Funerary Practices in England and Wales: (Funerary International)

The Funerary International series comprises essential reference texts for policy-makers, practitioners and academics with an interest in funerary practices globally. Each book has a country or region specific focus, addressing a standard framework of questions to aid comparison. This book sets English and Welsh funerary practice in its wider legal, national and local governance framework, including the continuing role of the Church of England. It provides the historical context for current practice, provides data on new trends in burial and cremation and examines recent developments including direct cremation and alkaline hydrolysis. It provides detail of current practice and includes a detailed description of a typical funeral, including commemorative practice, and discussion of funeral costs. Chapters address the legalities and technicalities of burial and cremation, explaining the concept of burial rights and the technicalities of grave construction, and outlining cremation certification requirements and the process of cremation.  This book is a valuable desk-top resource to give a broader frame of reference for policy makers, and to provide explanation of key concepts for practitioners who may be new to this area of work. The text will be of particular value to academics that may be unfamiliar with the legal, technical and professional aspects of the funerary industry. The text is fully referenced, with an additional bibliography of further reading, and includes illustrations, charts, tables, diagrams and boxed text including key information.

Table of Contents:
Foreword Acknowledgements  1. England and Wales: An Introduction  2. History  3. Demographic and legal frameworks  4. Cemeteries and crematoria: governance and management  5. The funeral directing industry  6. Religious belief and funerary practice  7. A typical funeral  8. Paying for funerals  9. Burial  10. Cremation  11. Commemoration  12. Conservation  Bibliography  Index

About the Author :
Julie Rugg is Senior Research Fellow in Social Policy and Social Work at the University of York, UK. She was Advisor to the Environment, Transport and the Regions Select Committee in 2001-2. She is author of Churchyard and Cemetery: Tradition and Modernity in Rural North Yorkshire, and has written papers and book chapters on subjects including the science of grave management, churchyard commemoration, cemeteries and industrial heritage, cemetery conservation, and the dead body.Brian Parsons, PhD, has worked in the funeral industry in London since 1982. He focuses on training staff and also researching the history of funeral service. He is author of The London Way of Death, Committed to the Cleansing Flame: The Development of Cremation in Nineteenth Century England, London Cemeteries: An Illustrated Guide and Gazetteer (with Hugh Meller), The Undertaker at Work: 1900-1950 and The Changing Face of the British Funeral Industry in The Twentieth Century: From Undertaker to Funeral Director.

Review :
Rugg, a researcher in social policy and social work at a university in the UK, and Parsons, who works in the UK funeral industry, trains staff, and researches the history of funeral services, describe funerary practices in England and Wales, within the wider legal, national, and local governance framework. They detail historical aspects, the demographic framework, the governance and management of cemeteries and crematoria, the funeral directing industry, religious belief and funerary practice, typical funerals, payments, burial, cremation, commemoration, and conservation of burial sites.