“BODIES may be buried standing up” was a headline to catch the eye this week, conjuring up apocalyptic visions of a gigantic game of post-mortem sardines.

Re-using graves untended for more than 75 years was another drastic solution, suggested by Harriet Harman, the minister responsible for cemeteries, to the desperate overcrowding of graveyards this week — others included double-decker horizontal burials. But these proposals are opposed by many.

In the past, bodies were buried in churchyards for just long enough for the skull and bones to be cleaned of flesh and were then transferred to a local ossuary, normally in the crypt of a church. Hamlet’s Yorick was clearly well on his way to an ossuary. But, amid widespread public revulsion about the activities of body snatchers, the Anatomy Act of 1832 made it illegal to disturb a grave. This meant that ossuaries were no longer used after this date — unlike in Europe, where in some places they are still the norm — and this led to overcrowding.

By 1850, London churchyards posed a serious health risk to those who lived near by. They were so overloaded that bodies spilt out and shallow pits beneath the floorboards of schools and chapels were used, to the consternation of pupils and congregation alike. A pressure group, the National Society for the Abolition of Burials in Towns, was set up in 1845, which eventually resulted in the Burials Act of 1852, which required the establishment of cemeteries. These were large spaces of unconsecrated ground, away from churchyards or the centre of town. Now we have outgrown them, as the Victorians outgrew their churchyards.

This is still a health issue but perhaps of a different order. About 200,000 of us are buried each year. For many, burial and a headstone play an important and healthy role in the grieving process, acting as chapter endings that allow the living to move on to the next part in their lives.

While relatives remain alive to remember, it is clear that a grave should also remain. But perhaps when there is no one left it is time to transfer the headstone to another permanent spot, thus allowing a new generation of families to benefit from a space that provides comfort and healing for those struggling with loss.

There is another reason not to mind the passing of long-untended graves. If cemeteries continue to grow — as they will if we don’t come up with new ways to accommodate the dead — we will lose out on important green spaces. Allotments, parks, places for children to play are important to our physical and mental health. They provide areas of tranquillity and comfort for those who seek a space to think.

Life is for the living and although it is easy to decry Harriet Harman, perhaps it is time to reconsider how we deal with death.

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