This is outrageous, positively medieval

[collin]

This was common practice, most cemeteries had a public grave for stillbirths and infants. My Gran had a stillborn boy in 1950( no 14 of 15) she dressed him and laid him on her dressing table for the siblings to see him before the council collected him. He was buried in the public grave which was open for 18 years between 1937--1955 it held all the stillbirths and 21 infants. Previously Gran lost 2 boys aged 5 & 7 hours in 1934 & 1936, they were buried in a mass grave in a corner of the churchyard for free by the parish but the churchyard was closed when the council cemetery opened and they charged £2 in 1950. Grans sister had a stillborn girl in 1941 and she was also in the same grave. Different times.

[louisa maud]

I do find it all very sad but nowadays parents have a choice, as late as about 1980 my cousin had a still born, she arranged for her to be buried with a woman, she and her husband didn't attend,  I have no idea if she even knows where she is exactly, thank God there is a choice.

LM

[Jebber]

A 3x great grandfather of mine was a Sexton, he kept a record of burials in a notebook, he buried stillborn and babies who died shortly after birth in coffins with women. He described the babies position in the coffins and where they were in the churchyard. That was in the late 1700s,  I wonder if the parents ever visited the graves.

[Gillg]

Our son and his wife's little daughter was born at 28 weeks and survived for just 4 minutes.  Because she had lived for those few minutes her birth and death had to be registered and a funeral had to be held.  She is buried in our local churchyard -space for her little grave was found among the older graves.  A small plaque reads "A minute in our arms, a lifetime in our hearts".   Sadly they have had no more children.  We were all able to hold her for a minute, too, and will never forget this.