Norfolk council buried man in wrong place at Ormesby church

Barry Halksworth had reserved a specific space in the churchyard of St Margaret's church in Ormesby more than a decade before his death.

But a mix-up by the parish council meant gravediggers were not informed and instead prepared a grave elsewhere in the cemetery.

The entrance to St Margaret Church in Ormesby (Image: Newsquest)

His widow, Delia, spotted the error on the day of her husband's funeral but by then it was too late to do anything.

Instead, she had to wait for weeks until he could be reburied in the correct plot.

The error by Ormesby St Margaret and Scratby Parish Council cost it hundreds of pounds and saw it call in experts to conduct a review to prevent repeat incidents.

It is the latest blow to the parish council which has endured a period of recent turmoil, with tensions between different village factions.

The burial blunder occurred six months after a feud between councillors over calls for Scratby to split from its larger neighbour led to police being called and conduct warnings being issued.

The authority has since made extensive changes in an effort to ensure it never happens again.

Barry and Delia Halksworth on their wedding day on September 26, 1987 (Image: Newsquest)

GRAVE ERROR

Mr Halksworth, a former managing director at the Blue Bus Depot in Great Yarmouth, and his wife had lived in Ormesby for decades.

Following his death at the age of 82 in February 2022 after a period of ill health, his family began making arrangements for his funeral at St Margaret's church.

Twelve years earlier, in 2010, the family had reserved a double plot at the site with the parish council, which is responsible for the graveyard.

The Eastern Counties Bus Company's Blue Bus Depot in Caister Road, Great Yarmouth (Image: Newsquest)

However, according to a later report into the incident, the information had not been correctly recorded, meaning the council's burial book and map of the graveyard showed no evidence of the reservation.

This meant that when the clerk Philip Stone and Kathryn Wendt, Scratby councillor and current vice-chairman - both responsible for managing burials - met up in the week before the funeral they instead marked up the next available plot for the burial, rather than the one Mr Halksworth had reserved, which was just metres away.

During the preparations for the funeral, Mrs Halksworth had actually informed the undertakers and provided paperwork showing the location of the reserved plot.

However, this was not passed on to the council or the gravediggers, Mr Stone said.

The plot that Mr Halksworth was wrongly buried in before being exhumed for a reburial to take place (Image: Newsquest)

FUNERAL SHOCK

Mrs Halksworth discovered the error when she arrived at the funeral, on March 17, 2022.

"We had reserved the plot years before but on the day of the funeral we realised there was a hole where it shouldn't be," said the 71-year-old.

"The vicar had already blessed the grave and it was too late to do anything by that time so the burial took place."

After the ceremony had proceeded as planned, council officials were informed of the mistake and began an investigation.

Councillors met with Mrs Halksworth and apologised.

Kathryn Wendt, vice-chair of Ormesby and Scratby Parish Council (Image: Newsquest)

"I met with councillors afterwards and had a meeting with them," she said.

"They were surprised I was not angry but I said you can't get angry about something that has already happened."

Barry Halksworth's grave in Ormesby St Margaret's graveyard (Image: Newsquest)

SECOND BURIAL

Thirteen days after the funeral, the council's burial committee met to discuss the incident.

The minutes show that members acknowledged that a "lapse" in procedure had led to an incorrect plot being allocated.

Councillors agreed to rectify the situation and the council contacted the Diocese of Norwich to get the necessary permission to exhume the body and perform the burial for the second time, only now in the correct plot.

This took place weeks later, early in the morning to avoid onlookers. Mrs Halksworth chose not to attend.

Philip Stone, former Ormesby St Margaret and Scratby Parish Council clerk (Image: James Weeds)

The council then paid the Institute of Cemetary and Crematorium Management £550 to conduct a review of its procedures which led to new policies being implemented. 

The council has now digitised its record-keeping systems and created a "specialised communications platform" for all burial ground matters.

'YOU CANNOT AFFORD ERRORS WHILE DOING THIS'

Following the incident, Ormesby councillor Bob Hill took over the management of the graveyard.

He said: "You just cannot afford to make errors while doing this.

"Afterwards we made sure it could never happen again and put in the proper checks and balances.

"They were using the same record-keeping system that had been in place since 1958. If you do not do things properly this is what happens."

Entering Ormesby St Margaret with the village church peeking behind the trees (Image: Denise Bradley)

Chris Batten, the current clerk, described the incident as a result of "human error" and the council continued to make significant changes to improve how it manages its responsibilities.

He said: "A clerical error regarding a burial plot allocation in March 2022 prompted corrective measures.

"Taking the matter seriously, the council conducted an independent review to prevent similar incidents through the implementation of additional checks and balances. 

"Such incidents, while regrettable, underscore the need for robust systems, which we continuously refine with modern technology."