Due to various circumstances including personal family reasons or mass exhumations for town developments, it may be necessary to remove the remains of an individual from a grave.
To exhume human remains, one of the two following permissions will apply depending on where the remains are buried:
- Exhumations from land which is subject to the Church of England’s jurisdiction will need the Church’s authorisation only (a faculty or the approval of a proposal under the Care of Cathedrals Measure 2011). This includes consecrated ground in cemeteries. Please contact the crematorium office for the address of a diocese
- Exhumations from land which is not subject to the Church of England’s jurisdiction will need a licence from the Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) only - Apply for a licence on GOV.UK
| Moving remains from | To | Authority required |
|---|---|---|
| Consecrated ground | A different grave plot that is also consecrated | Faculty |
| Consecrated ground | Re-inter in exactly the same consecrated grave plot | Faculty |
| Consecrated ground | Unconsecrated ground | Faculty |
| Unconsecrated ground | Unconsecrated or consecrated ground | MoJ Licence |