Re: Cremation in 1857

On Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:58:08 +0000, Bob <'Bob'
<squealing@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>> wrote:

I have come across a tomb at West Norwood Cemetery with the inscription:

Mr Henry Dawkins, born 28 Jan 1773, buried 28th Jan 1857
Interdicted by Parliament from intermingling his ashes wis wife and daughter
who lie buried in the grave yard at St Margarets Westminster
Upwards of 30 years in the Civil Service of his country
[...] by his only son.

So it seems he was cremated and interred away from his parish in one of the
new Metropolitan cemeteries. Yet this is three decades before human cremation
was legally acceptable in England -

IMU it was never illegal, as was eventually confirmed in the
prosecution of Dr William Price. The acceptability was a matter of
opinion not law.
<snip>
.