Is it possible to move buried ashes?

[IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads]

DDad died 30 years ago. He was relatively young.
His ashes are buried in a cask, in a churchyard in the village where DM grew up, in tye south of England, which os about 1.25 hours away from where I grew up and where DM continued to live for some years.

I now live several hundred miles away in England. DM moved here a couple of years ago. After a recent health scare, she has been thinking about her own passing, and would really like to be reunited with DDad. She'd really like to dig up his ashes, bring them home, and for them both to be scattered together, in a location that was meaningful to them both (she has told me where she wants this to be).

Is it possible to dig up buried ashes?
I'm anticipating a long journey of red tape if this is even possible!

Thank you

I do not think so. The first step would be to contact the vicar. I seem to remember a similar conversation and it would involve an order from the home office but I could be wrong

I enquired at the church where my grandfather's gravestone is to be able to move it. Bearing in mind it's just a stone, placed on another family member's grave and the cost was astronomical. So tempted to just go and take it back without getting permission!

Yes, we did this with my aunt. Her ashes were interred in the local crematorium. We had them moved to a family plot some 10 years later. It wasn't a huge problem , we sorted it with the crematorium and the vicar of the new graveyard.

What sort of a casket was it? If it’s wooden I’d be wary as it may well have rotted somewhat by now so there may be no box of ashes as such to find. Would your mum cope with thst ?

scattering-ashes.co.uk/help-advice/exhumation-of-ashes/

Hope this helps!

You'd need an exhumation order. I've no idea how you go about getting that.

You don't need a license from the home office anymore but you do need permission from the church; and it is typically only given in exceptional circumstances, as the church considers burial to be final. It's really unlikely that they'll allow his ashes to be exhumed for this reason. I'm sorry, OP.

It's worth asking just incase but I'd try and prepare your mum for this being declined.

Sorry, exhumation licence, not order.

Thank you everyone. I'm not sure what the casket was made of @Morph22010 , it was a long time ago and I wasn't very old.

Thank you for the link @FrenchTrellis.

I think you should discourage your mum in order to let your dad rest in peace. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust - he has already been resting many years.

Could you suggest to your mum that you sprinkle some of her ashes where your dad rests and the rest in her favourite place. Would that put her at peace?

My mum is a pretty sensible person. I said I'd look into this and will report back that it's not possible. I can't see her pursuing it, or bring desperately upset.I say did find out, and I have.

I like the idea of scattering some of her ashes where DDad is, and then some where they used to go on holiday together. Maybe we could add ashes of his clothes (she still has some).

Hopefully this is a long way off, but it has been good to think it through.

You do occasionally have exhumations, my husband has attended a few for work. They have never been for anything criminal (like what you see on TV) but always something to do with the family. Ask your local authority (Council) and the vicar/priest of the church. I don’t see why it shouldn’t be possible.

You need to contact your local authority- they can make an application to the court to disinter the remains to move them. It may or may not be possible depending on the circumstances.

It was over 30 years ago but we did this, my grandfather's ashes were exhumed and reburied immediately in a new resting place where my grandmother joined him about 5 years later. The cask was intact thank goodness, amazing seeing as it had been there a good 20 years.

DM has written to the vicar of the church.
We'll see what happens, but I told her what I'd found out from this thread, and not to expect too much.

I work for a church and we had a request, when the appointed funeral directors dug the box (wooden) had rotted. Unfortunately unless it was stone it's highly unlikely they are able to be exhumed and even with stone they could have cracked eg tree roots, other burials.