In 1858 the Home Office issued instructions that there were to be no more burials in St John’s churchyard, other than in family vaults as a consequence the local board formed its own burial board.  After a election the following members had been elected to the board: James Greaves, Warp sizer, Henry Gregory, Tailor and Draper, William Raws, Tailor and Draper, William Tagg, Fent Merchant, Charles Stewart, Cotton Manufacturer, J. H. Worall, Surgeon, Ashworth Taylor, Woollen Printer, James Nuttall, Publican, John Howarth, Cashier. Mr Nuttall however resigned his seat at the first meeting and his place was taken by Mr Redman and sometime later Mr Edward Hoyle took Mr Taylor's place. The first meeting of the board was held on June 25th 1858. However four years elapsed between receiving the Home Office notice and the opening of the cemetery at Fairwall. By this time in 1862 there were more than 7,000 people buried in St John’s churchyard plus those at Ebenezer, an estimate of 12,000 all buried within a few yards of Bacup centre. The first person to be buried in the new cemetery on April 12^th 1862 was a married woman by the name of Hannah Haworth of Britannia aged 46.  There were three chapels on the cemetery erected in 1869 the Roman Catholic which closed and was demolished in 1985 the Church of England demolished in the 1970s and the General Nonconformist in the 1960s.It’s hard to imagine today what the cemetery probably looked like when it was new it is after all 148 years old. When Bacup Cemetery was full of elaborate tombstones in many cases the designs on these tombstones were closely allied to the livelihood or interest of the people buried beneath them. At one time there were two graves adorned with cornets only one is now visible, whilst another bore the replica of a harmonium complete with keyboard, pedals and music stand. In death men who had faithfully served their country in battle were accorded military honours on their graves. Bacup Cemetery gives testimony to many brave local soldiers. On the the grave of a young drummer boy killed in the Great War you could see a drum and drumsticks carved into the stone, while a pair of crossed sabers marks the grave of Sergeant Instructor Henry Rogers who saw service at the battles of Alma and Inkerman during the Crimean War.Many of these more elaborate stones are no longer visible having been vandalised years ago, there are still odd ones to catch ones attention such has the grave of Private Fred Riding, Bacups first Great War burial in 1915, Click here to read  some Obituaries