For the exhumation of a body or cremated remains from consecrated ground, it will be necessary to obtain a Faculty from the Chancellor of the Diocese. If the remains are to be exhumed from consecrated ground and re-interred in consecrated ground, only a Faculty is required. If the remains are to be exhumed from unconsecrated ground and re-interred in unconsecrated ground, it is necessary to obtain only an Exhumation Licence from the Ministry of Justice. But if one of the places is consecrated and the other is not consecrated, then both a Faculty and an Exhumation Licence will be required. Enquiries about obtaining an Exhumation Licence from the Ministry of Justice should be addressed to:
Coroners Unit, Ministry of Justice, 102 Petty France, London SW1H 9AJ.
Tel: 0203 334 6390. Email: coroners@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
The Church regards burial as final, and so a Faculty will not normally be granted to authorize an exhumation, except in exceptional circumstances, for example, where a body has accidentally been buried in a grave already reserved for someone else, or in any other special circumstances which the Chancellor of the Diocese considers justify a departure from the general rule.
A special form of Faculty Petition is used for an application for exhumation, and advice should be sought from the Diocesan Registrar.
