From Dust to Ashes : Cremation and the British Way of Death

Seventy per cent of British families now choose cremation for their funerals, a rapid change in traditional death customs. This is the first book to investigate why cremation replaced burial. It examines the political, religious, economic and social reasons behind personal choice and sets them in a European context. This study is doubly timely with the expanding scholarly interest in death studies, and the new media interest in the British way of death. Three Quarters Of Us Now Choose Cremation For Our Funerals. Researched From Original Sources, From Dust To Ashes Is The First Full-length Account Of This Process In Briatin And Analyses The Religious, Political, Economic And Social Reasons Behind Our Individual Choices. The 'victorian Way Of Death' Was Challenged By A Succession Of Reformers. One Such Was Queen Victoria's Surgeon, Sir Henry Thompson, Who Founded The Cremation Society In 1874. Cremation Won Its First Legal Recognition In The Trail Of The Welsh Druid, Dr William Price, In 1884. Despite The Cremation Act 1902, Cremation Was Slow To Win Public Approval, But In The Conditions Of A Twentieth-century Society Twice At War, Cremation Grew Rapidly After 1945. Today, The Cremation Movement Is Responding To New Challenges, Of Which Environmental Concerns Are The Chief. This Book Will Be Fascinating And Authoritative Reading For Social Anthroplogists, Social Historians, Sociologists Of The Family, As Well As Funeral Directors In Training. List Of Abbreviations -- Preface And Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- How The Church Lost Its Monopoly Of Burial, 1820-1852 -- Cremation Legalised, 1852-1884 -- The Early Years Of Cremation, 1884-1914 -- The Development Of Cremation, 1914-1939 -- The Advance Of Cremation: Wartime And Reconstruction, 1939-1952 -- The Popularisation Of Cremation In England, 1952-2000 -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index. Peter C. Jupp. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 205-223) And Index. "[T]his study can be read with benefit both by scholars with historical, sociological or theological interests and by non-specialists interested in how societies change their customs."--Ageing & Society 'This gem of a study focuses on documenting the success of cremation for the disposal of remains in England ... Scholars involved in research on funerals, cremation, or even more broadly, social movements, will find this a most useful tome.' - Kenneth J. Doka, Omega: Journal of Death and Dying In comparison to another book on the History of Cremation: 'With the growing interest in, and study of, death, both of these books will be welcomed by specialists. A broader readership will be better served by the greater historical, sociological and theological scope and sophistication of Jupp's Study.' - Richard Sykes, Journal of Ecclesiastical History "Cremation was slow to win public approval but in the changed conditions of a society twice at war, with the rise of the Labour Party and of the Welfare State, it grew rapidly after 1945 when most of the major interest groups concerned with the disposal of the dead had pronounced in favour of cremation. One hundred crematoria were built in the 1950s and by 1968 more than half the funerals in Britain involved cremation. The cremation movement is now engaged solving the problems of its success in a society increasingly concerned with consumer and environment issues."--Jacket Front Matter....Pages i-xviii Introduction....Pages 1-18 How the Church Lost Its Monopoly of Burial, 1820–1852....Pages 19-45 Cremation Legalised, 1852–1884....Pages 46-69 The Early Years of Cremation, 1884–1914....Pages 70-97 The Development of Cremation, 1914–1939....Pages 98-124 The Advance of Cremation: Wartime and Reconstruction, 1939–1952....Pages 125-155 The Popularisation of Cremation in England, 1952–2000....Pages 156-184 Conclusion....Pages 185-202 Back Matter....Pages 203-232 "In Britain today, seventy per cent of us choose cremation for our funerals. Researched from original resources, From Dust to Ashes is the first full-length account of this enormous change in the British way of death. It analyses the religious, political, economic and social factors that have successfully promoted cremation as an alternative to burial." Investigating why cremation replaced burial amongst the British families, this book examines the political, religious, economic, and social reasons behind personal choice and sets them in a European context