A weird practice when you buy a grave here in the US it is a lifetime purchase. Digging up a grave is considered desecration and disrespecting the dead.
This happens in most of europe. Especially public graveyards. Happens in the us too if you dont pay. Land is more valuable. It's better to move the dead than to plow down trees for a graveyard..... its not like they're being disrespectful.
@@mi5iu491 In my neck of the woods, you buy the plot in 30 year slots, repossessed once the last payment expires. What our american friends dont take into consideration is that some cities in europe have thousands of years of burials, space runs out pretty fast even in relatively young cities only 700 years old or so.
I live in southeast England and my family have owned a burial plot for at least 180 years when a new cemetery was opened after the old 13th century church cemetery became full. Previously we were buried in the crypt/ undercroft of the church going back as far as the mid-1500s or the English Reformation. There are individual graves within the plot and they are all brick-lined with the local red clay bricks. The grave was last opened in 1999 when my parents were buried having died within five months of each other. Legally as ownership now rests with me nobody other than agreed with me can be buried there. I have continued to pay the land rent (called tithe in the UK) for the past 25 years but as I am the last of my family that will cease with me. The plot cannot then be touched for one hundred years. The earth in the cemetery is mostly light gravel with flint nodules and it is very dry but there are lots of tree and shrub roots. Above the grave plots are flat granite slabs the size of the grave. I was born in the village and I hope to die there as I am now 80. It is very comforting to know where you will lie for eternity. Thank you for showing great sympathy to the deceased in your videos.
In the UK, I know if you have a Victorian grave or C of E grave, you own them, then the law changed again. You buy for 100 years, then if family are left, you buy it again then again you get less time each time you buy it under the Reuse of Graves Act
My thoughts exactly. If I had to do this, it would probably take me a week and my hands would be completely covered in blisters by the end. Kudos to you! In all seriousness though, is it common to dig the graves by hand there? Here in the American south (Tennessee, Missississippi, etc) they usually use smaller backhoe machines that dig out the hole in about 30 minutes or so.
In 1998 my grandfather died. All of us family members got together the night before his funeral and dug his grave. The hole we dug as way to big. If I remember correctly it was about 7 feet deep, 6 feet wide, and 10 feet long. We were all reminiscing the good old days and a few beers were had by all of us. Digging at night with only headlights providing light was very therapeutic. Then the next day we filled in the hole. It was funny because people attending commented on the size of the hole!!! Great vid!!!!👍👍👍
That's a great story thanks for sharing! I had holes too small where you scrape the casket whil lowering it and holes collapsing right before the funeral. Did you fill the hole during the funeral or after everybody left? Thanks for watching.
@@carolhutchinson7763 Yes. It was a small cemetery next to the small church he was a member of. He was a Penitente in northern New Mexico. They are sect of the Catholic church that goes back many years. They were a very private group for many years, but have opened up the last few decades. The brothers in the group organized all of us who stayed to dig the grave. It was a great experience for me since I was really close to him.
Years ago as a preacher, we came out one Sunday morning from service, and there was a family hand digging a grave for a departed family member. I had not seen people hand digging a grave since I was a child. I walked out to them and offered to help them, but they just politely thanked me for the offer, and they told me that they appreciated the kindness offered, but “…preacher, this is just something that we have to do.” (Giles County, Tennessee). Funerals and burials are different and private to many people all over the world. Like some commented below, I hate to dig a post hole. The thought of digging a grave just wears me out thinking about the task.
My best friend passed in 1998. Now I know his remains are pretty much dust. I remember all the items everyone put in his casket. Crazy they outlast him.
I was told it all depends on the person doing the embalming. Some people look almost the same as when they died. There are you tube videos about it if u don't believe me.
@@angela-ji1cg it doesn’t have much to do with the embalming. It has to do with the condition where the body is buried. Dry desert like death valley or the swamps of Louisiana.
I can honestly say, I’ve never found watching a man dig a grave so therapeutic before - actually, I’m 53 and I can honestly say, I’ve *never* watched *anybody* dig a grave before. I’ve dug a few holes over the years to bury pets etc, but never watched a man dig a hole. We enter the world through a hole; as a man I’ve spent 35 years trying to get back into many holes, and I’ll leave the world as I arrived, back in a hole. Everyone should watch this at least once - it’s like seeing your final home, unless you’re getting cremated. Nice work! That’s a nice, tidy hole….. deja vu 🤷♂️? I’ve definitely had that thought before……. C’est la vie. 👍
My brother is desperately searching for the grave of our mother who died in Spain In 1963. I just found out that they recycle the grave and throw out the dead person. He is going to be very upset when he realizes that our mother wasn’t even worth the dirt she was buried in. What a strange world we live in.
@@mikesey1 You would be dead and you won't have the ability to care about what will be done with your remains. After all the space is limited and people should be practical. For example, my grandma and grandpa are stacked above her parents. My father is stacked above his mother.
I find decomposition to be fascinating. As you know, some corpses are nothing but bones in just a few weeks. Depending on conditions, other corpses look unchanged after decades.
Americans typically embalm their dead and use very expensive caskets so in the US, you'll sometimes see exhumations take place where the body is still fairly intact after decades under ground.
@@henrikpersson4698 There is a movement towards "natural burials" these days, where the body is left to decompose naturally, without embalming or extensive sealing away. "Dust to dust", etc. While I personally want to be cremated, I figure letting nature take it's course is a good alternative. Feed the trees!!
I’ve always wondered, “why are we trying to preserve a body? Nobody will see them after burial. Eventually they must decompose. So, the only logical reason is that it makes the living feel better. We need to change how we see death and dying. With our environmental emergency, we need to seriously look at natural burials. We need to preserve the earth for the living.
@@kimnoble9434 On a tangent, I saw a video about how coffins/caskets in mausoleums are sometimes propped open a crack to let the air hit the bodies. That way, the bodies can decompose at a decent rate instead of building up pressure, and having that pressure either pop off the marble piece that seals the body or ooze out of the crypts if they do not decompose naturally. So, in other words, from what I understand, most of the remains in mausoleums are not much more than bones.
Why did I find this so fascinating? 🤷🏼♂️ There was nothing about it that was gruesome or scary. It actually felt very peaceful, especially when you were laying in the grave and showing your perspective looking up at the trees. All I felt was calm and peace. I especially appreciated how you treated the woman’s remains with respect and dignity. One should ALWAYS respect the dead.
The guy does this a lot, so he's really used to it. And he does the video from that angle. Other people might act a bit disturbed or disgusted in the video, and so the viewer would get that vibe too. Ultimately its just bones and I've found loads of deer bones and bones of other animals over my local parks. Once all the flesh has rotted away, you're just left with clean bones. I'm not sure if all of her hair would have rotted away to nothing if she had long hair.
It's extremely hard work, that's why I always laugh when I see someone hand dig a large and deep hole in a movie or whatever in no time at all and they're not even tired whatsoever.....just watching this guy makes me tired 🤣
When I was a boy, my grandfather worked for a company that would go in and retrieve per say family heirlooms for relatives. Don't how all that worked, but it gave me shivers when he talked about the things he saw. I guess that people, in a moment of sorrow, send their loved ones away with something pricey. Relatives afterward come along and retrieve it for a price. I'd rather not have it back...just saying
Grabs kids. Rushes over. Grandson is curious, 26 year old son is trying not to fall in with looking. Daughter just scrunches Up face and walks away. No pleasing some people. Please don’t stop your vids! They are amazing! X
Fascinating! I am amazed how quickly we disintegrate (good thing) but plastic just stays forever (not so good). Even the plastic wrapping from the flowers was still there.
