Mass grave in Oldham was one of tens of thousands across country

The discovery of a mass grave containing the bodies of almost 300 stillborn babies in Royton shook Greater Manchester earlier this year.

But new data has revealed the site is tragically one among thousands of similar grave sites across England. 

More than 89,000 stillborn children were buried in communal burial ground across the country, an FOI has revealed.

Of 314 councils only 45 were able to provide data as many of the records are hand-written in ledgers, meaning the actual figure could be much larger. 

The practice was common up until the late 1980s, with parents often kept in the dark and told their loved ones would be buried ‘with a nice person’ in an adult grave. 

Christine, sister to baby Joyce, who passed away two days after birth and was buried in a communal grave in Greenacres Cemetery, responded to the news: “I’m absolutely astonished that it was so widespread and that there are so many other families like ourselves that were misinformed.

"I just think it’s really sad that there are thousands of people out there that still don’t even know that that’s happened to them.

“It’s a horrible thing, to not give people the opportunity to bury their loved ones properly.

"The scale is shocking. It was almost like it was acceptable and it never should have been acceptable.” 

Christine grew up with the grief of her lost sister hanging over the family.

Her parents, Anne and Peter, found Joyce’s final resting site after the mass grave in Royton was discovered. 

They described the ‘horrible feeling’ of discovering they’d been lied to by doctors.

But since discovering their daughter’s grave, they have created a memorial on the site which has provided ‘a lot of peace’ for the whole family.

Responding to the news on LBC, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham said the widespread nature of mass graves for stillborns was a ‘troubling revelation’ for parents who’d already been through ‘traumatic experiences’. 

He added: “We’re working closely with the leader of Oldham Council to start to find out everything that we can find out everything that is possible to find out.

"I think that’s the main thing – having honesty from the authorities about why these graves were there, which organisations were using these sites, giving people as much truth as we can possibly get and then perhaps supporting parents with a permanent location to go to. 

“I think there’s a lot more to come out on this.” 

Oldham council are now working on a memorial to honour the babies in Royton and other cemeteries across the borough.

There will also be a Church service and candlelit vigil this Sunday, December 15 at St Paul’s church, which is open to all.

The council has also launched a hotline for relatives in need of support – on 0161 770 7777 (option 2).

And cemeteries will be suspending charges set by the government for those requesting death certificates for those buried in an unmarked communal grave. 

Anyone who has been charged in the past twelve months can receive a refund by contacting the council Registrars service. 

More information on and contacts for our registrars’ team can be found here

Anyone who is looking to search for a deceased relative in one of Oldham’s cemeteries, including stillborn children, can visit the council website or email the Cemetery Office at Hollinwood on: env.cemeteries@oldham.gov.uk

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