Why do we always bury the dead 6ft under? Provided they are not cremated.?

Answer 1

it's the law---goes back to England in the days of the black plague--they buried these people 6 feet under so as not to infect and spread the disease further

Answer 2

As a former grave digger i can tell you that the 6' 0" under rule is a fallacy. Unless the law has changed in the 30 years since i dug graves the law states that there must be 3' 6" between the level of the ground and the top or lid of the coffin. In those days a single burial was buried at 5', a double at 7', a triple at 9' and so on, 18" - 2' being the normal height at that time of a coffin. Of course if someone had skimped doing an ealier burial a difference of 6" to 1' could be found. I also dug comon graves which went to 26' for multiple paupers burials.
This was in council cemetaries in the London area, other local councils may have slightly different rules as may churchyards.
I am sorry for using imperial measurements as i havent a metric conversion to hand.
Incidentally with regards to topsoil killing germs, i worked on a great many exhumations both on home office orders and private ones (reburials in home areas etc) and we always used overalls, masks, gloves and lots of lime on these jobs to kill any germs , diseases etc prevalent in the soil. Two examples which spring to mind would have been TB and Anthrax which can live in soil. We were always paid two days extra wages tax free in return for signing a form stating we wouldnt claim compensation in the event of contracting any disease from the remains etc. We were'nt so litigation concious in those days.
I hope this answers your question at least in some part. At the very least it should open more debate.

Answer 3

English law once required a burial depth of 6 feet to ensure the corpse didn't spread the plague to the living. Of course, this measure was ineffective as fleas infected with the plague probably spread the disease. Also, few diseases are contracted from contact with dead bodies. The same site gives a rather gruesome description of early cemeteries as being "littered with bones and bits of charnel." Furthermore, shallow graves allowed scavengers (presumably both human and animal) to easily dig up the remains -- which makes a 6-foot-deep burial seem like a decent idea.

Answer 4

It was started back when there was the Black Plague. Either that or cholera (or something equally hideous). Hygiene was a big issue (which makes me think it was due to cholera - any ideas anyone). They had the idea of burying people deeper, to stop infection from the dead.

I would be interested to know if it was indeed because of cholera, or if it was the plague.....

Answer 5

technically, coz the roots of plants cannot go beyond 4-5 feet. so in case an infection, or bacteria is infecting the body, it will not get an outlet, if burried 6 ft under.

also at that depth, the top soil looses its oxygen and kills all life forms naturally.

hope that answers ur query.

Answer 6

I am not sure, but I would think that it is more of a tradition thing than anything. I think I also heard that it is no longer actually 6 feet. But my guess would be that it has something to do with keeping wildlife from bothering the body.

Answer 7

in case of a serious flood the air trapped in the casket would make it float up through the mudd if it got soft enough but they found that 6 ft is usually good enough to keep em down unless noah and his ark come rolling back around

Answer 8

I thought it was to get below the frost line in the earth. I did a quick search, and couldn't find the answer for sure. Great question!

Answer 9

Hygiene

Answer 10

Depending on where you are, some places bury them above the ground.