I was unfamiliar with the practice of grave recycling till I stumbled on this video. What happens to the old grave stone? It all seems very efficient and economical, but I think I'd prefer to go the cremation route if I knew I was going to be dug up after 20 years.
Here in ireland you buy the burial plot and then own it for ever no digging people up here, we also dig our graves 9ft down so 3 coffins can be interred when the grave is full we concrete over the top so it's never disturbed again it's so sad to see this happening all for the sake of more money
@@ayajparahinog9168 why don't they just extend the cemetery make it bigger or just make a new grave yard within the vicinity that's what's done in ireland
@@celticoceane well if the place or lot is wide and has still enough space to expand then it's okay. Try to google this cemetery(Manila North Cemetery) in my home country. There is no space to expand, and it needs to regulate by decreasing the size of those 100 years old graveyard by cremation and place it in a small jar or something like memorial house.
@oceanelucia So in Ireland they don't worry about being under the frost line (at about 6')? In the US they've started doing "companion plots" where they go down about 10' and they stack 2 deep to stay under the frost line. I do like the cement "cap" over everything, although here they normally put the casket in a concrete "vault" or "rough box" so the caskets will never touch.
Hi ive just come across your channel .i find this so sad that these people ain't left to rest in internal peace this j7st seem very very wrong to me .from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
I believe he was preparing the grave for another body to be placed in there, there something comforting in knowing that love ones are buried together regardless of time, 💕🇳🇿🙏🕊️
We have a friend who does grave digging for the local council he dug my uncles grave and during the service around the grave the vicor noticed a mouse running round in the hole so our friend had to jump in and rescue the mouse 😂 but it made everyone smile on a sad occasion 😊
Plastic is killing the world. It's horrible stuff. It's all our blood streams and is a.huge carcinogen. It's in all our.fish and animals. It's Called microplastics. As handy as it is I wish it wasn't used for all the things like bottles. Need to bring back glass containers.
Wonderfully done and very in depth! You are very respectful in process. It is sad that the earth must be disturbed and really goes to show the reality of death and time. Ashes and dust but hopefully the life and memory of the deceased remain in the hearts of loved ones.
Im a Funeral Director, been in the funeral industry for just over 20 years. You have done a wonderful and professional job here. My father passed away in 1996 as did this dear lady here, this gives me some idea of what dads remains would be like although its very clay where he is buried and on the day of the burial it was raining and already a foot or so of water in the grave bottom as we lowered dad to rest and start his final journey.
Thank you, It's always nice to hear some feedback from the people that actually work with the dead. A lot depends on the type of soil as well but I'm sure that you're aware of that after so many years. All the best to you.
In Germany, there is a "resting time" in which a body may not be dug up. Depending on the community, this is 20 to 30 years, in clay up to 40 years. So I understand that decomposition is slower in clay.
Some time ago, I was visiting my local church yard in Surrey, there was a guy just doing this, recycling a grave which was about ninety years old, he explained exactly what he had done, he said that he had been very respectful of the remains….
Your video educates for those who are struggling to decide on what to have done with their bodies after death. I dont know of a cemetery local to me that does the recycling of grave. As the person purchases there plot and remains there. It doesnt not make sense to recycle a grave. But I would see digging up ones remains as disturbing the peaceful rest of death. But I am learning everyday and grasping perspective as I go. Thank you for sharing.
In Illinois once your buried you are there forever .. even if you want to move a loved one you have to go to court and it's very unlikely you will get an ok to do so .. here you don't disturb the dead final resting place
That's because, in America, we have a lot of land. European countries are old and small. There isn't enough room to give everyone their own grave. You really can't make a comparison. Americans have privileges that a lot of the world doesn't.
In most newer cemeteries in the UK graves can be recycled 75 years after the last burial. It says this in the small print on the cemetery notice boards. I wonder how many people are aware of this? Older cemeteries don't get disturbed unless major infrastructure is planned to go through them (HS2).
@@caerleon87 I don't believe that many people will be aware of the 75 year rule. It's going to happen much more often because we just don't have the space for burials - especially if 350,000 new houses get built every year to house the growing population. We soon won't have the land to grow enough food. We currently produce 46% of what we eat in the UK. The rest is imported.
I have just discovered this channel and I suspect that it will become a firm favourite of mine. This is a secretive industry in this country. We never see the digging, just the hole and the ceremony. There's so much more to it and I am impressed.
It's interesting! What most of the people don't know about & my father used to say 'only undertakers know, it's their job', now visible on UA-cam- & must say it's kind of fascinating & special..
We all die, we know this. But this here is the reality of it and it is fascinating. In no way is it morbid or 'dark'. Maybe not exact, but this is the sort of thing that will happen to each and every one of us at some point in the future. Very nicely done, and obviously respectful. Just a job that needs to be done. Very interesting viewing 🙏
I have the luxury of using a back hoe. Very rarely hand dug. We do use vaults as well. Looks like you don't have room in that cemetery for a machine? Love your channel.
I'm a 5th generation cemetery caretaker and this is very interesting to watch. Ive always thought what would happen if we were to run out of space. I appreciate the care you took in doing this job I know it cant be easy.
I find that hard to believe. If you are, as you say, a 5th generation, then you should already have had at least a basic understanding of how plots are dug and what happens before, during and after a funeral.
@Harkeill You find it hard to believe I work at a cemetery Lol I have more than a basic understanding of what happens. Doesnt mean we all do it the same way haha
My family paid for plots. I'll be damned if someone comes digging around looking for extra space. I'm putting booby traps in my last will and testament.
I new of someone whos body was exhumed in the UK after 20 years and when the coffin was opened the man inside it looked as good as the day he was buried and was wearing a grey suit
@@MartinsGraveyardI am from Long Island, NY. Many years ago, a woman was killed by her husband. They were Jewish, so she was buried right away and buried in a wooden coffin in an out-of-state cemetery. When they disinterred her a few months later, her body was in very good condition bc she was buried in a cool area. The ME found a needle mark on her, and it was discovered that she had been murdered. She wasn't embalmed.
This is crazy to me! I am glad that this is not a practice in my country and I can easily find most of my loved ones back to the 1600s. I am keeping up some of the graves myself.
@@fidelcatsro6948 There are plenty of graves from that era around. I'm not sure why that is so surprising. As for whether or not anything is left inside, that's another story.
The coffin had direct contact with the ground no surprise there was just a skeleton had that not been the case the body probably would have been still recognizable especially if it was embalmed. Thanks for sharing.
It’s interesting how the roots of the trees are there in the grave , it makes me wonder if the soul of the deceased person a part of the surrounding trees now & that is a comforting thought ..
I find your job completely fascinating! Good for you! I understand the limitations of having a full graveyard. New Orleans continues a unique cemetery tradition: unlimited burials in tombs and plots. Shared and removal of the deceased. I love that she was decomposed enough to just leave her!❤
When I went to Tennessee I was walking through mountains stumbling on a old cemetery most caskets were dug up already you could see inside most caskets I’ll never forget
Omg that’s horrible that graves are disturbed like that. That’s great that you didn’t have to take the person out of the grave but so so horrible that it was disturbed in the first place.
In Belgium you pay for a grave for 35 years. If this time is passed you can pay for another 15 years and so on. When the grave is not payed for the old bones are removed and cremated together with other dugout bones. We do have very old graves that are “everlasting “. Before the new burial laws the graves could be bought to be everlasting. These are mostly grave cellars or Monuments. I think they date from before the 1950’s. Our country is Catholic and in principle the religion dictates that the body must remain buried until the day of resurrection. Now however we have fewer cemeteries and also fewer burial plots. Hence the reuse of graves. Also lots of people are cremated nowadays. Here digging up the graves is done by cemetery workers. In Poland undertakers have to work hard and it seems that they are really doing the whole burial by themselves. That deserves respect.
