The origins of the churchyard presumably date to the foundation of the church, erected sometime between 1133 and 1165-71, on made ground in the northern part of the abbey precinct of St John's Abbey and in an area already used as a cemetery for the abbey.<4>

The RCHME recorded in 1922 that 'the churchyard has incorporated in the north and east walls many worked stones from the abbey, including several portions of an interesting wall arcade of the C12'.<1>

Rodwell and Rodwell (1977) record, the graveyard has been totally cleared without recording and in 1973 was subject to a drastic bulldozing operation.<2>

The graveyard was bounded on its eastern and southern sides by a wall of two phases. The wall, rebuilt above ground in red brick, had originally been of re-used stone presumably from monastic buildings demolished in the mid 16th century or later. Several burials appeared to be sealed by the wall suggesting that, post dissolution of the monastery, the churchyard was reduced in size and partitioned from the abbey precinct (i.e. so that the church was originally within the abbey precinct).<3>