V.—The Roman House at Keynsham, Somerset

Extract

Keynsham is a village on the high road that runs between Bath and Bristol, and is distant from the latter city about four miles. In the year 1877 the then vicar and churchwardens of Keynsham, rinding the graveyard round the parish church incapable of either receiving any more burials or of being enlarged, purchased two and a half acres of ground to make a public cemetery. This was situated a quarter of a mile beyond the village, on the Bristol side, and was part of the fine stretch of meadow-land that borders the river Avon, being known as the Hams. Two mortuary chapels were built, adjoining one another, in the centre of the new cemetery, and the ground was thickly planted with trees. After the purchase of the land, the owner of a property adjoining it on its western side managed to get an embargo or restriction placed upon the use of the upper part for burials. The part so restricted was about a third of the original purchase. In 1908 the Parish Council, by the payment of a sum of money, had the restriction removed, but it was not until twelve years afterwards that the site was used for interments.