Cremation

[rabet]

Sorry, I know this is a bizarre subject, macabre even; I have a friend who is proposing to scatter his late wife's ashes in a location that she loved in life. My query is: when you receive an urn from the crematorium supposingly containing your loved one's ashes, can you be sure that it contains just that? Do you also have the ashes of the coffin: and do they really cremate only one body at a time?

[wolf63]

I believe that there are laws governing cremations and crematoriums but know nothing of the law - someone might be along later to advise you.

I was told, when I went to pick up my dads ashes, that after the cremation anything left is ground down so that it is all smooth powdery ash. I have no reason to disbelieve this. His ashes were 'recycled' - in Loch Earn.

[DTCwordfan]

Not in Barnstaple - my sis has just found that out re her Millie (m-i-law). She had left instructions to be burnt (preferably) but they (sis and b-i-l) discovered that the body exits through the curtains, Wagner playing, and then they save the bodies up and burn six or eight at a time.....

She was interred in a lovely old Church overlooking Woolacoombe Bay......

I guess if you are Princess Margaret, you are ok.... in her case, the crematorium chimney said "One Last Smoke" and the Building said "That's what she would have wanted" (Private Eye).

[Prudie]

Hope that's not true DT, that would be awful. I'm getting my cat's ashes tomorrow. having paid £65 for them I'd be really upset if it wasn't just him. If it were a family member I'd be devastated.

[DTCwordfan]

I think it different crematorium to crematorium from what I understand.

As to pets, you are probably ok. We had our beloved dog taken out by some Finance Specialist of an 18 year old still at school, driving >2 times over the limit to get to school. That was an "individual" cremation we were assured...and we had her ashes scattered over a lake with a memorial wall plaque.

[DTCwordfan]

think it is.....

[hc4361]

I can assure you that you will only get the ashes of your loved one.

[seadogg]

Our dogs all became roses in the garden as I buried them and planted one above. As to people, you could ask the crematorium what their policy is I guess.

[DTCwordfan]

well apparently Barnstaple can't guarantee it......

[tamborine]

DT PMargret had her last smoke in Slough Crem-istan; that would warrant 'By Appointment'.

[DTCwordfan]

(and that was two weeks ago with the internment last Wednesday)

[rabet]

Thanks to all ~ but nobody really knows?

[bednobs]

i have been (as part of a course i was doing) to a crem behind the scenes as such. At that one, people were burnt seperately

[mrs_overall]

Our family business (started by my grandfather and now run by my siblings) is a funeral directors. I've helped out over the years and I am qualified (although lapsed)
Yes, only one body is cremated at a time so the ashes you receive are those of your loved one. And yes, the ashes will be part coffin.

[EDDIE51]

Work it out . A cremation takes around 5 hours plus 2 hours for the furnace to cool down enough to be opened then the bones have to be crushed ( they do not come out of the furnace as powder but as whole bones) this takes another hour or so. So 8 hours for the whole process, crematoriums do a cremation every 15 mins for each furnace, a lot of crems have 2 chapels feeding 2 furnaces. The crematorium operates 9 hours a day so that is 36 cremations per furnace per day. Now do you think you get only the ashes of one person back ? You get a protion of that days cremations there is no other way to do it.

[mrs_overall]

Eddie, that is so wrong!
I re-iterate, each body is burned individually. Each oven is only designed to take one coffin/body.
The bones are not crushed. The heat is so high that the bones turn to powder as soon as they are dropped into the "tumbler".
There are very strict rules and regulations regarding cremation

[lankeela]

I watched a programme on cremations a while back. The operative has a strict routine to ensure the contents of each 'oven' are kept separate and stored in marked containers.

[lankeela]

http://www.tameside.g.../bereavement/faqs#c10

[EDDIE51]

They don't have 36 or more ovens to do a days cremations one at a time, they have 4 at most and 2 of those are spares in case the main ovens breakdown or are being serviced .The local crem for us has 2 chapels each doing 36 cremations a day , do you actually believe they have 72 ovens and spares ! The place would need to be the size of a small aircraft hanger.

[Graham-W]

It is law that each body is cremated separately. It takes 2 - 2.5 hours at a very high temp.( in excess of 900c).
FAQs here: http://www.funeralass...merinfo/Cremation.htm

[petal54]

I believe that you can have the ashes 'turned' into 'diamonds',not too sure I'd really want to wear a family member though!