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 1922

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]

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Table: CREMATIONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 38 YEARS—1885-1922.

CREMATIONS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 38 YEARS—1885-1922.

YEAR.Woking.*Manchester.Glasgow.Liverpool.Hull.Darlington.LeicesterGolder's GreenBirmingham.Leeds.City of London.Sheffield.Bradford.W. Norwood.Abney Park.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
19059597353515416252221697l........604
1906140904446171312298251523614........743
1907108983034298122903316181813........707
1908119116283237614364182419126........795
19091051063046159194213019241813........855
1910106114283721916415381222814........840
191111412439502512135424417201013........1,023
19121251494452271514591402432129........1,134
191312817249662311116025916211515........1,188
1914124184574816117†6715328422018........1,279
19151531656353341622730452045211210....1,389
1916125179655825923633632244131170....1,340
191712917865622214307195017682510118....1,507
191814219774694317428206434705020153....1,795
191918123584894626369197630684131169....2,031
192014920380693018328517226583220156....1,796
192115922887754320368937831572924162....1,922
19221931897574451723939983170382518662,009
Totals5,0483,6651,1411,267583248396113339273987093742691,063627,427

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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 there"by
to others."—Extract from speech made by the late Sir Henry Thompson at the opening of Golder's Green Crematorium, 22nd Nov"ember,
1902. Vide" Transactions of Cremation Society of England, 1903." p. 31.
† Closed for reconstruction from August, 1913, to July, 1914.
REMOVAL OF HUMAN REMAINS.
ST. KATHERINE COLEMAN CHURCH, FENCHURCH STREET.
The Home Secretary in June last granted a Licence to the Vestry Clerk of
St. Katherine Coleman Church, Fenchurch Street, for the removal of the remains
of all persons buried in or beneath that Church. One of the conditions attaching
to the Licence was to the effect that the removal of the remains was to be carried
out under the supervision and to the satisfaction of the Medical Officer of Health.
The removals which were commenced on the 14th July were not completed until
the 5th October. The remains were taken from the Crypt and from two vaults in
the Crypt. The whole of the earth in the crypt and vaults was sifted by hand to
an average depth of 11 ft. 6 ins., until the solid clay was reached. The earth
under the flagstones of the Church floor was also sifted down to the crown of the
arches beneath.
In all, 124 lead coffins and 94 boxes of loose bones were removed and re-interred
in a special enclosure at Ilford Cemetery. The whole work was carried out with
the greatest regard to reverence and decency.