London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

City of London 1920

Report of the Medical Officer of Health of the City of London for the year 1920

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29
REMOVAL OF HUMAN REMAINS.
During the year only one instance of the disturbance of human remains in the
City has been brought to my notice, and the following is a brief summary of the facts
relating thereto:—
ST. AT PHAGE CHURCH, LONDON WALL.— On the 21st April, 1920, I
received from the Home Secretary a copy of a Licence authorising the removal of all
human remains interred beneath St. Alphage Church, London Wall, with the exception
of those of Sir Rowland Hayward, late Lord Mayor of London.
One of the conditions attaching to the Licence was that the removal was to be
effected under my supervision and to my satisfaction.
Exhumations were commenced on the 7th June, and in all 78 cases, 33 of which
contained lead coffins and 45 loose bones, were removed from the site and re-interred
at the City of London Cemetery at Ilford. The work was completed on the
18th August.
From the condition in which the majority of the bones were found it would
appear that the site had been previously excavated.

Table: CREMATIONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 36 Years—1885-1920.

CREMATIONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 36 Years—1885-1920.

YEAR.Woking.*Manchester.Glasgow.Liverpool.Hull.Darlington.Leicester.Golder's Green.Birmingham.Leeds.City of London.Sheffield.Bradford.W. Norwood.No. of Cremations each year.
18853.......................................3
188610.......................................10
188713.......................................13
188828.......................................28
188946.......................................46
189054.......................................54
189199.......................................99
18921043....................................107
189310130....................................131
189412547....................................172
1895150581.................................209
189613752102..............................201
1897173511610..............................250
1898240621227..............................341
1899240881623..............................367
1900301832040..............................444
1901273961840171........................445
190227581205413215..................451
190314392243518151581...............477
1904138981940207822019...............569
190595973535154162522216971...604
1906140904446171312298251523614...743
1907108983034298122903316181813...707
1908119116283237614364182419126...795
19091051063046159194213019241813...855
1910106114283721916415381222814...840
191111412439502512135424417201013...1,023
19121251494452271514591402432129...1,134
191312817249662311116025916211515...1,188
1914124184574816117†6715328422018...1,279
191515316563533416227304520452112101,389
19161251796558259236336322441311701,340
1917129178656222143071950176825101181,507
1918142197746943174282064347050201531,795
1919181235848946263691976306841311692,031
1920149203806930183285172265832201561,796
Totals4,6963,2489791,1184952113379,50175133658230722071523,496

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* "Viscount Cross in the year 1879 forbade the practice of cremation there (Woking) under the threat of
"passing an Act to make it illegal But in 1884 appeared the well-known judgment of Mr. Justice
"Stephen, which, in the case of a child's body having been burned by its father contrary to the order of the
"coroner, determined cremation to be a legal act, provided no nuisance be caused thereby to others."— Extract
from speech made by the late Sir Henry Thompson at the opening of Golder's Green Crematorium, 22nd November.
1902. Vide "Transactions of Cremation Society of England, 1903." p. 31.
† Closed for reconstruction from August, 1913, to July, 1914.