I wouldnt even dare dig a grave knowing there is remains of a dead person,im scared of death and im scared to look at a dead person. I admire you,it takes guts
Good job. I am impressed by youjr speed. I have never buried a human, but I have buried pets and livestock. Experience has taught me that unless I wish to find the remains dug up and scattered about by coyotes or other animals attracted by the odor of decomposing flesh, the grave must be either navel deep (at least) from the carcass top, or covered with a few 80 pound bags of cement. I usually dig alone with a pointed shovel and a pick, so I feel I can be justified in admiring your speed. It usually takes me a day and a half (sometimes longer) before I can place or push the carcass of a Nubian goat or a hog into a finished hole and cover it. Sometimes longer depending on weather and other factors. I suspect that the soil you dig in is not virgin to a shovel helps. Here it is mostly clay soil and of course many roots (which is why I keep the shovel edges sharp or large rocks and buried boulders too. It is annoying to dig down knee deep and hit the top of a boulder possibly bigger than a school bus, but it happens and I will move the hole.. I usually place manageable rocks and boulders in a separate pile. They can be used later as a stone barrier when filling the hole. I also admire the neatness of the straight edges of your holes. I have never been able to get something dug so precisely rectangular by hand. There is almost always some irregularity in mine. Admittedly, some is probably due to my preference for pointed shovels and also I have no motivation to focus on neat holes and just getting something buried before the next heavy rain (can we say 'swimming hole?') or snow fall is usually my focus. I used to shovel dirt along side the hole, then move it back from the edge to prevent collapse as you do. Then I came up with put the dirt in a wheelbarrow straight from the hole, but some holes required multiple wheel barrels. My current method is lay out some wide plastic 10 mil plastic sheets around the hole edge. Then I dump the soil on that. A sheet along side both sides of the hole and one end usually suffices to keep me from having to move the dirt pile back. At the same time, especially if it rains or snows Knowing everything is on the plastic sheet, or in a wheelbarrow makes filling the hole back in go a little faster.And of course nearby turf is not dug up when recovering the hole.
that seems a lot of animals you're burying. I always wondered what happens to dead animal bodies.. are there dedicated cemeteries for animals where you're burying them?
Thanks for showing us your work I wanted to go into the funeral business after the military but after working as an apprentice I knew I wasn't cut out for it. I would like to do what you're doing but the bodies that were like three days olds I couldn't deal with the smells.
I met an embalmer once and she said, the stench from freshly decomposing bodies is so intense, that your entire sense of smell becomes destroyed. so she had zero sense of smell left, if I let off a potent silent fart in front of her - she would not notice
That was fascinating, and I thank you for the miserably hard work you had to do to bring this adventure to us! It reinforces my belief that cremation is the way to go.
I've dug a few graves myself, though I'm unsure who ended up in it. Always loved to dig holes as a kid. I remembered my first contact with a post digger. I'd end up with a hole as deep as the handle and I could jump in and go below and use the post digger to come back out. Back then those holes turned into wilderness shelters. but growing I found out after measuring a casket at a Halloween party that hey... this could fit. 3ft by 8... though not as deep as this. I'd either hit rock or the water table. When the walls held, the deadman's view was the most calming feeling ever. Fear only starts setting in when the walls fell while I was in them. but yes, 4-5 ft deep, its nice and cool down there Where I live now a decent hole isn't possible. I can cut a hole down 5ft in one day, but it doesn't stay dry. during the rain season waters 14" below the surface, its just cave ins and mud
Never dealt with human bodies, but spent a year in the college biology lab as an assistant injecting dye into arteries and veins and disposing of the meat wrecks that were once animals. Carcasses does give me a bit of curiosity. And I dig holes to put them in. I was born in Taiwan, bordered by mountains, full of rock and not very good digging material. Moved to the US when I was 8, 30 years ago. I found the post digger in high school, and found its really good exercise. Wherever there's a need for digging, I volunteered. the water tables the limit in a way for me. Beyond my day job and house duties, my favorite past time away from people is digging holes. foxholes, trenches, a few roomy holes I suppose could double as graves. I'm 6ft4, around 195cm. I've dug holes I could make an angel impression in it before, though the walls have to be shored up with corrugated steel. Its very weird thing for me to say it, when when I'm working on a hole my troubles disappear. all I am thinking of is the dimension, the smell of the dirt, the pain in my back and arms, but no human troubles. its a stress relief. If I was allowed acreage of clay and not the sand we have here and not have to work to bring in money, I'd tunnel in it all day. I can't do the things you do, I wish I can, but my gag reflex prevents me, even for dental work
So, why did you have to dig up this grave if not to bury the original occupant deeper for another burial in the same grave?🤔 Maybe Im missing something
I don't know if I can handle the video, but I found the description fascinating. Thank you! I have a lot of ethical concerns about what my body will do to the environment, and reading about the material of this woman's shirt, the paint on the coffin, etc, made me really think.
It's not very gruesome. There are just few pieces of bone in it and that's it. I think that vaults and embalming are much more harmful than a coat of paint.
@MartinsGraveyard less about gruesome and more about my own anxiety about my mortality and my desire to avoid something that may make me overthink. Lol my big thing about my body in the future is... I know it's likely full of microplastics... and I just want an environmentally forward burial. Not that I'm making arrangements any time soon... lol but I'm leaning towards mushroom composting.
That’s so so sad. 1996 was not long ago at all. I can understand having another family member put inside with the deceased after their death, but why have a stranger moved in? I hope this never happens to my loved ones who are buried in the earth
@@spiralrose i think you see it to emotional (wich I do understand)l But I hardly visit graves of my relatives. After all it's just earth and bones, a materialistic place. The memories are in my head and heart. This video shows we are all the same in the end, with the same destiny so cherish life, your relatives and the people you don't know. We really have a very short life on a very small planet in the immeasurable universe. Seize the day. Peace!
imagine the family was standing right there as you dug the grave up and played with her bones. saying your going to let her rest in peace is decision that had already come and gone long before that.
When your dead your dead makes no difference if your bones are replaced somewhere else you'll never know lol. Brilliant insight Martin. Thank you for your hard work and all you put into your work 👍
But any living family will do, if that was a close relative of mine I would be fuming. After only 28 years she could easily have close family alive still.
My brother-in-law was Greek. When he died there, he was buried the same day. After 5 years it's mandatory in the area for the remains to be exhumed and placed in an ossuary, to make way for more recently departed. My sister, his parents and my nieces were required to attend the exhumation. My sister and nieces in particular found it quite upsetting.
@@TheTwoFingeredBullFrog I can't imagine it myself either. Apparently there were still parts of the suit he wore when he was buried on his remains, and some hair on the scalp. I think I'd have passed out!
@Glen Arnold in my culture we help to prepare our own dead if they die at home. I sat with both of my grandparents when they passed. And walked each of their bodies to the funeral car when they were collected after we took care of them and sat with them for several hours. But the idea of seeing them being dug up is too much even for me, having seen their dead bodies at length...
My cousins used to live next to a cemetery and in the summer played hide and seek in the cemetery. Well one night my one cousin jumped over a tombstone and fell into an open grave that was dug for a funeral the following day lol!
I live in Poland and totally understand the grave-recycling things, since being interested in the funeral industry and cemetary business. It’s nice to see you treat the remains properly, with dignity to the deceased. Today I was cleaning the grave of my gf’s grandpa, who’s been buried a week before. I found a vertebra laying basically under the flowers, at the top of the hill from the ground. Horrifying. When we’re going to put a wooden box, i’m gonna search for another remains and bury them in the same ground, 20-30 cm down. It’s a shame that people treat remains so disrespectful.
