Information for ancestry and forensic investigations
The permanence of Christian burial and the application of Re Blagdon Cemetery [2002] Fam 299 has been a continuing theme on L&RUK and has also been explored in Leading Works in Law and Religion. The courts employ DNA profiling, carbon dating and others techniques in relation to: the identification of remains; the proof of ancestry; forensic evidence for use by the courts; and for medical & other related purposes. This is the second of three posts in which we consider the exhumation for the purpose of examining the remains of monarchs, mass murderers, and for medical research. In Part I we considered the identification of the remains for historical and other purposes; This post will consider their use in the proof of ancestry, and Part III looks at medical research and attempts to draw some conclusions on the application of the law in this area.