Cremated remains

[Dennis]

Hi.

I have heard that if no family member collects the urns containing the cremated remains that at some time period a minister, of some denomination, stops by the crematorium and records the names in some book and then proceeds to spread the ashes at a designated area near the crematorium. Is this accurate, and if so what happens to the book?


regards. dennis

[Currie]

Hello Dennis,

I always thought they just dumped them unceremoniously in some convenient spot. Because regulations about anything vary from place to place and time to time you should probably indicate in what jurisdiction the cremation occurred and the year. What you’ve described could easily be the practice of an individual funeral director.

For the current Scottish situation regarding uncollected ashes see this very recent online newspaper item. It is saying that funeral directors are required to retain ashes until collected and that some had been held for over 28 years. The article suggests there is a proposal to limit the time ashes had to be retained. http://beta.thecourier.co.uk/Community/ ... eople.html

Despite the above this Glasgow Funeral Director appears to have arranged the disposal of their uncollected ashes back in 2001. http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Resting+i ... a074882461

There are more links here http://www.google.com/#hl=en&q=%22uncol ... 5da4f245a4

These sorts of things get more attention nowadays and I wouldn’t be too surprised if the further you go back in time the less ceremony and fuss was attached to their disposal.

Hope that’s useful,
Alan

[Dennis]

Hi Alan, thanks for the reply. My mom said that a couple of her siblings, and her mom, were cremated and left at the crematorium. Supposedly it had to do with insurance. Is there any 'unclaimed cremated remains' registry?


Regards. dennis

[Currie]

Hello Dennis,

I think you may be stretching the bounds of optimism there. Something that is so apparently unregulated as the disposal of uncollected ashes is unlikely to have a central registry. It would be interesting to know what the Scottish Parliament has in mind for changes as mentioned in the newspaper article.

I always thought that the ashes 'problem’ was one for the crematorium because I’ve always dealt with the crematorium when arranging what is to become of relatives ashes, and the funeral directors were finished with once the ceremony was over, except for payment of the bill. I didn’t realise that the funeral directors could end up in possession of the ashes if specific arrangements weren’t made.

Here’s an Australian crematorium that has them as old as 1928 even though there is “no legal requirement” to keep them. Passed down from grandfather funeral director to son etc I suppose. What a legacy! http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/ ... 52727.html

You may have to track down the crematorium and/or funeral director involved to find out what they did with them, or even just ask a crematorium in the same general geographical area what the local policy or practice is. If they’re dealing with the same local authority they may have a fairly common policy in this regard. Maybe even contacting the council for the area could be worthwhile, they should be aware of any regulations or lack thereof.

One thing you can be sure of is that the degree of regulation back whenever will be no greater than it is now.

All the best,
Alan

[Dennis]

Hi Alan,

Supposedly, her older brother who died in January 1996, had his cremated remains left at Musselburgh and they were not retrieved by his widow. I've emailed Marin & Scott with the info I was presented with and hope they can provide a conclusion to this issue.


Regards. dennis

[AndrewP]

Hi Dennis,

Not all families want to collect the ashes of their deceased relation. I know at Mortonhall Crematorium in Edinburgh, you can choose to have them bury the ashes in their garden of remembrance. See http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/internet/ci ... _cremation for more info. Other crematoria may offer a similar service.

I am sure that they will keep a register of all cremations done. Whether that register includes information about the destination of the ashes, I don't know.

All the best,

AndrewP

[Alan SHARP]

Greetings from New Zealand.

It would appear that things are done slightly differently in New Zealand. Most often the cremation of a body of a loved one, is arranged by the undertaker, and the ashes are returned to the undertaker, in theory to be uplifted by family, or the (will) executor, charged with instructions as to how the deceased wished the ashes to be treated.

There has been some press, in recent times, of some of the well established Funeral Directors’ holding large stocks of unclaimed ashes, going back over many years. It is now quite common for families to gather and scatter the ashes one year later. Most cemeteries provide places/plots, where urns of ashes can be buried, and plaques can be erected.

All crematorium that I have experience with, have a memorial book on display registering an entry, for those families who choose to subscribe to honour a loved one. Each day it is displayed, open at that days date. Some can be viewed on line.

Alan SHARP.