Thanks. You should take the remains to the office of the funeral home and demand refund. This is absolutely unacceptable. That's why I sift through every shovelful carefully, to prevent situations like that. They really messed up.
My father died in 2006, and was cremated. He adored his grandfather, so I made arrangements to bury his urn (that I hand built) in his grandfather's grave, who died in 1940. So when my son, brothers and I arrived at the cemetery in Indiana, the crew had a hole dug already but it was too small and too shallow. I luckily had brought a shovel with me so I commenced to deepen and widen the hole. All I remember was thinking "please don't hit bones" as I was digging, but it looks like from your videos that after that many years I was pretty safe in not bringing up any remains. I would have hated for my first meeting with my great grandfather to be seeing pieces of his vertabrae or ribs.
I find your job very interesting. You are very respectful. I don't think we are into recycling graves in the US, but in big cities, graveyards are crowded. I could see it happening. Enjoyed your post.
Why do we spend so much money on caskets and plots if they are going to be dug up and then someone else be buried on top? To me... it's disrespectful 😢
I only realized this too. Screw that, I’ll be cremated instead, no sense in having my family spend thousands more than cremation if this will be the possible outcome
I don't know where this is but in Norway you can have a grave for 10 years. Then the remains are removed and cremated. I don't know if this is still done today but I think it probably is. There are small countries where if this isn't done the whole country would be nothing but graves.
@@carolhutchinson7763in my tiny republic graves are exhumed from plots after 15yrs and remains are collected labelled and placed in smaller concrete vaults
Im all about respect for those who have passed, but we only have so much land. I believe if a grave is over 100 years old, most likely nobody is ever coming to visit that grave because everyone who ever knew that person is gone. From my personal perspective, when im in the ground, if nobody is coming to see me, i dont NEED to be there. That just me.
I'm surprised the caskets aren't entombed in a burial vault. Here in the states, most states require it, as they keep graves from sinking, and keep decomposed bodies from contaminating the ground. Do any of these cemeteries contain a columbarium or mausoleum which house cremated remains?
Most of the graves in Poland are just dug in the ground, without a concrete vault. We have concrete vaults also but they are rare. We cremate over half of the dead and mostly bury the urns under the existing tombstones (in the ground), in the columbariums or in the recycled children graves (the graves are recycled, not the children ;)
Just because we are organic doesn't mean we don't carry potentially toxic chemicals. Organic chemistry.. When someone passes away and isn't discovered for weeks, they're essentially decomposed to the point of a liquid state which is a biohazard if not cleaned properly. I'm not saying what we do in the states is normal, but just because we are organic doesn't automatically make us completely safe when one is in advanced stages of decomposition.
@@SourMlkSea The body doesn't stay a biohazard forever. Everything decomposes into basic compounds. The bacteria etc, that may be harmful;l after death will eventually die off. People have been naturally decomposing for thousands of years with no need to seal them in a vault. Besides, the vault isn't watertight. Concrete is porous.
Loved the respect you show. What I have learned is that plastic does not belong in a grave or coffin. I will see to that in case I have to choose a coffin. Cotton, wood, metal.
Thank you. I am editing a video about how fast the clothes are rotting in the ground. It should be out on friday. I think that you may find it interesting.
My Dad had a cardboard coffin. He'd always said it was a waste of good wood. It wasn't a thing when he used to say it. Nobody knew it was cardboard as it looked just like wood so when they were told they were quite shocked x
So with this being the common practice, why not dig all graves deeper in the first place and lay a plastic tarp over so the next digger will know when to stop digging and not have to exhume any bodies?
![What We Discovered Buried Shocked The Whole World❌ [ Strange Treasure Hunt By Metal Detector ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/69DWIyHfX3k/mqdefault.jpg)
Man, I really need to get off UA-cam for a while…
😂😂😂
@@sdrahcir5054 ok take time and watch aljazeera
Same
lmfao same i found this searching for death metal bands LOL
I watch too much German soldier findings from WW2, this popped up. This grave is only from 96 it should be in a cement tomb
You know you’re bored when u watch a video of someone digging a hole
Most UA-cam trawlers are bored men.
😂😂😂😂❤
Not just a hole 🕳️ a grave 🪦 yikes 😬
@@heartbrokenamerican2195 yea
maybe were dead too watching ourselves were we ever alive at all
I’m honestly impressed with the digging. People don’t realize how much energy it takes to dig a hole.
Yeah, I haven't done it in two years and it's a rough comeback now.
Especially that size and one your own.
@@MartinsGraveyard You Heard Any Weird Sounds In A Graveyard Ever?
Or Heard A Crazy Story?
Do Share.
@@M.Abbas7944 There's too much of them. I don't even pay attention anymore.
Here they use machinery for digging a hole
A weird practice when you buy a grave here in the US it is a lifetime purchase. Digging up a grave is considered desecration and disrespecting the dead.
@kee-sn1du Here in Ontario, Canada; a cemetery plot purchase is forever and ever until judgement day.😀
This happens in most of europe. Especially public graveyards. Happens in the us too if you dont pay. Land is more valuable. It's better to move the dead than to plow down trees for a graveyard..... its not like they're being disrespectful.
@UCWQxFfOJDY4VWznWaPX_78Q Well 100 years is pretty much a lifetime.,
"Lifetime Purchases" are an interesting concept as soon as it comes to the "customer" being a dead person.
@@mi5iu491 In my neck of the woods, you buy the plot in 30 year slots, repossessed once the last payment expires. What our american friends dont take into consideration is that some cities in europe have thousands of years of burials, space runs out pretty fast even in relatively young cities only 700 years old or so.
I live in southeast England and my family have owned a burial plot for at least 180 years when a new cemetery was opened after the old 13th century church cemetery became full. Previously we were buried in the crypt/ undercroft of the church going back as far as the mid-1500s or the English Reformation. There are individual graves within the plot and they are all brick-lined with the local red clay bricks. The grave was last opened in 1999 when my parents were buried having died within five months of each other. Legally as ownership now rests with me nobody other than agreed with me can be buried there. I have continued to pay the land rent (called tithe in the UK) for the past 25 years but as I am the last of my family that will cease with me. The plot cannot then be touched for one hundred years. The earth in the cemetery is mostly light gravel with flint nodules and it is very dry but there are lots of tree and shrub roots. Above the grave plots are flat granite slabs the size of the grave. I was born in the village and I hope to die there as I am now 80. It is very comforting to know where you will lie for eternity. Thank you for showing great sympathy to the deceased in your videos.
this comment is incredible, you seem so sweet
Not very likely
In the UK, I know if you have a Victorian grave or C of E grave, you own them, then the law changed again. You buy for 100 years, then if family are left, you buy it again then again you get less time each time you buy it under the Reuse of Graves Act
Eternity is 100 years?
@@davidjohnson3890 then can you imagine 8 billion people on the planet and growing breeders keep bringing more corpses here for the graves
Man, this guy digs an entire grave...I dread digging a post hole. You are a beast.!!
Roar!
If u can't dig a post hole u better get to the gym
Perfectly square too...
Sam and dean winchester made it look really easy for a long time.
My thoughts exactly. If I had to do this, it would probably take me a week and my hands would be completely covered in blisters by the end. Kudos to you!
In all seriousness though, is it common to dig the graves by hand there? Here in the American south (Tennessee, Missississippi, etc) they usually use smaller backhoe machines that dig out the hole in about 30 minutes or so.
In 1998 my grandfather died. All of us family members got together the night before his funeral and dug his grave. The hole we dug as way to big. If I remember correctly it was about 7 feet deep, 6 feet wide, and 10 feet long. We were all reminiscing the good old days and a few beers were had by all of us. Digging at night with only headlights providing light was very therapeutic. Then the next day we filled in the hole. It was funny because people attending commented on the size of the hole!!! Great vid!!!!👍👍👍
That's a great story thanks for sharing! I had holes too small where you scrape the casket whil lowering it and holes collapsing right before the funeral. Did you fill the hole during the funeral or after everybody left? Thanks for watching.
