The provisions of the Burial Act 1857 (hereafter ‘the Act’) extend to the 12nm territorial limit adjacent to England. It is therefore unlawful to disturb burials within this limit without first obtaining lawful authority to do so. However, the wording of the Act appears to refer to deliberate burials.
This proposed policy seeks to bring human remains from historic wreck sites into line with the protection offered to deliberately deposited remains.
Below is the link to a first draft of the proposed policy. EH are inviting comments for consultation in order to produce a final version and we would be very grateful if you could provide any comments by Friday 13 December.
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/professional/training-and-skills/impr...
The consultation period is from Monday 21 October 2013 to 13 December 2013. Please send your responses to Carrie Cowan and Mark Dunkley at the following email or postal address: Designation Department, English Heritage, 1 Waterhouse Square, 138-142 Holborn, London, EC1N 2ST. Telephone: 0207 973 3116. Email: designation [at] english-heritage.org.uk
