Why do we use a container?

The coffin or shroud is used to cover, store, protect and transport the body. There is usually little risk to health when handling a dead body, but three to six days after death fluid will start to drain from the body.

What are the legalities?

In the UK 'it is an offence to expose a dead body near a public highway as this would outrage public decency', so some form of covering is required by the Births and Deaths Registration Act of 1926 when transporting bodies.

Are containers always used?

Coffins or shrouds are not always used in mass burials. There are many cultures where bodies are left to decompose, sometimes wrapped in textiles or contained in jars, before they are placed in their final containers.

Do coffins have to be used in a cremation?

In the UK, the only specification is a container with no metal parts. A simple cardboard coffin and certain types of shroud can be used.

What other types of container are there?

Between 1,500-1,000 years ago, the Vikings and Anglo-Saxons buried people of high status on the deck of their ships. Chariot burials have also been known across the world for thousands of years.