Login
No account yet? Register

Welcome

Taphophilia (dot) Com...
A repository of morbid curiosities:
Thanatology and Taphophile Issues, Cemetery,
Funeral Industry and Death Related News.

Deadgirl Recommends

Advertisement

A Taphophilia Thank You...

Taphophilia (dot) Com would not be possible without the knowledge, experience and talent of DarkestWeb. From
its conception and early development, DarkestWeb
was faced with many challenges; from inspiring and motivating, to providing guidance and direction. The continued dedication and support has produced results greater than ever expected, and for this, I owe a huge debt of gratitude.

Cemetery Snapshot

P1010131-1.jpg.jpg

Announcements

Graveyards of Chicago:
The People, History, Art, and Lore of Cook County Cemeteries
By Matt Hucke And Ursula Bielski. Discover a Chicago That Exists Just Beneath the Surface - About Six Feet Under! Take a tour of Chicago's permanent residents! Please visit the Lake Claremont Press website to purchase your copy of Graveyards of Chicago today!

Green-Wood Cemetery Arcadia Publishing announces the release of Alexandra Mosca's historic account of one of New York's most famous cemeteries. Aracdia Publishing's Images of America series has an extensive catalog of many cemetery publications! Please visit Arcadia Publishing to purchase your copy of Green-Wood Cemetery and to browse other available titles!


Men of Mortuaries Calendar
To purchase your 2008 calendar, learn more about the KAMMCARES Foundation, or to be featured in the 2009 calendar, please visit Men of Mortuaries.

Epitaphs: The Magazine for Cemetery Lovers By Cemetery Lovers
For information regarding subscriptions, single issues, submission guidelines, deadlines, classifieds or advertising for future issues, please visit The Cemetery Club.

Guardians of the Soul: Angels and Innocents, Mourners and Saints, Indiana's remarkable cemetery sculpture
with photography by John Bower and foreword by Claude Cookman is now
available. Please visit
Studio Indiana
for more information.

West Springfield Massachusetts: Stories Carved in Stone by Rusty Clark features information on early New England gravestone carvers with more than two hundred photos and illustrations. Please visit the Dog Pond Press website.
18th century grave bones to be reburied PDF Print E-mail
Written by DeadGirl   
Friday, 22 April 2005
BY CELIA WIGG

20 April 2005 -UK

Human bones left exposed in a graveyard are to be reburied after a man found them on and around his father's grave.
Paul Nelson found them during a visit to Redenhall Church, near Harleston, with his wife and 15-year-old daughter two weeks after his father's funeral on March 31.

They found soil dug from the grave had been heaped under a nearby yew tree, with a human jaw bone, ribs and part of a skull lying on top.

Redenhall churchyard is nearing capacity and the remains came from earlier graves, dating back to the 1700s, that lay in the area where his father was interred.

Mr Nelson, 42, collected the bones, carefully placed them beside the grave and contacted Rosedale Funeral Home in Diss, which organised his father's burial.

They have now been removed, but Mr Nelson and his family are still upset because they found other fragments of bone under the floral tributes and in the grass around the grave, as well as other bits of skeleton in large heap of spoil in a corner of the churchyard.

While the church said it was the undertakers' responsibility to rebury any bones their gravediggers unearthed, the funeral parlour said the church "had turned a blind eye to" to the problem.

"I wouldn't want this to happen to any other family. My daughter thought the world of her granddad and is very upset.

"This has really set her back, and she says she wishes he had been cremated," said Mr Nelson.

"These people were given a Christian burial 300 years ago and I find it satanic that their bones can be left lying about, and are not being treated with respect. I find it totally unacceptable."

Last night, funeral directors at Rosedale said they are now working with the church, and other undertakers who use the churchyard, to solve the problem.

Director Anne Beckett-Allen said: "What we hadn't appreciated is that the problem appears to be with the spoil heap which is an on-going one and the bones that are there have accumulated over the years.

"We are working with the rural dean to see what we can do. It's a problem that the church has turned a blind eye to.

"The fact that it has been highlighted to the rural dean shows there is some action. It's unfortunate and distressing."

The reusing of graves is common practice when a churchyard is reaching capacity and the one at Redenhall, which also serves Harleston and Wortwell, is due to close within a year.

Rural dean the Rev Janice Scott said last night it was not known how many bones had been unearthed but they would be reburied.

She added that everyone involved was "shocked and upset" about it.

"We will definitely rebury the bones with a suitable service and dignity.

"They are hundreds of years old and there won't be any family remaining, but we still want to give them a Christian burial. It's very unfortunate," she said.

Honorary curate the Rev Clive Hudson, who conducted Mr Nelson's father's funeral, said the extent of the problem had only come to light in recent weeks.

"We regret that Paul and his family have had this problem and having tried to help them through this difficult time I'm sorry they have been faced with this," he said.

http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news/story.aspx?brand=EDPOnline&category=News&tBrand=edponline&tCategory=news&itemid=NOED19%20Apr%202005%2019%3A10%3A59%3A557
 
< Prev   Next >