A

Adjournment
An inquest can be opened and adjourned primarily to establish the identity of the deceased, to receive medical evidence and issue certificates for disposal of the body if allowable by the Coroner
Administrator
A person authorized to deal with the affairs of a person dying intestate by taking out Letters of Administration

B

Bequeathal
The donation of a body for Anatomical Examination
Bier
A moveable or fixed stand on which a coffin is placed

C

Casket
A rectangular container for the body, an alternative to a shaped coffin. A container for cremated remains.
Catafalque
A stand with enclosed sides, usually in a church or crematorium, on which the coffin rests during a funeral service.
Cenotaph
A monument honoring a dead person whose body is elsewhere
Columbarium
The building at the crematorium providing facilities for the deposit of caskets containing cremated remains, being placed in niches, or recesses built into walls.
Committal
The part of the funeral service when the remains are committed to the elements
Common Grave
A grave in a cemetery over which no exclusive right of burial is granted and no memorial is erected.
Coroner
A person in England and Wales who has been appointed by the Crown whose duties include the investigation of all sudden and unexpected deaths, to give permission to remove bodies out of England and Wales and to act for the Crown in respect of Treasure Trove.
Coroner’s Jurisdiction
The area assigned to a particular Coroner in which he acts
Coroner’s Officer
An official appointed to assist the Coroner by reporting the death and associated circumstances to him.
Cortege
The funeral procession of vehicles and people involved in a funeral
Cremated Remains
The remains of a human body following cremation.
Cremation
The disposing of a human body by means of burning and reducing it to ashes
Crematorium
An establishment where only human remains are cremated. Such an institution must be registered and authorized by the Secretary of State
Cremator
The name given to the furnace in which human remains are cremated
Cremulator
A machine at a crematorium that contains either steel or concrete balls which reduces the calcified remains that are left after a cremation into fine ash

D

Death Certificate
Technically there is no such form as the Death Certificate. However “The Medical Certificate of the Cause of Death” and a “Certified Copy of the Entry in the Register of Deaths” are often mistakenly quoted as the Death Certificate
Disbursements
Items paid for by the Funeral Director on behalf of the family to third parties such as clergy and catering. These will be itemized on the funeral account

E

Embalming
(See Preservative Treatment)
Exhumation
The removal of human remains from the place where they are interred

G

Garden of Remembrance
An area set aside in the grounds of a crematorium, cemetery or churchyard for the disposal of cremated remains

H

Hearse
A specially designed vehicle for the conveyance of the coffin

I

Informant
The person responsible for attending at the Registrar’s Office to inform the Registrar of a death
Inquest
An official inquiry by a Coroner into the exact cause of a death
Interment
Burial of a deceased person
Intestacy
The legal term for the situation where no Will has been left by the deceased

M

Medical Referee
The medically qualified official of a crematorium who scrutinises all cremation forms and authorizes cremation
Mortuary
A place where dead bodies are kept prior to being moved by the funeral director

N

Niche
A space in a columbarium or other repository for the retention of cremated remains

P

Pall
An ornamental drape laid over a coffin
Pallbearer
Strictly one of the mourners at a funeral who used to hold up the corners of the pall, but now often applied to one who assists in the carrying of a coffin
Pathologist
A specialist in that facet of medicine which deals with the nature of diseases, their causes and symptoms and who carries out post mortem examinations to discover the cause of death
Post-Mortem
An examination of a body after death to discover the cause of death
Preservative Treatment
A treatment of a dead body consisting fundamentally of arterial injection of a preservative fluid, venous drainage and treatment of the thoracic and abdominal cavities and their contents, in order to preserve the body until the time of committal. Designed to limit the danger of infection and to enable the deceased to be presented as if they are at rest.
Probate
The process by which a Will is legally proven.

R

Registrar
The short title of The Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages who is responsible for the registration of births, deaths and marriages in a particular registration sub district
Repatriation
Term used when a deceased person is transported back to their home country
Requiescat in Pace
Latin for “may he/she rest in peace” (R.I.P.)
Rigor Mortis
Latin for “the stiffness of death”. The name given to the stiffening of the body after death

S

Sarcophagus
A stone coffin usually embellished with inscription
Scatterer
A contrivance for the scattering of cremated remains

T

Treasury Solicitor
Appointed by the Crown to administer estates where the deceased died with no known next of kin

U

Unconsecrated
The term applied to that part of a cemetery or burial ground not consecrated and reserved for Church of England or Roman Catholic Burials
Urn
A container for cremated remains

V

Vault
A brick or stone burial chamber