* A Grave problem

[Dagwood]

I have just discovered that my paternal grandmother was buried in Nunhead Cemetery (one of the 7 great Victorian London cemeteries) in 1925. I have just seen a photo of her grave and it has a wooden surround about 4'-6' high and is covered in geraniums and other plants. What is puzzling me is that there are at least 4 headstones and crosses on it only two of which I can read and neither is for my grandmother. Adjacent to the grave is another similarly planted and with wooden surround and there is a headstone on it, which is for a child who died in 1902, plus other headstones.
I think the photo is from around 1926 to 1930.
Can anyone enlighten me as to whether this is something that regularly happened or is it a Nunhead speciality? Or did something happen to result in temporary surrounds and multiple burials?
Dagwood

ID:6031

[gerrynuk]

In the UK there is rarely just one person buried in the grave - many are made for three. A family might buy a plot for three family members (or a double plot for six, etc) but a person might be buried in a public plot where two other unrelated people may be buried. I have both situations.

One exception to this rule is Jewish burials where normally only one person is buried in a plot. But it is not unheard of for infants to be buried alongside an adult that died at the same time, although they may not be related. In such circumstances the infant burial is often (never?) recorded on the tombstone but will be mentioned in the cemetery records.

I have no doubt that different practices apply in different countries.

[Dagwood]

Thanks Gerry, I'd come across multiple burials before but never with such heavily planted graves in what seem like raised flower beds and with 4 headstones erected along the grave. Odd but perhaps overcrowding was behind it.
Dagwood