At the Hay Literary Festival, the Rev Richard Coles admitted to placing pets’ ashes in their owners’ coffins while serving as vicar of St Mary the Virgin in Finedon from 2011 to 2022. Reaction on social media reflected the view that whilst illegal, many contributors deemed it acceptable and thought that it should be accommodated more formally. Some suggested that the practice was more common than acknowledged, although most documented information tends to be restricted to those elements in which there is no doubt as to their conformity with legislation.

This post reviews the current legislation on the burial or scattering of the cremated remains of humans and animals, which includes burial law, provisions on animal by-products and ecclesiastical law. However, there is no single instrument which addresses both. Burying an animal in a church or municipal cemetery, including the placement of an urn in a coffin, is illegal; nevertheless, burial in a pet cemetery on private land or scattering of the ashes is permissible in most cases. A subsequent post will review recent developments in Australia in which the burial of humans and animals may be accommodated. Continue reading →