The discovery of a mass burial site in Royton, Oldham, containing 145 stillborn babies, 128 babies and young children and 29 adults has brought closure to many families who have been searching for their loved ones for decades. The 12ft (3.6m) by 12ft grave was found by accident when a woman was searching for the graves of her twin brothers born in 1962. The grave, which was unmarked, contained the remains of over 300 individuals and has left the town devastated.
Gillian, whose sister was stillborn 48 years ago, said that although her sister was born after her and was a stillborn baby, they had always talked about her. Knowing now that her sister could be buried there has made “a massive difference” to her family. Another visitor, Joanne, found her uncle Joseph Morris, who was born in 1960, buried in the grave. She said her family had been upset for years not knowing where he was buried and that they had finally been given answers.
Before the 1980s, stillborn babies were taken away from families, who were not told any details of what happened to their loved ones, or where they were buried. Instead, the babies were interred in mass graves. Bereaved parents were often told by medical staff that their children would be buried alongside “a nice person” who was being buried that same day, without giving the families a chance to say goodbye. The discovery of the Royton grave and others like it have been upsetting for many families who were not given this closure at the time.
The Royton grave’s discovery follows that of another mass grave being found in Wirral earlier this year. Gina Jacobs, 79, found her stillborn son after a 53-year search. In the past 20 years, mass graves containing the remains of stillborn babies have been discovered in Lancashire, Devon, Middlesbrough and Huddersfield. The government has said that work is being done to improve the way that burial records are kept and that it will consider the Law Commission’s recommendations for modern, consistent regulation across the system.
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