This set of slides shows different parts of the graveyard surrounding the Church. For centuries Grinton Church was the only one in Swaledale, and anyone dying in the dale was carried in a wicker coffin along the Corpse Way to be buried in the hallowed ground here. This could be a 2 day walk for the mourners. A plan of the tombstones and a record of their inscriptions, where legible, is available for consultation in the Church and online on this site. The graveyard has now been closed for future burials as it is full - it had become impossible to dig without disturbing ancient burials. The visitor will notice that the present church floor is much lower than outside, and during the 1896 restoration the earlier floor was found to be much lower again. Presumably 900 years of burials will partly account for this!