A family has been forced to excavate their parents’ graves 13 years after their burial because a church double booked the plot of land.
David and Sheila Shaw shared a grave at Sefton Parish Church near Liverpool in 2012.
However, the church missed the fact that the family of George Bancroft had already booked the piece of land, after George was buried by the plot in 1977.
The couple’s remains have now been exhumed and reburied after Bancroft’s daughter – who is terminally ill – requested to be buried next to her father.
The couple’s remains have now been exhumed and reburied
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The Shaws were buried together in 2012 in the plot of land as “no marker or memorial stone” had been put on the site to show that it had already been reserved, a consistory court in the Diocese of Liverpool heard.
Once the mistake had come to light, parish vicar Ali Chesworth got in touch with the daughters, Carol Smith and Julie Tyghe, to let them know of the church’s plans to dig up what was meant to be their parents’ final resting place.
The siblings were “extremely unhappy” with their request, the court heard.
In his judgement, diocese chancellor Mr Justice Graham Wood said: “One of the reasons which may well have grounded their unhappiness … was an understanding that despite an assurance provided by the vicar that no steps had been taken to interfere with the grave, they noticed that part of the surface had been disturbed and the grave ‘partially dug up’.
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“In fact, the evidence from the vicar is that steps had been taken by a specialist grave digger to identify the precise location of the caskets in relation to the surface of the grave.”
When faced with the proposal that the three share the grave, the chancellor dismissed the idea, arguing that it would serve as an “inauspicious legacy for future generations”.
The church received permission to rebury the married couple, insisting that it was the best way forward after their “egregious” mistake led to the “conundrum”.
“The error here, which on any interpretation is egregious, should not be allowed to visit a disadvantage on the family which acquired the grave almost 50 years ago in the expectation that they would be able to use the space for subsequent family burials,” Wood added.
Sefton Parish Church has since apologised for the “mistakes made”
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Sefton Parish Church has since apologised for the “mistakes made” as they confirmed the Shaws had now been reburied.
A spokesman said: “Sefton Parish Church recognises the mistakes made in the past when dealing with the ashes of Mr and Mrs Shaw.
“This was caused through improper administration of the graveyard in the past. We have learnt from this and put new systems in place to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
“We are deeply sorry for this and the upset that this caused. We have worked with all the relevant authorities to sort this matter out as sensitively as possible. This has involved the proper exhumation and reburial of their remains in the graveyard.
“We know this has been painful for all involved but Mr and Mrs Shaw’s remains have been carefully reburied in a permanent plot where the family can visit their loved ones in peace.”
