Cemetery records
Introduction
Most people were buried in Church of England (Anglican) churchyards until the mid-19th century.
Burial registers may survive from 1538 onwards and the Norfolk Record Office (NRO) holds these for most Anglican churches.
See our Summary of Church of England Parish Registers and Transcripts (PDF) [3MB] to check if we hold a particular register.
Some Nonconformist churches had their own burial grounds, others used Anglican churchyards.
We hold burial records for some Norfolk Nonconformist churches, but survival is patchy.
See our Summary of Free Church Registers (PDF) [116KB] to find out if the relevant records are available.
An act was passed by the government in 1853 enabling local authorities to administer their own cemeteries. Many urban churchyards were closed as a result.