On the death of the Rev Christopher Alderson rector of Kirkheaton St John the Baptist Church, the new Rector the Rev Ralph Henry Maddox was inducted on the 26th November 1880.
He found that the graveyards were almost full, an act of parliament had just been passed to cope with such a situation allowing burial board to be set up to administer cemeteries. Kirkheaton was governed by an elected local board at that time and it was proposed that they set up such a burial board, the Rector was not keen on the idea saying “it smelt like a Nonconformist plot” and for the next five years managed to frustrate the local effort to set up a burial board.
The ratepayers at a vestry meeting won the vote to form a burial board, but as they elected nine members who were all Free Church members, so the wrangling continued. The burial board informed the Home Office of their formation but there was still a delay until the board had the right to proceed officially and buy a suitable piece of ground.
A field though suitable was earmarked at Lane Side but then the Rector offered further opposition when he wanted the burial ground consecrated, the board did not want this and wanted the ground dedicated.
The Rector informed the Bishop of Ripon that Dedication was not the same as Consecration, as he had ruled in a similar case at Bradford. At a vestry meeting of which the Rector was Chairman, members of the board badgered him about the Bishops decision and asked.
”As Christian Gentleman are you aware of the decision” the Rector Answered “Sir here I am the Chairman of this meeting and the Rector of this Parish and I consider that the questions so put to me as a Christian Gentleman are out of order and I refuse to answer”.
Again so badgered as a Christian Gentleman the Rector called for the meeting to observe a silence. Then the question was put to him “was the reason for him wanting the ground Consecrated because of his right to claim fees.”
“ if I am so entitled to any fees on each burial then I shall claim them”
The meeting was closed in an uproar. As a result the Rector took the burial board to the High court in London.
The High Court in London herd the case of dispute in Kirkheaton of what the state of the Cemetery was to be, the judges ruled in favour of part of the burial ground was to be Consecrated and served an order to the burial board to this effect.
The reaction of the burial board was to ignore the order an announced that the Cemetery at Laneside was to be opened neither Consecrated nor Dedicated, and that a procession was to proceed from the Field Chapel to Laneside led by four Free Church ministers and invited the Rector to attend.
Such a controversy led to the questions in Parliament being put to the Home Secretary, about the intended procession and going on dispute at Kirkheaton. The result was that three of the Free Church ministers withdrew support for the demonstration and only nine members of the burial board took part.
A court order was served on the burial board for contempt but they all resigned before the order was served on them.
When all was quietened down a compromise was made with the Rector and the members of the board who got them selves re-elected, the agreement was that half the Cemetery was to be Dedicated and the other half Consecrated, the Rector to only claim fees on his own half as long as he was Rector but that non of his successors would be able to claim fees for burials, the dispute was settled and the agreement signed.
On Saturday 7th of February 1890 the Bishop of Wakefield conducted a ceremony of Consecrating one half of the Cemetery.
The agreement was published in the Huddersfield Examiner.
The board shall forthwith request the Bishop of Wakefield to Consecrate the portion of the burial ground set out for that purpose.
That the said John Shaw Ainley will bear and pay all Ecclesiastical fees payable in respect of the said Consecration of the said ground.
The said Rev Ralph Henry Maddox Rector of Kirkheaton obtain the consent of the said Bishop of Wakefield the said vestry, adopting the following scale of fees for the duties that he would have been entitled to under the provisions of the burial act of 1852.
Deceased non-residents Ten Shillings in the Morning and Five Shillings in the Afternoon.
Deceased Residents Seven Shillings and Six Pence Morning and Three Shillings and Six Pence Afternoon.
Signed by Rev Ralph Henry Maddox Rector of Kirkheaton.
For the Church
John Shaw Ainley
Thomas Roebuck
On behalf of the board.
Joseph Roebuck
James Moulson
Ben Hargreaves
William Lodge
Richard Henry Berry
James Masters Clerk.