@@MartinsGraveyard we filled it afterwards. most of the family stayed behind and shoveled a bit.
I guess that would be the thing to do. If nothing else, just to make sure there wasn't anyone down there in a plot yall paid for.
How in the world do you dig your own family member's grave? Was it in a cemetery?
@@carolhutchinson7763 Yes. It was a small cemetery next to the small church he was a member of. He was a Penitente in northern New Mexico. They are sect of the Catholic church that goes back many years. They were a very private group for many years, but have opened up the last few decades. The brothers in the group organized all of us who stayed to dig the grave. It was a great experience for me since I was really close to him.
Years ago as a preacher, we came out one Sunday morning from service, and there was a family hand digging a grave for a departed family member. I had not seen people hand digging a grave since I was a child. I walked out to them and offered to help them, but they just politely thanked me for the offer, and they told me that they appreciated the kindness offered, but “…preacher, this is just something that we have to do.” (Giles County, Tennessee). Funerals and burials are different and private to many people all over the world. Like some commented below, I hate to dig a post hole. The thought of digging a grave just wears me out thinking about the task.
My best friend passed in 1998. Now I know his remains are pretty much dust. I remember all the items everyone put in his casket. Crazy they outlast him.
His body may not be there anymore but the good memories hopefully are. I'm sorry for your loss.
What country? Im America we put coffins in vaults
I was told it all depends on the person doing the embalming. Some people look almost the same as when they died. There are you tube videos about it if u don't believe me.
@@vicvega3614Not every where in the states
@@angela-ji1cg it doesn’t have much to do with the embalming. It has to do with the condition where the body is buried. Dry desert like death valley or the swamps of Louisiana.
I can honestly say, I’ve never found watching a man dig a grave so therapeutic before - actually, I’m 53 and I can honestly say, I’ve *never* watched *anybody* dig a grave before. I’ve dug a few holes over the years to bury pets etc, but never watched a man dig a hole. We enter the world through a hole; as a man I’ve spent 35 years trying to get back into many holes, and I’ll leave the world as I arrived, back in a hole. Everyone should watch this at least once - it’s like seeing your final home, unless you’re getting cremated.
Nice work! That’s a nice, tidy hole….. deja vu 🤷♂️? I’ve definitely had that thought before……. C’est la vie. 👍
Cheeky, but true!
well said!
Holes
We are all about a good hole 😁
I've always said: "men spend 9 months waiting to come out, and the rest of their lives trying to get back in"! 😉😉
My brother is desperately searching for the grave of our mother who died in Spain In 1963. I just found out that they recycle the grave and throw out the dead person. He is going to be very upset when he realizes that our mother wasn’t even worth the dirt she was buried in. What a strange world we live in.
Maybe they buried her underneath the next person, like we do. Check the Spanish funeral regulations. Maybe she's still there.
Unfortunately your mom has been disposed in a common ossuary, where the unclaimed remains are put there, without any recognition marks.
Remind me not to die in Poland or Spain! Second thoughts, I think I will be cremated! 😳
@@mikesey1 You would be dead and you won't have the ability to care about what will be done with your remains. After all the space is limited and people should be practical. For example, my grandma and grandpa are stacked above her parents. My father is stacked above his mother.
@@mikesey1 Why would you care? You will be dead.
I find decomposition to be fascinating. As you know, some corpses are nothing but bones in just a few weeks. Depending on conditions, other corpses look unchanged after decades.
Americans typically embalm their dead and use very expensive caskets so in the US, you'll sometimes see exhumations take place where the body is still fairly intact after decades under ground.
@@henrikpersson4698 There is a movement towards "natural burials" these days, where the body is left to decompose naturally, without embalming or extensive sealing away. "Dust to dust", etc. While I personally want to be cremated, I figure letting nature take it's course is a good alternative. Feed the trees!!
I’ve always wondered, “why are we trying to preserve a body? Nobody will see them after burial. Eventually they must decompose. So, the only logical reason is that it makes the living feel better. We need to change how we see death and dying. With our environmental emergency, we need to seriously look at natural burials. We need to preserve the earth for the living.
@@kimnoble9434 On a tangent, I saw a video about how coffins/caskets in mausoleums are sometimes propped open a crack to let the air hit the bodies. That way, the bodies can decompose at a decent rate instead of building up pressure, and having that pressure either pop off the marble piece that seals the body or ooze out of the crypts if they do not decompose naturally. So, in other words, from what I understand, most of the remains in mausoleums are not much more than bones.
@@kimnoble9434 Embalming gives the family a chance to have a viewing/funeral without the body decomposing so soon.
The way you covered the late face of this person was so beautiful and kind of emotional. Made me think about the meaning of life.
There is a meaning ?
Kedves Liliána! Írtam neked Facén.
The meaning of life is to find the balance in everything that makes your life. Its not rocket science. Lay off the Netflix fix
Memento mori 😅
@@joeblow1748 ain't that the truth?
Why did I find this so fascinating? 🤷🏼♂️ There was nothing about it that was gruesome or scary. It actually felt very peaceful, especially when you were laying in the grave and showing your perspective looking up at the trees. All I felt was calm and peace. I especially appreciated how you treated the woman’s remains with respect and dignity. One should ALWAYS respect the dead.
What a back breaking job. Where's the backhoe?
The guy does this a lot, so he's really used to it. And he does the video from that angle. Other people might act a bit disturbed or disgusted in the video, and so the viewer would get that vibe too. Ultimately its just bones and I've found loads of deer bones and bones of other animals over my local parks. Once all the flesh has rotted away, you're just left with clean bones. I'm not sure if all of her hair would have rotted away to nothing if she had long hair.
This is very physically hard work. My hats off to you bro being as tough as you are. Take care of your self.
It's extremely hard work, that's why I always laugh when I see someone hand dig a large and deep hole in a movie or whatever in no time at all and they're not even tired whatsoever.....just watching this guy makes me tired 🤣
He did that in like 15 minutes too, so insane
Sharpen that shovel.
This is amazing educational stuff for those of us in the USA. Not gruesome at all, very "earthy." An honest days work.
When I was a boy, my grandfather worked for a company that would go in and retrieve per say family heirlooms for relatives. Don't how all that worked, but it gave me shivers when he talked about the things he saw. I guess that people, in a moment of sorrow, send their loved ones away with something pricey. Relatives afterward come along and retrieve it for a price. I'd rather not have it back...just saying
More than likely run of the mill Grave Robbers
You must be in fantastic shape! I dig for 5 minutes & about pass out lol 😆
Grabs kids. Rushes over. Grandson is curious, 26 year old son is trying not to fall in with looking. Daughter just scrunches
Up face and walks away.
No pleasing some people.
Please don’t stop your vids! They are amazing! X
Fascinating! I am amazed how quickly we disintegrate (good thing) but plastic just stays forever (not so good). Even the plastic wrapping from the flowers was still there.
I was unfamiliar with the practice of grave recycling till I stumbled on this video. What happens to the old grave stone?
It all seems very efficient and economical, but I think I'd prefer to go the cremation route if I knew I was going to be dug up after 20 years.
Here in ireland you buy the burial plot and then own it for ever no digging people up here, we also dig our graves 9ft down so 3 coffins can be interred when the grave is full we concrete over the top so it's never disturbed again it's so sad to see this happening all for the sake of more money
Values can and do change. Sad to say.
This is needed for over crowded cemetery.
