Where Are The Dead Bodies?

[pipdawg]

Whilst researching my family tree, I have looked around many cemeteries. The oldest graves tend to be of people who were born in the 19th century. Where are the bodies of people from before this time? I have been told that the older bodies are underneath. I've also been told that the older bodies were dug up and burnt, otherwise the whole world would end up being a massive graveyard. If the latter is true, was there a massive 'dig up and burn' session all over the country at the end of the 19th century? Were the same graveyards then used again? And, most interestingly, what of the future? When will current cemeteries be dug up?

[Baldric]

Bit of info here;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cemetery#Re-use_of_graves

[Suetheramble]

I heard the grave may be moved reused after 100 years. Not 100% though

[hc4361]

Graves are currently owned for 75 years in my council area, then they are re-used.

Of course, many old graveyards have been built over.

[jno]

sometimes they'd move old bones to charnel houses, sometimes they'd burn them ("bonfires" were "bonefires"); depends on how much pressure an individual cemetery was under. Sometimes the cemeteries just aren't that old.

[pipdawg]

Thanks for all your answers. I naively thought that once you were buried, that was your place of rest forever. Even though my plan is to be buried, I'm now beginning to think that if your body is going to eventually be burnt anyway, cremation from the outset may be more sensible - at least you have a say where your ashes will end up.

[bert_h]

Our Kirkyard (in Scotland) has graves and stones going back to about 1600. There have been no burials since about 1920, but I think that even if there had, they wouldn't have been allowed to disturb or displace the older ones.

[pipdawg]

maybe that's a Scottish thing, Bert. certainly sounds more respectful

[hc4361]

Things have changed since then, bert. Imagine the size of church grounds if everybody had a grave in perpetuity. Although everyone has the right to be buried in the parish church yard the reality is many churches are full, hence the large council cemeteries we now have.

[hc4361]

Burial in ‘private’ or ‘family’ graves was assumed to be ‘in perpetuity’ until the Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977. This stipulated rights of burial for a
maximum period of 100 years, except in the case of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which can still grant burial rights without limit.


You walk round any old cemetery and you will find neglected graves in very poor condition. Headstones have to be removed because they are unsafe; tree roots and animals, in particular foxes and badgers are burrowing under and through graves causing graves to cave in; maintenance is hugely expensive and time consuming; churches are closing and being sold and headstones are often removed with landscaping removing any visible signs of internment.

Over the next 100 years it is safe to say there will be 70 million deaths in the UK. It will be impossible to bury them all.