There is not a standard record of burial plots, if you are lucky you get a note on the Register, and sometimes that is in code, which can be fun working out i.e. N/3/45 might be New yard/row 3 ( from where ?) / plot 45 ( from Where ?) ( starting from the North West corner ?????)

This is just the impression I've got from reading posts on this forum, I've never actually searched for a plot in a Churchyard. However given the findings on the example above, and after thinking more and re-searching this forum, I see that this was an error on my part.
Given the huge number of Graveyards over a large area, and the hundreds of years covered by their Burial Records,and the variety of Ministers recording the Burials, I now think I'm correct that there probably wasn't a standardised method of registering Burials and identifying and mapping plots ?. I know that some of the Burial Records do contain Plot References, although I suspect in many cases one still has to have the relevant Graveyard Plan to make sense of them.

Is this a reasonable grasp of the situation, please ?
Thanks.

I found the memorial insription for Richard Smith in 1864 at Christchurch. Is there more than one church in Christchurch or is that the name of the church? How do I find out at what church Richard is buried?

http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?mode=entry&id=10519

I presume you mean this Burial ?:

Record_ID: 88818
Entry_Number: 644
Year: 1864
Month: Jan
Day: 16
Surname: SMITH
Forenames: Richard
Residence: Hillersland Lodge
Age_at_death: 64
Officiating_Minister: John Burden Off:g Minr
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P82 IN 1/13
Page_No: 81
Parish_Chapel: Christchurch
Soundex: S530

With any query it's always worthwhile searching this site, you might have found this related prior thread, by coincidence it was mentioned on a post earlier today
http://www.forum.forest-of-dean.net/index.php?id=10483

Christchurch is definitely the name of the Chapel, it's at Berry Hill. A quick Google shows this current site http://www.achurchnearyou.com/dean-forest-christ-church/
If you click the tabs you'll find contact details and a map/satellite photo of it's Parish, you can see it's just south of Hillersland towards Coleford.

Google also found this site which has photos of the Church to help you find it http://churchdb.gukutils.org.uk/GLS151.php

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Re the Burial Record I always thought the quoted Register Reference numbers relate to the Plot number, perhaps indirectly by referring to the church's own plan ?.

Also while searching "Christchurch" on this site to help with this reply I found this transcription of the Memorial Inscription, did you find it ? Rather helpfully this quotes plot location, different numbers than the Register Reference so ??!

record_id 324
Location Row H
Reference Number 96
Type Headstone and kerb
Surname SMITH
First Name Richard
Day 14
Month Jan
Year 1864
Age 64
Details In Loving Memory of Richard Smith late of Mailscot Lodge who died Jan 14th 1864 aged 64 years Also of Mary Ann his wife who died Dec 5th 1889 aged 71 years Also of Elizabeth Smith his mother who died March 1st 1864 aged 93 years On other face of headstone
Notes
Parish Christchurch
Soundex S530

http://www.forest-of-dean.net/christchurch-mi/

I hope this all helps, good luck searching. There's some photos of some Christchurch graves on this site in the Photos section, it all looks neat & tidy and not too overgrown like some sadly get, so hopefully you should be able to find this plot.

Jeff

so it's clearly the same building as the older photo altho clearly has been rebuilt a little wrt the chimneys, wonder if they'd got fire-damaged ?.

JONES

James 80 - retired farmer, born St Briavels
Hannah - 81 - born West Dean

next door

JONES

Thomas 42 - Farmer of 66 acres employing 3 men, born English Bicknor
Anne - 37 - born West Dean
James - 16
Thomas C? = 12
Ada L? - 1
William DICKENSON - 19 - F/S - born Cheltenham

next door

Red House

I just found this record of the Smith Family. Richard was my ggg grandfather. In many of the records I have found, they state that he lived at Hillersland Lodge. Is that the same as Mailscot Lodge?
Thank you
-Janet

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/737302

There would only have been one Lodge built within any one Forest area, or "ride", to house that area's official Crown Keeper. So yes I think you're correct in believing them to be one & the same building, unless perhaps there was another Lodge in the area before the Mailscot as photographed was built, which seems unlikely, I'm afraid I don't know that. However only one Lodge would have been in use at any one time.
The ever-reliable British History website describes this woodland in great detail with many references to Mailscot, they were managed for charcoal etc since the 1600s if not earlier. A small part of this text states

"Hillersland Farm, within English Bicknor, was built in the 17th century. To the south-east at Blackthorns Farm, which belonged to the Wyrall family in 1608 and became part of the Eastbach estate in 1735, a bungalow was built southwest of the farmhouse in the later 20th century. Within Mailscot cabiners resident in 1628 were expelled. A woodman's lodge was built northwest of Hillersland before 1748."

From: 'English Bicknor', A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 5: Bledisloe Hundred, St. Briavels Hundred, The Forest of Dean (1996), pp. 101-117.
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23254&strquery=mailscot lodge

Apologies if you already know it's location, if you do hopefully others will be interested. Do you know if the Lodge has changed much externally wrt the photo, I hope not too much ?.
[I must admit I was a tad disappointed the last time I was in the area, walking down to the Biblins; the old suspension bridge has also changed, for the better my wife thinks....it doesn't have the distinct wornout "sag" anymore, or the "scary" seethro wire floor - such a shame I thought but the kids still enjoyed noisily racing across it, but it didnt appear to want to swing like we made it years ago !].

