History of Cremation – How has it developed in the UK? As a form of funeral that is available in the UK, cremation has developed notably over a significant amount of time. With this in mind, Laura Richardson provides your with a brief account of the history of cremation to contextualise what we have available today . . .

Cremation was widely used across the UK by pre-Christian Pagan religions and continued to be a popular method through to the time of the Roman Empire, with Romans also advocating cremation. However, when it comes to the history of cremation, the rise of Christianity in the UK saw cremation all but disappear as a practice due to the clash of cremation with the fundamental Christian belief of the resurrection of the body after death. The Catholic Church publically ruled cremation to be contrary to the Catholic faith for this reason. Public opinion of cremation further suffered due to the fact that over 200,000 people found guilty of witchcraft were burned at the stake across Western Europe from the late 1400s to the late 1600s. In Medieval Europe, cremation was therefore the last resort used when burial was inappropriate for example after a battle, or following famine, or the outbreak of disease. This association of paganism, witchcraft, famine, disease, and body burning caused a public revulsion toward cremation as a practice well into the 1800s!

However, when it comes to the history of cremation, it is also to be noted that the invention of new furnace technology came a new scientific interest in cremation. Following the creation of the Cremation Society of Great Britain in 1874 and the publication of a paper promoting the benefit of cremation to public health by Sir Henry Thompson, surgeon to Queen Victoria, cremation was declared legal in 1884 and the first crematoria were opened the following year.  Following the first official modern cremation of Jeanette Pickersgill, who was reportedly well-known in literary and scientific circles, and with modern developments to crematoria cremation began to be seen as far removed from historic pagan rites.

According to the Cremation Society of Great Britain, the history of cremation is marked by the fact that, by 1960, approximately 35% of people were being cremated in the UK. Another increase in the popularity of cremation came in 1963 when the Pope raised the ban on cremation for Catholics. The rate continued to increase and figures released in 2017 showed that just over 75% of people are now being cremated. One of the driving factors of this recent increase is financial, as cremation costs far less than a traditional burial.

The future of cremation, however, remains to be seen despite the long history of cremation to date. With the rise of interest in more environmentally friendly methods of body disposal, cremation may not continue to be as popular due to its heavy use of fossil fuels and a large amount of CO2 released during the cremation process. Some crematoria are already addressing these issues and offering a carbon-neutral cremation, however with the latest scientific advances in body disposal including freeze-drying and alkaline hydrolysis, these measures may not save cremation from once again falling from favour.

At Andrew Douglas Wills & Legal Services, we know how important it is to our clients that we can give comprehensive advice based on a range of options available now and in the future. As specialists in the field of Will writing as well as all associated legal services, you can rest assured that you will receive expert advice not only based on a wealth of experience but also based on up-to-date information incorporating new and innovative practices. What’s more, we offer a free initial consultation to discuss your requirements and how our services could benefit you. For all of your end-of-life legal services, call today!

If you would like to keep up with our latest posts and advice about estate planning through the regular advice that we provide to our clients in this regard, then please also feel free to –

Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ADouglasWills.
Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AndrewDouglasWills.