27/08/2026
The Babbage Report
Haworth 1850
"The practice at Haworth is, to cover the grave with a flat stone, upon which is engraved the name, age, &c. of the dead ; and the churchyard presents one entire surface of flat stones, laid at different heights from the ground, some of them simply reposing upon the mound of earth, which covers the grave, whilst others are supported upon dwarf walls, and form raised tombs. This practice is a very bad one, as it prevents that access of atmospheric air to the ground. which is necessary for promoting decomposition; and, beside, the stones take the place of those grasses and shrubs which, if planted there, would tend to absorb the gases evolved during decomposition, and render the process less likely to contaminate the atmosphere. Mr. Chadwick, in his Report upon the Practice of Interment in Towns, says. "A rich vegetation exercises a powerful purifying influence; and where the emanations are moderate, as from single graves, would go far to prevent the escape of any deleterious miasma."
