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probably much the same, the charge varying between £2 to £20, according to the degree of
elaboration, but in its simplest possible form, such as might be used by the guardians of the poor
for the burial of paupers, the cost of its construction would be £1, or a few shillings more than the cost
now paid for the simple elm coffin which is used in these cases.
(50.) (iii.) Character of the soil.—A large extent of the ground still unburied in the cemeteries
available for residents in London consists of a dense and tenacious clay, in some places low-lying or of
a flat surface, and liable to be moist in character. There appears to be no doubt, from the statements
made to me during this inquiry by persons connected with cemeteries, that the best soil for bringing
about the decay of the dead is one of a dry and porous nature, such as sand or gravel, through which
air, necessary for the oxidation of organic matter, can circulate without difficulty, and from which water
falling on the surface and percolating into the soil can readily pass away.* A clay soil possesses
neither of these advantages. An excavation in it is to all intents and purposes a water-tight receptacle,
and if such an excavation be again filled in with the disturbed earth—as is the case when a body is
buried—this disturbed earth, however well rammed down, remains more pervious than that forming
the sides and bottom of the excavation and allows water to soak in at a rate greater than that with
which it can pass away. It thus becomes damp, or even waterlogged, if efficient means are not
resorted to for draining. Even with artificial aid to improvement such soil can never be as satisfac
tory as one porous and naturally drained ; and it would appear that the influence exerted upon the
process of decomposition which sets in after death is one of retardation, the result depending upon the
interaction of the various conditions brought to play, namely, the condition of the body, the interval
which elapses between burial and death, the condition of the soil, as well as the conditions which have
already been referred to, of depth of burial and character of coffin. Even in the case of a soil naturally
porous, such as gravel or sand, it is essential that burial be not effected below the level of the
subsoil water, and if this level be near the surface, drainage of the land is requisite before using it for
burial in order that decay of the body be not retarded. The regulations of the Home Office provide
for this by requiring that burial places shall be, if necessary, underdrained to such a depth as will
prevent water remaining in any grave or vault.
(51.) The final result of burial in a clay soil seems to be one of two, either (1.) the body remains
without much apparent external change, or (2.) the products of decomposition pass into a liquid
form which may be retained within the limits of the grave for an indefinite period, if no means
of drainage of the grave exist.
(52.) As regards the first of these, the following experience of a superintendent of a cemetery
may be related. In the cemetery in question, the soil of which consists of low-lying London
clay, a body was exhumed for transportation abroad, eight years after death, from a grave twelve
feet deep. The coffin was found to have undergone a sort of dry rot, and during removal it partly
gave way, exposing the upper part of the corpse. The face had the appearance of a recently deceased
person, and had apparently undergone but little change. This, it was thought, was due
to the fact that the grave, although not separately drained, was situated between two drained
brick graves and immediately above the level of a cemetery drain, so that the ground was constantly
very dry. In the case of an undrained clay grave, which has become waterlogged, it is
probable that the tissues of the body would undergo a change into adipocere, or saponification,
and that the body would retain its external form without marked change, as in the case of bodies
which have been exposed to continual conditions of dampness for a long period, in other
situations.
(53.) Regarding the second of the above-mentioned results, which is probably of more frequent
occurrence, if no means of drainage to the grave exist it sometimes comes about that when at a
later date another grave is dug adjoining it, the existence of a layer of claystone, or other
cause giving rise to a fissure in the ground separating the two graves, allows leakage of the foul
contents with consequent inconvenience if not actual harmful effects to the workmen. An instance
illustrating the above was heard of during the inquiry. One of the cemeteries visited, and which
was opened within the last few years, is situated on a clay soil towards the bottom of a small valley.
The ground when laid out was deep drained, but it was not considered necessary to connect the
earth graves, as they were dug, with the drains. After burial had been taking place for a few
years it was found that the earth graves showed signs of containing much water, and it was
decided to tap them from a trench dug parallel to the row of graves, and to connect them with
the drains. On tapping the graves liquid so foul escaped as to render the work difficult of
execution. Another instance is given in a paper by Mr. C. H. Cooper, published in the transactions of
the Sanitary Institute, vol. xv. In this case a trench was being dug close to a cemetery situated in
a low-lying clay soil. The portion of the cemetery adjoining had not been buried in for 25 years,
but so foul were the oozings from this ground into the trench as to compel the workmen to cease
work at times.
(54.) The following experience, related by a superintendent, appears to be an exception to
the above remarks as regards the processes taking place in an earthen grave in a clay soil. In a
cemetery with a clay soil a body was, with the approval of the Home Secretary, and at the request of
the friends, removed from one private grave to another, after an interval of 12 years. The screws
in this coffin had rusted, and the coffin was so dilapidated as to expose the remains. These
* A similar opinion as to the soil best adapted for cemeteries is given in the report of the Commission
of 1850 on a general scheme for extra-mural burial. Thus, in describing a site near London which had
been chosen as being suitable for a proposed new cemetery, the following statements are made—"It rises by a
gradual ascent from the river bank to the height of 80 feet above high-water mark. The surface is moderately
irregular, being here and there a good deal broken, but consisting for the most part of gentle undulations and
slopes. It comprises an ample extent of land, in a tract of gravelly and firm soil over chalk. Immediately
below the gravel is a bed of sand 70 to 80 feet in depth." " Below the sand is the chalk, which is nearly on
a level with low water, but water is not arrived at for the depth of from 270 to 300 feet. There are no
streams or rivulets crossing the surface of the land in any direction and no springs whatever. These conditions
secure the dryness of the soil, and are conducive to the natural process of decomposition."