341:. Extending this provision elsewhere in the country was deliberated. The consultation considered the ‘Exclusive Rights for Burial’. When purchasing a grave, a person usually buys the right to exclusively be buried in it for a period, often 100 years, they do not buy the land. Noted was the possibility of reusing graves with the permission of the Church of England. Section 25 of the Burial Act 1857, amended by Section 2 of the Church of England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measures 2014, permitted the disturbance of graves with Church of England permission. Successive governments have considered the problem of lack of space for graves but not taken any action.
34:
333:
In 2004, the government, in response to the problem of the lack of space for new burials, partly a consequence of the Burial Act 1857, held a consultation called, “Burial Law and Policy in the 21st
Century”. The consultation considered how to address the problem that when a burial ground became full,
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that burial graves were reused too quickly. The offence of disturbing a burial included in the Burial Act 1857 was based on the
Victorian value that a burial was for eternity. Section 25 of the Burial Act 1857 makes it unlawful in England and Wales to disturb human burials without a licence from the
312:
case is the basis of the Church of
England exhumation guidelines. The viewpoint of the Church of England is burial is final and only grants exhumation in exceptional circumstances. The Advisory Panel on the Archaeology of Burials in England is a partnership between
254:
of remains. The Act made it illegal to disturb a grave (other than for an officially sanctioned exhumation). The Act did not make it illegal to steal a dead body, and it is only the opening of the grave which constitutes an offence, not the removal of the contents.
138:
280:, without the permission of the church. The mechanisms about how the Church of England provides this permission slightly differs depending if the remains are at a church or cathedral. In Scotland, the law is different and covered by the
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344:
The 2015 amendments to the Burial Act 1857, allowing the Church of
England to reuse graves, were controversial. Such changes have been criticised as offensive and distressing to the living, and disrespectful to the dead.
325:. In England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice holds the right to issue exhumation licence. Before issuing a licence, consent is required from close relatives of the deceased, grave owner, and burial authority.
281:
444:
Woodthorpe, Kate (2010). "Private Grief in Public Spaces. Interpreting
Memorialisation in the Contemporary Cemetery". In Hockey, Jennifer Lorna; Komaromy, Carol; Woodthorpe, Kate (eds.).
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The
Department for Constitutional Affairs provides guidance for burial ground managers, and many aspect of it relate to provisions contained in the Burial Act 1857.
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598:"Guidance for Best Practice for the Treatment of Human Remains Excavated from Christian Burial Grounds in England. Second Edition"
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it generated no income from new burials, and without income, it may become difficult to maintain and fall into neglect.
653:"Application for a licence for the removal of buried human remains (including cremated remains) in England & Wales"
369:, section 1 and the first schedule. Due to the repeal of those provisions it is now authorised by section 19(2) of the
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London burial authorities in some instances could reclaim and reuse a grave after 75 years, under the
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Concerns arose that due to pressures of population movement to urban areas during the
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to permit an exhumation fall outside the scope of the Burial Act 1857 and the
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as in force today (including any amendments) within the United
Kingdom, from
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as in force today (including any amendments) within the United
Kingdom, from
448:. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 117–132.
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317:, and the Church of England providing guidance based on the law,
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Secretary of State, or on ground consecrated by the rites of the
543:"The Chief Coroner's Guide to the Coroners and Justice Act 2009"
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247:
148:
682:"Church to reuse old graves as it struggles for burial space"
139:
Ecclesiastical
Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018
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Church of
England (Miscellaneous Provisions) Measure 2014
488:"Reuse of Graves. House of Commons Briefing Paper 04060"
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The matter of death : space, place and materiality
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722:. The 2014 Government consultation on reusing graves
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570:The Church of England Diocese of Norwich (2018).
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304:Viewpoint of licensing authorities on exhumation
383:Department for Constitutional Affairs (2006).
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282:Burial and Cremations Act (Scotland) Act 2016
720:'Burial Law and Policy in the 21st Century'
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417:"The nation's cemeteries are nearly full"
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300:and in relation to criminal proceedings.
576:The Church of England Diocese of Norwich
756:Coroner's courts in the United Kingdom
751:United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 1857
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199:Text of statute as originally enacted
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385:"Guide for Burial Ground Managers"
267:Disturbing a burial and exhumation
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361:The citation of this act by this
232:Parliament of the United Kingdom
51:An Act to amend the Burial Acts.
39:Parliament of the United Kingdom
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627:"Apply to exhume human remains"
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415:Edemariam, Aida (17 May 2011).
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242:. It regulates where and how
129:Statute Law (Repeals) Act 1986
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736:Burials in the United Kingdom
680:Kreft, Helen (6 March 2018).
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290:Coroners And Justice Act 2009
238:. Its purpose is to regulate
651:Ministry of Justice (2012).
625:Ministry of Justice (2012).
292:allows them to authorise an
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710:Text of the Burial Act 1857
339:London Authorities Act 2007
206:Text of the Burial Act 1857
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192:Status: Partially repealed
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97:1 January 1940 (partial)
70:Territorial extent
371:Interpretation Act 1978
250:, and provides for the
761:Christianity and death
746:Legal aspects of death
541:Chief Coroner (2013).
365:was authorised by the
308:The Blagdon Cemetery
296:for the purposes of a
486:Fairbairn, C (2017).
367:Short Titles Act 1896
273:Industrial revolution
596:Mays, Simon (2017).
521:www.churchcare.co.uk
515:Locke, Anne (2017).
284:. The powers for a
234:. It is one of the
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714:legislation.gov.uk
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572:"Exhumation"
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149:Repealed by
730:Categories
349:References
294:exhumation
252:exhumation
160:Relates to
107:Amended by
47:Long title
464:620092674
323:theology
244:deceased
94:Repealed
57:Citation
286:coroner
230:of the
691:21 May
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392:Gov.UK
248:buried
656:(PDF)
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79:Dates
64:c. 81
693:2018
667:2018
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460:OCLC
450:ISBN
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.