Council to remember those buried in unmarked graves

The plan for the memorials was announced by Cllr Arooj Shah at Oldham’s full council meeting on Wednesday 11 September.

It comes after family members of stillborn children discovered their relatives were buried in a large unmarked grave in Royton cemetery.

Cllr Shah said: ”Our hearts go out to the family members who have discovered their relatives were buried in unmarked graves.

“Sadly, the burying of people – including babies and children – in unmarked graves happened in graveyards all across the country. 

“Thankfully this practice no longer happens, but it is wrong there is no acknowledgement of this in our cemeteries. 

“I’ve now asked our cemeteries team to arrange and install memorials in all our Council cemeteries to remember those who were laid to rest in these circumstances.

‘I hope this news will bring some peace and solace to those surviving relatives who have loved ones buried in our cemeteries. it is right to face the mistakes of the past and, more importantly, remember those precious lives.”

The memorials will be funded through the Leader’s designated budget. 

Details of the burial site in Royton, which brought this issue to public attention, have been available to research for some time and Council staff have supported many families to locate their loved ones over the years.

Anyone can search for their deceased relative by using the link on the council website:

• Search cemetery records

The grave, numbered 1A-360 in Royton, was first opened in 1924 and the last burial took place in 1972, the records for the Royton public graves have now all been digitalised, and work is ongoing for the other records to also be put online.

Families searching for their relatives will need to know the surname and approximate date of death.

Families can also find this information by contacting the Cemetery Office at Hollinwood on 0161 681 1312 or via [email protected] where the records are held in written burial books.

When stillborn babies were buried in Oldham the surname of the parent/s were used to record the burial.