Regarding the numbers found in the Avondale burial records.
These refer to the lairs within each burial plot. For example, some entries read "Interred in the 1st breadth" or "Interred at the stone". "Interred below the stone". "Interred at the back of James Clarks stone". "Interred at the east end of the stone". "Interred in the breadth south from the stone". Here's a perfect example - "Elizabeth Fleming, Glengevel mill buried 7th Jan 1836, spouse of Alexander Monrow, miller. Interred in the 6 breadth of her father's lairs".
Another reads "John Aiken, Lanark, son of John Aiken. Buried 2nd Jan 1844, interred in the 3 breadth of James Borland's lairs".
I have attached a photograph of part of a late Victorian plan of Dalziel old parish burial ground. This plan was made by the town surveyor, probably with much help from the parish gravedigger. It illustrates the diversity of each family plot. As can be seen, some families owned adjacent plots.
These plots or lairs were nothing like the modern 3 or 4 burials to a lair and then it's full sort of thing.
It wasn't always possible to dig too deep in those days, although it would depend on the type of soil in each individual churchyard, but there is no evidence to prove that a new grave went any deeper than about 5 feet. (The gravedigger would have an old shovel and the ground, especially during a cold winter, could have been very unyielding). So more ground space was required.
Avondale parish has left us with excellent evidence of how our ancestors were buried.
The numbers refer to the lairs within the plot. 1 appears to have been immediately in front of the headstone. 2 and 3 on either side. Perhaps 4 and 5 on either side again. 6 may have been across the feet of 1,2,3 and 4. 7 may have been behind the stone. It would appear that important members of the family were put into 1,2 and 3. While children were put into the outer lairs.
Out of the hundreds of entries in the Avondale register the number 7 is found very rarely and the number 8 mentioned only once. Perhaps an extra large plot?
Sometime towards the end of the 19th century the parish gravedigger at Cumbernauld, a gentleman by the name of William Sawyers, (who, by that time had been parish gravedigger for 64 years, taking over from his father and grandfather) was asked by the then minister to comment on each grave. The minister recorded his recollections with great accuracy.
For example - entry No 106.
"Buried and re-buried with strangers. A man working at the opening of the Caledonian Railway had a child buried here. The mother, who was mentally weak after the birth was afraid the child's body had been lifted. At the request of the father, Willaim Sawyers dug down, showed the coffin and offered him part of the mounting to take back to his wife to satisfy her that the body had not been interfered with. She was satisfied".
This in fact tells us that graves were re-used time and time again, especially for "strangers". Most burial grounds had Charnel Houses and as odd bones, even skulls, were disinterred they were thrown in the Charnel house.
No 123 entry reads -
"John Fleming and Joan Moffat 1732. (Headstone inscription).
James Fleming who is buried here sang for 26 years in the parish church as precentor. He never lifted a penny of his precentor fees but bought a house with it. James Fleming's sister buried here. 3 coffins, the middle one quite sound. All 3 lifted at the sister's funeral and a hole cut in the bottom. William Sawyers believes the middle coffin would still come out hard as a tombstone, being petrified".
So coffins were taken out and space dug to make room for new ones.
Finally, entry No 124 -
"J Fleming and A.S. (Gravestone inscription). This was the first case where I was prevented by the Sanitary Authorities from lifting a body, a child's. The wife was therefor buried in the (new) cemetery".
The old burial ground at Chapel Street in Airdrie was partially exhumed in 1934 to make a car park. The burgh engineer made a meticulous record of the work and he recorded 17, 18 and 19 bodies exhumed from some plots. Some were only 12 inches from the surface. More evidence that they were packed in over the years.
As for mort clothes. I don't know what happened elsewhere but here in Lanarkshire I have never found any evidence that people were buried without coffins. (and, over the past 30 years I have looked at every single OPR in the county).
The cloth was hired out by the parish (and the income used to support the poor) to cover the plain unpolished coffins before burial.
The parish accounts for Cambusnethan has an entry for February 1755 - "for a coffin for Thomas Hodge, £13.00".
And another for November 1758 - "Paid to William Brownlie, mason and wright in Crossgate for making Wm Douglas, Ian Selkirk, Janet Loudon, Marion Laurie's child and Joseph Cunningham's child, their coffins, the large cost 3 pounds each and the childrens 1 - 10 - 0 each".
February 1759 - "To be paid to Wm Martine, wright in Greenhead for Betty Cross and Elizabeth Hamilton's coffins and for mending the door of the minister's chamber at the kirk".
Most of these people can be found in the list of parish paupers for the preceding years.
Lodger.
