TWO churchyards in Whitehaven have been surveyed as part of a Church of England project to create a free digital map of every grave and feature in every churchyard in the country.

St Nicholas’ and St James’ churchyards have been scanned by surveyors using sophisticated laser equipment, as part of the seven-year national programme.

The National Burial Grounds Survey will map and photograph memorials, scan parish registers and create a digital index of baptism, marriage and burial records.

Work began last October in the Carlisle Diocese.

When complete it will mean that genealogists and historians will be able to find and view thousands of burial sites, registers and information in one place, online.

Reverend Robert Jackson, of the parish of Whitehaven, said he was very positive about the project.

He said: “We do get a lot of enquiries in churches of people wanting to chase historical records and they will be able to view for themselves places where their relatives would have been interred many years ago.

Whitehaven News: St Nicholas' Church in WhitehavenSt Nicholas' Church in Whitehaven

"Baptisms, weddings and funerals data has also been recorded, so they’ll be able to access those as well. It’s all there for people to access when it’s done. It’s a big job.”

This is the first time such a project has been tackled anywhere in the world and will become a unique resource for people around the globe.

The process involves the use of a specialised backpack - a laser takes thousands of measurements per second as the wearer walks through the churchyard. It also stores photographs of gravestones.

There is no charge to the individual parishes.

The results will be available online for those searching for the graves of ancestors. Funders include Historic England, the Lottery heritage fund, and Caring for God’s Acre.