I'm unsure about Witton, but at key Hill cemetery trher are many 'Public' Graves that can contain up to 230 people. These are large graves that cover the space of 4 'ordinary' plots, and are up to 40 feet deep. Theye were the cheapest graves available within the Cemetery. You did notr buy the grave yourself to keep in perpetuity, you just bought space for one within a a 'Common' or 'Public' grave - the term is interchangeable.
The grave was covered over with tarpaulins or a tent or boards, until the next funeral. The coffins are placed next to each other until the row is full, than after covering them over, the next row is begun until the grave is full. At key Hill this would usually be about 3 months.
It cost extra to have your name put on the headstone, so there are more burials than names on headstones - The coffin & the grave was enough to pay out.
They are not for mass deaths, just lots of individuals, dying on a daily basis.
Sometimes, when old graveyards were built over - like Christ Church that used to be where Victoria Square is - the remains that were excavated, and the coffins that were in the crypt were reinterred in large graves at Witton.