@@ayajparahinog9168 why don't they just extend the cemetery make it bigger or just make a new grave yard within the vicinity that's what's done in ireland
@@celticoceane well if the place or lot is wide and has still enough space to expand then it's okay.
Try to google this cemetery(Manila North Cemetery) in my home country. There is no space to expand, and it needs to regulate by decreasing the size of those 100 years old graveyard by cremation and place it in a small jar or something like memorial house.
@oceanelucia So in Ireland they don't worry about being under the frost line (at about 6')? In the US they've started doing "companion plots" where they go down about 10' and they stack 2 deep to stay under the frost line. I do like the cement "cap" over everything, although here they normally put the casket in a concrete "vault" or "rough box" so the caskets will never touch.
Hi ive just come across your channel .i find this so sad that these people ain't left to rest in internal peace this j7st seem very very wrong to me .from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺
Yes its crazy even stepping on the remains is disrespectful in our tradition
I believe he was preparing the grave for another body to be placed in there, there something comforting in knowing that love ones are buried together regardless of time, 💕🇳🇿🙏🕊️
@@fidelcatsro6948walking on graves is disrespectful this is not quite the same thing thankfully
We have a friend who does grave digging for the local council he dug my uncles grave and during the service around the grave the vicor noticed a mouse running round in the hole so our friend had to jump in and rescue the mouse 😂 but it made everyone smile on a sad occasion 😊
What a animal friend!!!👍😊🎗️⚰️🐁💕
You work so hard
I can’t believe there is little left of the human body…. But the bloody plastic is still intact!
Plastic is killing the world. It's horrible stuff. It's all our blood streams and is a.huge carcinogen. It's in all our.fish and animals. It's
Called microplastics. As handy as it is I wish it wasn't used for all the things like bottles. Need to bring back glass containers.
I love when you give us the deadman view. Its very peaceful there. Lots of nice trees.
until it goes dark
Watch nde near death experience hell and paradise exists
26 years doesn't seem like long ago to me at all. Our perspectives on time are very relative and subjective.
26 years is like 26 micro seconds in the scale of the universe
It isn't long At all..old is for sure the wrong word..more like recent ..
Seems like a lifetime ago for me probably doesn't help I was born in 96 lol
@@bug3518 lol..I remember it well..the last of the good days
@Bug mate I member 96 like it was 7 years ago serious
Wonderfully done and very in depth! You are very respectful in process. It is sad that the earth must be disturbed and really goes to show the reality of death and time. Ashes and dust but hopefully the life and memory of the deceased remain in the hearts of loved ones.
Yeah very sad…
Very respectful? Like the part where he balances his shovel across the grave and bunny hops into it? Give over.
@@jourdanze He didn't jump from bones OR on bones though.
I shit myself and cried when I saw that. How much did you shit? I had a whole pant loaf
Im a Funeral Director, been in the funeral industry for just over 20 years. You have done a wonderful and professional job here. My father passed away in 1996 as did this dear lady here, this gives me some idea of what dads remains would be like although its very clay where he is buried and on the day of the burial it was raining and already a foot or so of water in the grave bottom as we lowered dad to rest and start his final journey.
Thank you, It's always nice to hear some feedback from the people that actually work with the dead. A lot depends on the type of soil as well but I'm sure that you're aware of that after so many years. All the best to you.
@@michaelvoorhees5978 You're disgusting.
Damnit. Now i want a completely sealed, airtight coffin
In Germany, there is a "resting time" in which a body may not be dug up. Depending on the community, this is 20 to 30 years, in clay up to 40 years. So I understand that decomposition is slower in clay.
@@justinberry3991 there's no such thing as a completely sealed, airtight coffin. They will all leak eventually. You are better off being cremated.
Some time ago, I was visiting my local church yard in Surrey, there was a guy just doing this, recycling a grave which was about ninety years old, he explained exactly what he had done, he said that he had been very respectful of the remains….
The most disturbing thing is the fact that plastic is still lurking around after all that time!
And coffin is made of cheap particle board 😮
Agreed
Your video educates for those who are struggling to decide on what to have done with their bodies after death. I dont know of a cemetery local to me that does the recycling of grave. As the person purchases there plot and remains there. It doesnt not make sense to recycle a grave. But I would see digging up ones remains as disturbing the peaceful rest of death. But I am learning everyday and grasping perspective as I go. Thank you for sharing.
Right? My family paid for our plots. I'm gonna have "booby traps" written up in my last will and testament
In Illinois once your buried you are there forever .. even if you want to move a loved one you have to go to court and it's very unlikely you will get an ok to do so .. here you don't disturb the dead final resting place
That's because, in America, we have a lot of land. European countries are old and small. There isn't enough room to give everyone their own grave. You really can't make a comparison. Americans have privileges that a lot of the world doesn't.
@@David49305 I wasn't making a comparison only stating a fact
@@richardroth4915 As it should be.
Forever is a long time. I guarantee you will not be there forever.
@cyberpleb2472 You can not guarantee anything , you will not be around forever ! In cemetarys, there are graves well over 120 years
In most newer cemeteries in the UK graves can be recycled 75 years after the last burial.
It says this in the small print on the cemetery notice boards.
I wonder how many people are aware of this?
Older cemeteries don't get disturbed unless major infrastructure is planned to go through them (HS2).
@@caerleon87 I don't believe that many people will be aware of the 75 year rule. It's going to happen much more often because we just don't have the space for burials - especially if 350,000 new houses get built every year to house the growing population.
We soon won't have the land to grow enough food. We currently produce 46% of what we eat in the UK. The rest is imported.
Very educational thank you for the woman whos remains were used to explain the process RIP AGAIN
I have just discovered this channel and I suspect that it will become a firm favourite of mine. This is a secretive industry in this country. We never see the digging, just the hole and the ceremony. There's so much more to it and I am impressed.
Thanks for tuning in. I'm working on a new video as we speak. It'll be out next week.
Excellent job!!!! Very well done and is probably the best exhumation video I've watched. You showed a lot of respect to the remains...well done!!!
Thank you!
This is seriously hard physical work and the fact you are doing such long hours is amazing. U don't get paid nearly enough money.
Really interesting insite into your profession, thanks for sharing.👍🏻
It's interesting! What most of the people don't know about & my father used to say 'only undertakers know, it's their job', now visible on UA-cam- & must say it's kind of fascinating & special..
It's nice to know in Poland my ancestors are simply part of the Earth..
Same for mine. I don't know exactly where, but in a place like this.
We all die, we know this. But this here is the reality of it and it is fascinating. In no way is it morbid or 'dark'. Maybe not exact, but this is the sort of thing that will happen to each and every one of us at some point in the future. Very nicely done, and obviously respectful. Just a job that needs to be done. Very interesting viewing 🙏
This hit home for me because my dad died the year after in 1997, its weird to be able to see the state that his remains would be in currently.
Not exactly accurate everywhere, my mom died in 1995, exhumed in 2023, there wasnt much left..only pieces of skull and a long bone😢
I have the luxury of using a back hoe. Very rarely hand dug. We do use vaults as well. Looks like you don't have room in that cemetery for a machine? Love your channel.
mother nature really takes us roots growing in our bodies, it's really returning to our mother
I'm a 5th generation cemetery caretaker and this is very interesting to watch. Ive always thought what would happen if we were to run out of space. I appreciate the care you took in doing this job I know it cant be easy.
I find that hard to believe. If you are, as you say, a 5th generation, then you should already have had at least a basic understanding of how plots are dug and what happens before, during and after a funeral.
@Harkeill You find it hard to believe I work at a cemetery Lol I have more than a basic understanding of what happens. Doesnt mean we all do it the same way haha
My family paid for plots. I'll be damned if someone comes digging around looking for extra space. I'm putting booby traps in my last will and testament.
