A shocking discovery has been made at Royton Cemetery, with the unearthing of a mass grave containing over 300 bodies, the majority of which are believed to be babies and young children, Sky News reports.
The grave, measuring 12x12ft, was discovered by a woman searching for her two brothers, one stillborn and the other who died within five hours of birth in 1962.
According to local councillors Maggie Hurley and Jade Hughes, the grave contains the remains of 146 stillborn babies and 128 babies and young children. This discovery has raised concerns about the treatment of stillborn babies and babies who died shortly after birth in the past.
Until the mid-1980s, it was common practice for stillborn babies to be taken from families without their consent, leaving parents unaware of their child’s final resting place. This practice, according to stillbirth and neonatal death charity Sands, stemmed from a societal belief that it was best to “carry on as though nothing had happened.”
The woman who discovered the grave is said to be “in tears” and experiencing a “profound sense of loss and injustice” following the discovery.
This is not the only mass grave of its kind in Royton Cemetery, with three other graves of a similar size located within the grounds. Of the 303 bodies found, only 147 had names recorded online, highlighting a significant lack of information surrounding the burial of these infants.
This discovery echoes a similar case in 2022 where Gina Jacobs found her son, who was stillborn in 1969, in a mass grave at a cemetery in Wirral. Ms. Jacobs has expressed her support for the woman who discovered the Oldham grave, stating she is “working tirelessly to get justice and recognition for our babies and born sleeping siblings.”
