Exhumations are rare and can be very upsetting for members of the family involved. Exhumations occur for a number of reasons including:

• moving a body from the original grave to a family plot in the same or another cemetery
• repatriation of a body overseas to be buried with other family members
• transfer of a body from one cemetery scheduled for redevelopment to another
• a court order requiring further forensic examination of the body.

Legal permissions must be obtained before a body can be exhumed and a Funeral Director can assist you with these. A Home Office licence is also usually needed.

Exhumation licences also contain certain conditions which have to be observed:

• if the person is buried in Consecrated ground, permission must also be obtained from the Church;
• an Environmental Health Officer must attend when the body is exhumed to make sure that there is no threat to public health;
• sometimes cadaver certificates are also needed as well as exhumation licences.