Reused Graves: What Happens?

[clearly]

As many people have posted about graves being reused, I was just wondering what happened to the remains of the previous occupant. Are they reburied communally, cremated or just discarded?

[iluleah]

Having read some of the burial acts in the past old and new acts ....it depends..... some graves it is possible to bury additional people without disturbing those already buried there, with others their remains are cremated, so in affect it is a new grave....... all this is bound up in lots of red tape, acts, permissions , time frame, such as graves old than 75yrs ( which I have to say surprised me I thought it was longer)

[mumjo]

I recently looked for my grandfather's grave (i knew which church yard but not exactly where). The vicar very kindly met me and apologised profusely because the grave had been reused. It was the quickness of it being reused that surprised me there was only 20 years between both deaths! This was in the 1930's to 1950's.

[iluleah]

Oh that is a shock, from my understanding they contact the family before this happens, some graves if the lease is up etc etc
www.parliament.uk Home page - UK Parliament  has a adobe PDF fact sheet, it might be worth reading that it is about the 'Reuse of graves'

[clearly]

So, the remains are cremated. This makes a bit of a mockery of "their final resting place" a term often used with the deceased.
I have tried to trace the grave of someone who died in 1938 and have been told that the grave space has been reused. However the cemetery could not tell me what happened to the remains and their "search" for next of kin or living relatives involved sending a letter to the address of the person that purchased the grave space in 1937 and that happened to be the deceased. I just wondered if there was any set procedure to trace relatives before they reuse the space.

[iluleah]

They have done what they need to do, which was send the 'owner' a letter, unless those relations update the information address, informing that the person died and they are next of kin which I have to say is not something many would do, then all the authorities need to do is try to make contact via mail with the 'owner' they have on their books

[a-l]

It does make me wonder why we buy the burial plot . How much money is made re selling burial plots ? Is it morally right to sell you a final resting place then remove you ? What do others think?

[dawnsh]

I think you'll find that most plots aren't purchased 'in perpetuity', 50 or 75 years being the norm.

More of a leasehold than freehold situation.

[Redroger]

Presumably the time period refers to the most recent death. My grandparents are buried in Newmarket Road Cemetery Cambridge; my grandfather died in 1935, my grandmother 1953, so he has been there 78 years, she 60. Logically it has to be 75 years (or 50) after the most recent death; but this can get complicated when an area needs to be cleared for reuse.