Cemetery Sub-Committee (1875 - 1879), later Burial Grounds Sub-Committee (1879 -...

The Estates and Burial Board Committee established its own Cemetery Sub-Committee in January 1875, which became the Burial Grounds Sub-Committee in December 1879, when it merged with the Closed Burial Grounds Sub-Committee (currently no minutes are available). The Closed Burial Grounds Sub-Committee seems to have been a product of the 1878 Parliamentary Sub-Committee, which was formed by the main committee to push the Birmingham Closed Burial Grounds Act through Parliament, which would effectively turn over closed grounds to the care of the borough. This act became law in 1878, and many closed grounds, such as St Martin?s, St Bartholomew?s and Park Street came into Council care. In 1892, the Estates and Burial Board Committee also took on the newly acquired responsibility of allotments. This function was added to the Burial Grounds Sub-Committee, and thus the sub-committee changed its name to the Burial and Allotment Sub-Committee in the December that year. The function of the sub-committee was to report to the Estates Committee on the acquisition, maintenance, letting and finance for Council allotments, smallholdings and agricultural land. The sub-committee continued to operate until 1919, when the cemeteries functions were transferred to the Parks Committee (see BCC/1/BO).