Discovering England's Burial Spaces (DEBS) was a Historic England funded project based at the University of York and the Archaeology Data Service.

We worked with community groups to design and test resources that will help people to record burial spaces like churchyards and cemeteries. These resources introduce a new standardised methodology for surveying, meaning that datasets from different surveys can be compared with one another to reveal trends and patterns in the history commemoration.

We also created a system for digitally archiving survey results. The Burial Space Research Database enables groups conducting research into burial spaces to safeguard their research in perpetuity and share findings freely with the general public and other researchers.

To support this work, we developed a new online form that can be used to add a record of research conducted to the national Online Index for Archaeological Investigations (OASIS). Using OASIS, heritage bodies and organisations that care for burial spaces, such as Historic Environment Record officers, are able to see when a survey has taken place. This ensures that findings from community-led research will support scholarship and inform future development.