CBA Responds to a Proposal for a New Advisory Panel on Burials

The CBA has responded to a consultation by the Church of England, English Heritage and the Ministry of Justice on the formation of a new Advisory Panel on the archaeology of human burials in England.

It has been proposed that the terms of reference of the existing Advisory Panel on the archaeology of Christian burials be revised to include consideration of the treatment of non-Christian burials and to extend the representation on the Panel accordingly, a move which the CBA would strongly support. Further details of the proposal can be found here.

Dr Gill Chitty, CBA Head of Conservation, said of the proposal:

We recognise that burials from early, non-Christian societies and from other faith communities can be of very significant archaeological research value and public interest. The treatment of human remains, whatever their archaeological context, raises a wide range of religious, ethical, legal and scientific issues on which it will be valuable to have a broad spectrum of advice.

The CBA has also made recommendations about the representative groups who should be on the Advisory Panel. For further details download a copy of our consultation response (PDF | 136KB).

The CBA considers over 50 national consultations a year on strategic policy affecting archaeology in areas as diverse as national planning, Common Agricultural Policy, historic buildings and landscapes, World Heritage Sites, climate change, marine cultural heritage, and portable antiquities. It also comments on new legislation relating to conservation of the historic environment. For a full list of CBA responses and updates, visit the Consultation Responses and Campaign Statements pages.