A mass grave containing 303 bodies including hundreds of children and babies has been found in a cemetery in Oldham
The unmarked resting place was discovered in Royton Cemetery and contains the remains of 145 stillborn infants, 128 babies and young children and 29 adults.
A woman from the local area made the horrifying discovery whilst searching for the grave of her twin brothers who died shortly after they were born in 1962.
The woman’s parents were sadly never able to say goodbye to their sons before they were taken away from them.
Shockingly, the 12ft by 12ft plot might not be the only mass grave in the cemetery. With local councillors who helped the unnamed woman make the discovery claiming there could be more in different sections of the cemetery.
It was common practise before the 1980s for stillborn babies use to be taken away from parents without any further detail of where they were buried.
Bereaved parents were instead told by medical staff that their child was buried alongside a ‘nice person’ that same day. However, babies were often instead interred in mass graves.
Over the past 20 years, the mass graves of babies have been found across the UK.
The adults discovered in the grave are likely to be ‘pauper’s burials’ for people whose families could not pay for a proper burial.
Local councillors Maggie Hurley and Jade Hughes released a statement regarding the ‘heartbreaking’ discovery.
The statement said: ‘It’s a stark injustice that parents were denied the fundamental right to bury their babies, a right that should be inherent and unquestionable. This situation should stir our collective sense of fairness and empathy.
‘We cannot change what has happened, but we can ensure that the babies born sleeping are named, recognised, and never forgotten.’
Follow Us on Facebook – @LadunLiadi; Instagram – @LadunLiadi; Twitter – @LadunLiadi; Youtube – @LadunLiadiTV for updates
Too bad