Searching for the Deceased
being edited by Merry & Jess
Contents
Cremation and Burial in England and Wales
Once you have a death certificate for your ancestor you may want to find out what happened to their body. This will mean investigating burial records and, if the death was in the last few decades, cremation records.
Cremation
If the death occurred before 1900 then it is extremely unlikely the body will have been cremated. Before 1901 there were only about 100 cremations in England and Wales and even after legislation was passed in 1902 setting out procedural rules for cremation, many people were against the idea of burning a body for both religious and supertitious reasons. The Roman Catholic church did not approve cremation until the mid 1960's.
If you think your relation may have been cremated you will need to contact the local council in the area where you believe the cremation took place. Usually this will be the nearest cemetery to their place of death or nearest to their home address (if different).
After cremation the ashes will have been disposed of. The council may hold records of what happened to the ashes, but if a casket was passed to a family member or friend there will be no further official record of what happened to the ashes. There should, however, be an entry in the crematoria book of remembrance.
There are not many websites concerned with cremation records at present. The Ashes Register is attempting to collect cremation records so may be worth investigating:
Ashes Register The Online Cremated Remains Database
Burials
In cities and large towns church burial became less common during the late Victorian era as many churchyards were closed due to all the grave spaces having been used. In the 20th century this also happened in small towns and even in some villages. By WW2 very few people were automatically given space in their parish churchyard. Very often only those who had made prior arrangements or had a family vault in the churchyard would be able to have a church burial.
Also consider that if the deceased person was a non-conformist they may be buried in a cemetery as many non-conformist churches do not have burial space. Before the advent of cemeteries only some London non-conformists had the opportunity to use burial grounds such as Bunhill Fields which opened in the 1650's at the north of the city and was used exclusively by non-conformists. Jewish burial grounds were set up in the East End of London from the 1650's.
Cemeteries have areas of consecrated ground for Church of England burials and non-consecrated ground for all other burials which may be divided into areas for non-conformist, Jewish and other non-Christan religions. "Consecrated" means the area of ground has been blessed by a Church of England bishop. Conversely, before the advent of cemeteries, non-conformists who died outside London were regularly buried in Church of England graveyards, there being nowhere else. The service would usually be conducted by their own minister.
Before cemeteries, the unbaptised were buried in the parish churchyard, but might not have the benefit of the Church of England burial service read over the grave or the tolling of the church bell. This was the case for both babies and adults.
In the more distant past suicides were buried in unconsecrated ground and you may not find any record of their burial.
Finding those buried in a cemetery
If you think your relative may have been buried in a cemetery then in order to find the grave you will need to contact the local authority (council) who will hold the cemetery records for the area they control.
Find the appropriate CRO website on its County page
Often the department will be listed as "bereavement services" on their website. Some local councils charge a fee for doing a look up whilst others go so far as to have their records available online to search.
Once you have traced the burial record the council will normally be able to pinpoint exactly where the grave is situated and whether it is marked or not. If you visit the cemetery the council will often be able to send an official to direct you to the grave if you give them some notice.
Records for church burials
Records for church burials are held by the County Record Office local to the church in question.
Find the appropriate CRO website on its County page
If the burial was in the last few decades it would be worth checking if the burial records have been passed to the CRO, as if they have not, you will need to contact the church minister. Church ministers will usually charge a small fee for checking their records for a burial.
If you find a burial record at the CRO (this may mean you will have to search films of the burial register or consult transcripts of the same - often sorted into alphabetical order!) this may not mean you can find the grave in the churchyard. Often plans of the churchyard, usually recorded by the sexton, have not survived and if the grave is not marked this may be as far as your search will take you, but at least you will know that the body of your relative resides in a particular churchyard and you could still investigate to see if the grave is marked with a gravestone.
Beware that a gravestone or memorial stone may not indicate the final resting place of your relative. If there is no burial record to match the inscription, the body may have been interred elsewhere, though often this is made clear in the inscription.
What if you can't find your ancestors burial record at the cemetery or local churchyard?
Not everyone is buried close to their place of death or to their last address. If you cannot find your relatives burial record consider where they lived during their lifetime, or even where they were born or where their parents, spouse or other relatives were buried.
Some short cuts to finding burials
National Burial Index (CD's to purchase)
Federation of Family History National Burial Index overview
The NBI is a collection of burials transcribed from parish registers. It is not complete but has good coverage in many areas. A full list of parishes covered is included in the website.
Family History Online (pay per view)
Family History Online has much of the NBI included, plus other burial records.
Find My Past (pay perview)
Find My Past has City of London Burials 1788-1855
Local Councils
Some local councils have an online index of cemetery burials. You will need to search the local council website to see what is available.
Wills
If a person left a will it may give specific instructions for the disposal of their body.
County Family History Societies
Try contacting the CRO for burials in a specific county - they will often sell CD's or fiche of burial records or memorial inscripions and/or will offer a lookup service.
Funeral Directors
Some funeral directors keep archives and many have been in business for several decades. If you cannot find a burial or cremation it might be worth contacting local undertakers as they may have a record of transporting a coffin to another part of the country.
Churches
Even if a church has a closed graveyard, it may still hold a record of burial services held at the church. They may or may not have a record of where the body was taken for interment or cremation.
