Second unmarked mass grave containing stillborn children discovered at Oldham cemetery

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

A second unmarked mass grave containing the bodies of babies has been identified at Royton cemetery. Earlier this year, another grave with stillborn babies and young children was discovered in the eastern side of the cemetery.

The children were linked to a ‘horrific’ practice which saw stillborn children removed from their parents without the chance to say goodbye and buried in communal plots without their parents’ knowledge.

The first grave contains 145 babies, 128 children, and 29 adults. READ MORE: 'This doesn't end here': Honouring the babies who were 'treated like landfill' and buried in mass graves Now a second communal plot located at the northern wall, behind the cemetery chapel, has been confirmed by Oldham Council, though it is unclear how many bodies the plot contains.

The grave was discovered during a candlelit vigil held on Sunday (December 15) to memorialise the children and give relatives a moment to reunite with their loved ones.