burials

[silverdaler]

i have been asked to find out why coffins are buried 6 feet deep - not 5, or 7 , for example. Is there a specific or scientific reason ????????
thank you.

[raysparx1]

Silverdaler,

Do they have to be 6ft deep ? I thought that was an average depth, some are 8ft, what about when say a wifes coffin is placed in the same grave as the husbands,the coffin goes on top of the first one,so that wouldn't be 6ft deep, but I might be completely wrong.

[ummmm]

How long do coffins last underground.

I thought six feet under was just a saying.

[bobtheturkey]

http://ask.yahoo.com/20020823.html

[ummmm]

Yippee - at last

I got something right!!!

[RATTER15]

I used to dig graves many years ago, a single depth grave was 4ft if another person was going in on the top the first one would be 6 ft, never heard of one 8ft Ray but possible due to soil conditions maybe.

[kwicky]

You are right Wardy, I saw this article also but the reason they gave was cemetaries were running out of land and they could compact more bodies this way. They would have to be deeper than 6' though I'd hate to see heads poking up through the ground.

[Waaii]

I just got the deeds to a family grave plot in todays post and if definitely states that classed as a double the first coffin must be buried at 8 feet and there must be 6inces of soil between it and the one on top. It has to take account of soil settlement I guess and that with the passage of time and maybe change of usage the grave would be undisturbed by cable or pipe laying, ploughing or grass cutting in the future.

[RATTER15]

On some occasions when we couldn't dig that deep for various reasons, water table, large rocks etc, we would pile the soil up around the grave so it looked deeper.

we also would remove remains from graves if the first coffin was buried at 4ft and another was going in on the top, shouldn't have happened but it did, we would put remains in a tarp or bags and put them back in again after the funeral, we always got an extra tip for those jobs as it was and is highly illegal.

[silverdaler]

oh ratter-what a terrible job to do !
thank you all for taking the time to answer !
x

[RATTER15]

waaii, I'm going back 30 years, so it may have changed, it may also be different in different areas.

They were also talking about buying people upright back in those days, but then cremation took over from nearly all the burials.

[RATTER15]

that should have been burying lol not buying

[naz_nomad]

oops ... a small 'Burke & Hare' type Freudian slip there Ratter?

[RATTER15]

lol Naz, yes!! where you been man?

[naz_nomad]

bored with AB since the changes ... don't post much.

[raysparx1]

Good to see your name naz, take it easy mate.

[spudqueen]

I have two family grave papers. Both the graves were purchased in Victorian times. The first grave is 7 feet by 3 by 9 deep and the second is 7ft by 3 by 12.

[hopalong]

I have seen gravestones with 5 names on it so surely thye have to down quite a deapth

[RATTER15]

hopalong, they are not all buried on top of each other, lol