I new of someone whos body was exhumed in the UK after 20 years and when the coffin was opened the man inside it looked as good as the day he was buried and was wearing a grey suit
He was either embalmed or the conditions in the ground were optimal for natural mummification.
@@MartinsGraveyardI am from Long Island, NY. Many years ago, a woman was killed by her husband. They were Jewish, so she was buried right away and buried in a wooden coffin in an out-of-state cemetery. When they disinterred her a few months later, her body was in very good condition bc she was buried in a cool area. The ME found a needle mark on her, and it was discovered that she had been murdered. She wasn't embalmed.
Though she likely will never know she has a lovely resting place with the shade trees above her
I can only hope to lay in peace without this ever happening
This is crazy to me! I am glad that this is not a practice in my country and I can easily find most of my loved ones back to the 1600s. I am keeping up some of the graves myself.
Louisiana ????
Wow 1600 grave still around? Antarctica?
@@fidelcatsro6948 There are plenty of graves from that era around. I'm not sure why that is so surprising. As for whether or not anything is left inside, that's another story.
All of this digging to just pat her back and let her sleep ❤ you worked super hard !
The coffin had direct contact with the ground no surprise there was just a skeleton had that not been the case the body probably would have been still recognizable especially if it was embalmed. Thanks for sharing.
You are awesome! I found your channel a few years ago and have been looking for it on and off. I found it and I am glad.
It’s interesting how the roots of the trees are there in the grave , it makes me wonder if the soul of the deceased person a part of the surrounding trees now & that is a comforting thought ..
That's a lovely thought!
To hell with that. I now have to renew my will
What a beautiful thought x
Don't eat the fruit!
wonder whether deceased human makes good compost
or perhaps all the accumulated medicines + chemicals spoil it all
I find your job completely fascinating! Good for you! I understand the limitations of having a full graveyard. New Orleans continues a unique cemetery tradition: unlimited burials in tombs and plots. Shared and removal of the deceased. I love that she was decomposed enough to just leave her!❤
Thanks. She was buried deep enough to leave her alone.
When I went to Tennessee I was walking through mountains stumbling on a old cemetery most caskets were dug up already you could see inside most caskets I’ll never forget
Who dug them out?😮
Omg that’s horrible that graves are disturbed like that. That’s great that you didn’t have to take the person out of the grave but so so horrible that it was disturbed in the first place.
I work at a Funeral Home. I am watching this on my break, and I can say he does handle the remains with respect.
[New Subscriber from the US!]
Look at this young man dig! It's his job. This is so cool! Can you imagine the shape this young man has to be in, to do this?!!
In Belgium you pay for a grave for 35 years. If this time is passed you can pay for another 15 years and so on. When the grave is not payed for the old bones are removed and cremated together with other dugout bones. We do have very old graves that are “everlasting “. Before the new burial laws the graves could be bought to be everlasting. These are mostly grave cellars or Monuments. I think they date from before the 1950’s. Our country is Catholic and in principle the religion dictates that the body must remain buried until the day of resurrection. Now however we have fewer cemeteries and also fewer burial plots. Hence the reuse of graves. Also lots of people are cremated nowadays.
Here digging up the graves is done by cemetery workers. In Poland undertakers have to work hard and it seems that they are really doing the whole burial by themselves. That deserves respect.
How dreadful that this poor ladies grave was so disturbed. Terribly sad. May she be resting in peace. ❤
Interesting, never seen this done before. Thanks for sharing.
You are a very Hard worker..and I Have Respect for you...Greetings from the Netherlands..Henk .
Hope you’re paid well to do this work!
I wouldnt even dare dig a grave knowing there is remains of a dead person,im scared of death and im scared to look at a dead person. I admire you,it takes guts
8:14 i was very shocked about the perfect condition of this watch, then i realized you didn’t find it lol
Good job.
I am impressed by youjr speed. I have never buried a human, but I have buried pets and livestock. Experience has taught me that unless I wish to find the remains dug up and scattered about by coyotes or other animals attracted by the odor of decomposing flesh, the grave must be either navel deep (at least) from the carcass top, or covered with a few 80 pound bags of cement. I usually dig alone with a pointed shovel and a pick, so I feel I can be justified in admiring your speed. It usually takes me a day and a half (sometimes longer) before I can place or push the carcass of a Nubian goat or a hog into a finished hole and cover it. Sometimes longer depending on weather and other factors. I suspect that the soil you dig in is not virgin to a shovel helps. Here it is mostly clay soil and of course many roots (which is why I keep the shovel edges sharp or large rocks and buried boulders too. It is annoying to dig down knee deep and hit the top of a boulder possibly bigger than a school bus, but it happens and I will move the hole..
I usually place manageable rocks and boulders in a separate pile. They can be used later as a stone barrier when filling the hole.
I also admire the neatness of the straight edges of your holes. I have never been able to get something dug so precisely rectangular by hand. There is almost always some irregularity in mine. Admittedly, some is probably due to my preference for pointed shovels and also I have no motivation to focus on neat holes and just getting something buried before the next heavy rain (can we say 'swimming hole?') or snow fall is usually my focus.
I used to shovel dirt along side the hole, then move it back from the edge to prevent collapse as you do. Then I came up with put the dirt in a wheelbarrow straight from the hole, but some holes required multiple wheel barrels. My current method is lay out some wide plastic 10 mil plastic sheets around the hole edge. Then I dump the soil on that. A sheet along side both sides of the hole and one end usually suffices to keep me from having to move the dirt pile back. At the same time, especially if it rains or snows Knowing everything is on the plastic sheet, or in a wheelbarrow makes filling the hole back in go a little faster.And of course nearby turf is not dug up when recovering the hole.
that seems a lot of animals you're burying.
I always wondered what happens to dead animal bodies.. are there dedicated cemeteries for animals where you're burying them?
Thanks for showing us your work I wanted to go into the funeral business after the military but after working as an apprentice I knew I wasn't cut out for it. I would like to do what you're doing but the bodies that were like three days olds I couldn't deal with the smells.
You get used to the smell pretty quick.
I met an embalmer once and she said, the stench from freshly decomposing bodies is so intense,
that your entire sense of smell becomes destroyed.
so she had zero sense of smell left,
if I let off a potent silent fart in front of her - she would not notice
That was fascinating, and I thank you for the miserably hard work you had to do to bring this adventure to us! It reinforces my belief that cremation is the way to go.
exactly
Bingo
You have lost the plot
I've dug a few graves myself, though I'm unsure who ended up in it. Always loved to dig holes as a kid. I remembered my first contact with a post digger. I'd end up with a hole as deep as the handle and I could jump in and go below and use the post digger to come back out. Back then those holes turned into wilderness shelters. but growing I found out after measuring a casket at a Halloween party that hey... this could fit. 3ft by 8... though not as deep as this. I'd either hit rock or the water table. When the walls held, the deadman's view was the most calming feeling ever. Fear only starts setting in when the walls fell while I was in them. but yes, 4-5 ft deep, its nice and cool down there
Where I live now a decent hole isn't possible. I can cut a hole down 5ft in one day, but it doesn't stay dry. during the rain season waters 14" below the surface, its just cave ins and mud
Thanks for sharing. Always nice to hear from a fellow gravedigger. Where are you from?
Never dealt with human bodies, but spent a year in the college biology lab as an assistant injecting dye into arteries and veins and disposing of the meat wrecks that were once animals. Carcasses does give me a bit of curiosity. And I dig holes to put them in.
