The problem of graveyard space is solved when the Countess of Bridgewater, Charlotte Catherine Anne, donates an acre of land behind Egerton House (today the Rex Cinema) to St Peter’s Church. A new cemetery is established, funded by public subscription and consecrated in 1842 by Rt Rev John Kaye, Bishop of Lincoln. A large foundation stone commemorates generous donations by local worthies, including the Rector, Rev John Crofts, James Smith of Ashlyns and Lord Somerville. Corporate donations are also recorded from the London and Birmingham Railway Company and the Grand Junction Canal Company. The stone also bears the names of churchwardens Augustus Smith and Henry Lane.
