Wife to be reunited in death with husband at church near Newport
The way has been paved for a Shropshire wife to be re-united in death with her husband some 24 years after she died.
Irmgard Neate died in 1993. She had been married for 45 years to her husband William, who did not die until May last year.
They met when Mr Neate was serving in Germany shortly after the end of the Second World War.
When Mrs Neate died the family had her cremated according to her wishes and her ashes were buried in an area set aside for cremated remains in St Peter’s church yard at Edgmond, near Newport. Now though Mr Neate has died and his body has been buried in a different part of the church yard.
But the family want their remains to be together. For that to happen Mrs Neate’s ashes which are in an oak casket will have to be exhumed. But the Church of England’s general policy is against exhumation.
In a rare ruling though a Church court which has to approve such matters has agreed to the plan for Mrs Neate’s ashes to be exhumed and re-buried in her husband’s grave so they can be together again.
The normal philosophy of the church is that, unless there are exceptional circumstances, a last resting place must be just that and that the body or ashes cannot be moved once laid to rest.
In this case though Stephen Eyre QC, Chancellor of the Diocese of Lichfield in his role as a judge of the Church of England Consistory Court, has held that the circumstances here are sufficiently exceptional to enable him to allow exhumation. In the majority of cases such requests are refused.
Chancellor Eyre said : “It must always be exceptional for exhumation to be allowed and the Consistory Court must determine whether there are special circumstances justifying the taking of that exceptional course in the particular case.”
But he continued: “The effect of the proposed exhumation and re-interment will be for the remains of Irmgard and William Neate to be in the same grave.
“That would be a family grave containing the remains of both husband and wife.
“The creation of a family grave is a circumstance capable of justifying exhumation in an appropriate case. I am satisfied that this is such a case and that exhumation is justified.”
The plea for Mrs Neate’s exhumation was made to the court by her son, Peter who was backed by his two sisters. Chancellor Eyre said : “I am satisfied that exhumation is appropriate and I have directed the issue of a faculty (permission) authorising the proposed exhumation and re-interment.”