On the Old Maps website Mailscot Lodge is clearly marked on all this site's maps for the area, from the earliest c1891 to the latest c1990.
To find it on the Old Maps site search, enter the Hillersland postcode "GL16 7NY". The maps will show the Lodge within the woods just to the west of Rock Inn and Hillersland Farm, both of these are on the B4322 road which skirts the woods as it runs north to the Yat Rock. The woods go right down to the Wye.
http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html

Or even easier, use the Rock Inn website's location map and select the "sat" photo setting, zoom in and the Lodge is in it's woodland clearing just west of the Inn.
http://www.stayattherock.com/#/map/4544256999

Richard SMITH - age 61 - Woodman + family (no name for house)

next one

is

Braceland

then

Blackthorns

so seems quite close.....

baptisms FOD records

Henry SMITH 1870 - parents Henry & Marianne - Mailscot Lodge - Forest Keeper - English Bicknor

1907 - Archibald Francis JOHNSON - parents Francis Albert & Mary Ann - Crown Woodman - Mailscot Lodge - Christchurch

On the 1871 Census, English Bicknor

Mailscot Lodge (not listed 1841 census)

Henry SMITH - 30 Woodman
Mary Ann - 30
Henry - 6 months

next house

Blackthorns with Esther BLANCH and family

then

Hillersland - with James JONES & family

1841 Hillersland Lodge near Braceland
Richard Smith abt 1801 Gloucestershire, England Bicknor English, Gloucestershire Keeper of Woods
Mary Smith abt 1816 Bicknor English, Gloucestershire
Caroline Smith abt 1839 Gloucestershire, England Bicknor English, Gloucestershire
Henry Smith abt 1841 Gloucestershire, England Bicknor English, Gloucestershire
Also there are
Edward Smith abt 1827 Gloucestershire, England Bicknor English, Gloucestershire
Richard Smith abt 1830 Gloucestershire, England Bicknor English, Gloucestershire
Elizabeth Smith abt 1776 Gloucestershire, England Bicknor English, Gloucestershire

<Image sent offline>

1851 Redinhorne
Richard Smith abt 1800 N Head West Dean Gloucestershire
Mary A Smith abt 1815 Bristol Wife West Dean Gloucestershire
Caraline Smith abt 1839 Reddinghorne, Gloucestershire, England Daughter West Dean Gloucestershire
Charles Smithabt 1847 Reddinghorne, Gloucestershire, England Son West Dean Gloucestershire
Ellin Smith abt 1847 Reddinghorne, Gloucestershire, England Daughter West Dean Gloucestershire
Faney Smith abt 1845 Reddinghorne, Gloucestershire, England Daughter West Dean Gloucestershire
Henry Smith abt 1841 Reddinghorne, Gloucestershire, England Son West Dean Gloucestershire
Jane Smith abt 1849 Reddinghorne, Gloucestershire, England Daughter West Dean Gloucestershire
Mary A Smith abt 1843 Reddinghorne, Gloucestershire, England Daughter West Dean Gloucestershire

1851
James Jones abt 1820 Bicknor, Gloucestershire, England Head West Dean Gloucestershire
Eliza Jones abt 1820 Frome, Somerset, England Wife West Dean Gloucestershire
Richard Smith abt 1830 West Dean, Gloucestershire, England Lodger West Dean Gloucestershire

1861 next to Braceland
Richard Smith abt 1800 Newton, Monmouthshire, Wales Head English Bicknor, Gloucestershire
Mary Smith abt 1812 Bristol Wife English Bicknor, Gloucestershire
Henry Smith abt 1841 English Bicknor, Gloucestershire, England Son English Bicknor, Gloucestershire
Fanny Smith abt 1845 English Bicknor, Gloucestershire, England Daughter English Bicknor, Gloucestershire
Ellen Smith abt 1847 English Bicknor, Gloucestershire, England Daughter English Bicknor, Gloucestershire
Charles Smith abt 1851 English Bicknor, Gloucestershire, England Son English Bicknor, Gloucestershire
Agnes Smith y abt 1853 English Bicknor, Gloucestershire, England Daughter English Bicknor, Gloucestershire
Annie Smith abt 1856 English Bicknor, Gloucestershire, England Daughter English Bicknor, Gloucestershire
Harriet Smith abt 1859 English Bicknor, Gloucestershire, England Daughter English Bicknor, Gloucestershire

Year: 1864
Month: Jan
Day: 16
Surname: SMITH
Forenames: Richard
Residence: Hillersland Lodge
Age_at_death: 64
Officiating_Minister: John Burden Off:g Minr
Event: Burial
Cause_of_death:
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P82 IN 1/13
Page_No: 81
Parish_Chapel: Christchurch

The west part of Mailscot, adjoining Whippington brook, had apparently included an estate called 'Wiboldingtune'
which had, however, reverted to the Forest waste by 1066. The bishops of Hereford, to whom ownership of the
estate and its fishery was ascribed in 1086, (fn. 21) had a weir in the river Wye there in the late 13th century, and a
clearing of 90 a. between the Bicknor- Staunton highway and the river was known as Bishop's slade in 1282. (fn. 22)
An assart of 40 a. near Whippington brook in 1317 was presumably the parochial land at Braceland, which belonged
to Staunton manor in 1579. The parochial land further west, perhaps the grove of Henry the carter in 1317, was in
1579 a copse of c. 80 a. belonging to Richard Baynham of Clearwell. (fn. 23) The piece of English Bicknor at
Broomhill Tump was probably one of the two assarts held with English Bicknor manor in 1301. (fn. 24)

From: 'English Bicknor', A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 5: Bledisloe Hundred, St. Briavels Hundred,
The Forest of Dean (1996), pp. 101-117. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=23254
Date accessed: 15 March 2007.