proper checks, the wires could go along the edge of the churchyard, but nobody has bothered to get in touch to finalise this or check the graveyard plan.
