Adding remains to grave without permission

dori2o

YoungBlueEyes wrote: »

Without putting too fine a point on it - and I'm assuming you aren't worried about an extra coffin having been placed in there - I don't see how ashes scattered in to whatever depth would result in that size of dip. If it was the whole urn that was added, well wouldn't that produce a lump rather than a dip...?

The tree roots post is a good one. My mother's grave has had to be sorted out and relevelled etc twice in the 23 years she's been laid there. The tree is approx 6 ft away from her.

badmemory wrote: »

I wonder why anyone adding to a grave would actually remove earth to this extent & indeed where they would put the removed earth as its presence on another grave would be noticable.


Whilst someone may possibly have added to the grave the dip is far more likely to have been caused by either dead tree roots or the coffin collapsing. Surely if someone wanted to inter ashes there the last thing they would want is for it to be noticed & lead to them being removed.

When earth is compacted but then dug up it creates large air pockets, even if you push it back down when you refil the hole thats been dug.

As the earth settles, because its been aerated it shrinks as moisture is removed from the ground, this creates the dip in the land.

Even if an urn or small box has been put in, the earth will still shrink.

Thats why we were told not to put the headstone on our daughters grave immediately after her urn was interred. To let the ground settle?

There are no trees in the immediate vacinity of the grave.

I cant say if the graves around it have sufferred the same thing as several have no headstones only marker stones (according to the grave papers this was a "2nd class" grave plot when originally purchased in 1918) and most of those that do are over/almost 100 years old.

Per the remark regarding coffin lids having collapsed. It wouldnt matter if they had as the grave is sealed, i.e. there is a large slab that seals the bottom half of the grave. There are 2/3 coffins in there, the rest of those in there are interred in urns/the plastic containers that ashes come in from the crematorium.

I've found details of the official grave records online from the LA website and the last recorded internment was as expected almost 30 years ago.

When the work to refit the stone is done we will just have to wait and see if anything happens.

If an urn is discovered it will be interred properly, and we'll just have to bill those responsible for whatever it costs, which according to the LA website is around £800+ if a resident of the LA or £1200+ if not a resident of the LA.

badmemory

I was really hoping that it would be a collapsed coffin (or similar) as for someone to actually put someone's ashes in a plot without permission just seems so contradictory. After all you inter someone in a place as a matter of respect but to do it like this shows DISrespect. It must be incredibly upsetting for you & your family.