488 Principles of Landscape- Gardening 



stealing, which a recent judicious law has rendered no longer a profitable busi- 

 ness, more especially in country places As swine and rabbits are particularly 

 offensive in churchyards, especially where the soil is sandy, the boundary fence 

 should either be a low wall of 3 ft., surmounted by a holly or thorn hedge; or 

 a wall of 6 or 7 feet in height, without any hedge. In the latter case, the 

 inner face of the wall may be planted with common ivy. Where the church- 

 yard is to be united with the adjoining lawn, garden, or pleasure-ground of the 

 parsonage, the boundary fence on the side next the residence may be an open 

 iron railing ; and, where it is to be united with a pleasure-ground on a large 

 scale, or a park, it may either be surrounded by an open iron railing, or by a 

 deep and wide sunk fence. If a hedge is in any case determined on as the 

 boundary to a churchyard, it ought to be kept much broader at bottom than 

 at top, in order that it may grow quite thick and close there ; and the only 

 plants fit for such a hedge are the common white thorn and the holly. 



The Walks of a Churchyard are of two kinds : those for proceeding from the 

 different gates in the boundary fence to the church doors, for persons going 

 to, or returning from, the church ; and those which make the circuit of the 

 churchyard, for the more conveniently viewing the tombs and graves, and for 

 conducting funerals. The walks proceeding from the entrance gates in the 

 boundary fence to the church doors should be always in straight lines, and of 

 a width proportionate to the size of the church and churchyard, but never 

 narrower than 6 ft. ; because this is the least width which will allow two per- 

 sons abreast, carrying a coffin between them on handspokes, to pass solemnly 

 along ; the width, indeed, should be greater rather than less, because nothing 

 can be more indecorous than to see a funeral procession crowded and huddled 

 together for want of room. In every case, we would, if possible, place the 

 entrance gates so that the walk from them to the church, whether to its sides 

 or its ends, might always meet the building at a right angle. 



With respect to the walk round the churchyard, it should in every case, and 

 whether the churchyard were small or large, be at a distance of at least 10 ft. 

 from the boundary wall, in order to leave a border sufficiently broad for a 

 range of graves to be placed at right angles to the wall. This walk should be 

 of the same breadth as the others ; and, like them, in no case less than 6 ft. 

 for the reasons already mentioned. In most churchyards this boundary walk, 

 and the cross walks necessary as approaches to the church, will be sufficient ; 

 but, where this is not the case, cross walks from the boundary walk to the 

 terrace round the church may be added ; or a second surrounding walk may 

 be formed, half-way between the terrace or walk round the church, and the 

 circumferential walk. 



The grassy Surface of a Churchyard, when it is newly laid out, should, of 

 course, be even ; and the nearer it is to level, the more convenient will it be 

 for all the purposes of interment. Whether even or uneven, it should always 

 have a descent from the church, rather than towards it, for the sake of throw- 

 ing off the surface water ; and in strong clayey soils, in moist climates, pro- 

 vision ought to be made by surface gutters, even in the turf, for conveying the 

 water to underground drains, or directly along the surface to the boundary of 

 the churchyard. 



Trees in Churchyards. — The number of trees which may be introduced into 

 a churchyard depends on its situation and soil ; the great object, next to that 

 of leaving abundance of room for the graves, being to preserve dryness, in 

 order to permit the escape of the mephitic effluvia that may rise to the 

 surface, which can only be effected by the admission of abundance of light and 

 air. Where the soil is clayey, and the situation low, very few trees are 

 admissible ; and these few should be small fastigiate-growing kinds, that neither 

 cover a large space with their branches, nor give too much shade when the 

 sun shines. In an elevated open situation, where the soil is sandy or gravelly, 

 the trees in a churchyard may be comparatively numerous ; because the shelter 

 which they will afford in winter will produce warmth to persons crossing the 

 churchyard to church ; and, from the airiness of the situation, and dryness of 