I was born in Taiwan, bordered by mountains, full of rock and not very good digging material. Moved to the US when I was 8, 30 years ago. I found the post digger in high school, and found its really good exercise. Wherever there's a need for digging, I volunteered. the water tables the limit in a way for me. Beyond my day job and house duties, my favorite past time away from people is digging holes. foxholes, trenches, a few roomy holes I suppose could double as graves. I'm 6ft4, around 195cm. I've dug holes I could make an angel impression in it before, though the walls have to be shored up with corrugated steel.
Its very weird thing for me to say it, when when I'm working on a hole my troubles disappear. all I am thinking of is the dimension, the smell of the dirt, the pain in my back and arms, but no human troubles. its a stress relief. If I was allowed acreage of clay and not the sand we have here and not have to work to bring in money, I'd tunnel in it all day. I can't do the things you do, I wish I can, but my gag reflex prevents me, even for dental work
I always joked about having my coffin filled with nails and broken glass. Be careful digging lol
A peaceful spot for the couple who will be there for the rest of time. God Bless them. And you for treating them with such kindness.
So, why did you have to dig up this grave if not to bury the original occupant deeper for another burial in the same grave?🤔 Maybe Im missing something
I am thinking like you my great great grandparents are still where they were placed so glad their remains are in place
This height of hole that he left is perfectly fine for another dead person so he didn't dig it deeper.
I don't know if I can handle the video, but I found the description fascinating. Thank you! I have a lot of ethical concerns about what my body will do to the environment, and reading about the material of this woman's shirt, the paint on the coffin, etc, made me really think.
It's not very gruesome. There are just few pieces of bone in it and that's it. I think that vaults and embalming are much more harmful than a coat of paint.
@MartinsGraveyard less about gruesome and more about my own anxiety about my mortality and my desire to avoid something that may make me overthink. Lol my big thing about my body in the future is... I know it's likely full of microplastics... and I just want an environmentally forward burial. Not that I'm making arrangements any time soon... lol but I'm leaning towards mushroom composting.
That’s so so sad. 1996 was not long ago at all. I can understand having another family member put inside with the deceased after their death, but why have a stranger moved in?
I hope this never happens to my loved ones who are buried in the earth
@@spiralrose i think you see it to emotional (wich I do understand)l But I hardly visit graves of my relatives. After all it's just earth and bones, a materialistic place. The memories are in my head and heart. This video shows we are all the same in the end, with the same destiny so cherish life, your relatives and the people you don't know. We really have a very short life on a very small planet in the immeasurable universe. Seize the day. Peace!
to know that everyone born will end up like this, is humbling yet scary for me.
From "dust to dust " except for Plastic , it is eternal.
imagine the family was standing right there as you dug the grave up and played with her bones. saying your going to let her rest in peace is decision that had already come and gone long before that.
When your dead your dead makes no difference if your bones are replaced somewhere else you'll never know lol. Brilliant insight Martin. Thank you for your hard work and all you put into your work 👍
And you wonder why the native Americans hate you people……..
The Indians would beg to differ
Nope because you are messing with the remains of the undead, once remains are disturbed they awaken from their rest
You will find out
But any living family will do, if that was a close relative of mine I would be fuming. After only 28 years she could easily have close family alive still.
My brother-in-law was Greek. When he died there, he was buried the same day. After 5 years it's mandatory in the area for the remains to be exhumed and placed in an ossuary, to make way for more recently departed. My sister, his parents and my nieces were required to attend the exhumation. My sister and nieces in particular found it quite upsetting.
I understand about keeping green and all but that is truly horrifying.
@@TheTwoFingeredBullFrog I can't imagine it myself either. Apparently there were still parts of the suit he wore when he was buried on his remains, and some hair on the scalp. I think I'd have passed out!
You would think they would offer a legal loop hole to allow the family to just give permission and not be there
@@varidian694 I guess they could have just not gone but there would probably have been a hell of a fall out.
@Glen Arnold in my culture we help to prepare our own dead if they die at home. I sat with both of my grandparents when they passed. And walked each of their bodies to the funeral car when they were collected after we took care of them and sat with them for several hours.
But the idea of seeing them being dug up is too much even for me, having seen their dead bodies at length...
I like the idea of reusing the space. She went back to the earth the way we all should. I wouldn’t mind sharing my space.
Green burials are the best and then the area eventually becomes a wildlife sanctuary
With crows and vultures😂😂
@@fidelcatsro6948 LOL - Nah, deer, many different song birds, lots of trees, etc.
That's a tough job but you're a real pro at it! My respect.
Thank you.
My cousins used to live next to a cemetery and in the summer played hide and seek in the cemetery. Well one night my one cousin jumped over a tombstone and fell into an open grave that was dug for a funeral the following day lol!
Oh my Gosh, did he have nightmares!
I live in Poland and totally understand the grave-recycling things, since being interested in the funeral industry and cemetary business. It’s nice to see you treat the remains properly, with dignity to the deceased. Today I was cleaning the grave of my gf’s grandpa, who’s been buried a week before. I found a vertebra laying basically under the flowers, at the top of the hill from the ground. Horrifying. When we’re going to put a wooden box, i’m gonna search for another remains and bury them in the same ground, 20-30 cm down. It’s a shame that people treat remains so disrespectful.
Thanks. You should take the remains to the office of the funeral home and demand refund. This is absolutely unacceptable. That's why I sift through every shovelful carefully, to prevent situations like that. They really messed up.
I thought machinery was used to dig graves. This man must have some incredible strength to dig through all this shit
Machinery are used on new fresh graves..using them on exhumation could damage remains
My father died in 2006, and was cremated. He adored his grandfather, so I made arrangements to bury his urn (that I hand built) in his grandfather's grave, who died in 1940. So when my son, brothers and I arrived at the cemetery in Indiana, the crew had a hole dug already but it was too small and too shallow. I luckily had brought a shovel with me so I commenced to deepen and widen the hole. All I remember was thinking "please don't hit bones" as I was digging, but it looks like from your videos that after that many years I was pretty safe in not bringing up any remains. I would have hated for my first meeting with my great grandfather to be seeing pieces of his vertabrae or ribs.
Does cemetery notify family of body in grave that they will be dug up and what is done with their head stones?
Yes if that's possible. The old tombstone is destroyed.
Why the old tombstone is not buried with the bones?
“not so pleasant as last time “ he says! Your channel is interesting; I do watch it, but it’s the most bizarre channel out there. New subscriber.😮😮😮
That would creep me out touching the skeleton
Wait till you see Gaza, very sad😢
I find your job very interesting. You are very respectful. I don't think we are into recycling graves in the US, but in big cities, graveyards are crowded. I could see it happening. Enjoyed your post.
Why do we spend so much money on caskets and plots if they are going to be dug up and then someone else be buried on top? To me... it's disrespectful 😢
I only realized this too. Screw that, I’ll be cremated instead, no sense in having my family spend thousands more than cremation if this will be the possible outcome
I'm moving to Poland. This sounds like a great j-o-b!
I guess I don’t understand why this had to be done since they were not going to bury another body,or were they?
I don't know where this is but in Norway you can have a grave for 10 years. Then the remains are removed and cremated. I don't know if this is still done today but I think it probably is. There are small countries where if this isn't done the whole country would be nothing but graves.
@@carolhutchinson7763in my tiny republic graves are exhumed from plots after 15yrs and remains are collected labelled and placed in smaller concrete vaults
I used to back fill graves by hand after the service when I was a kid for fifty bucks. That was a lot of work, digging by hand would be no joke.
So much for "eternal rest". Nothing lasts forever.
Im all about respect for those who have passed, but we only have so much land. I believe if a grave is over 100 years old, most likely nobody is ever coming to visit that grave because everyone who ever knew that person is gone. From my personal perspective, when im in the ground, if nobody is coming to see me, i dont NEED to be there. That just me.
I'm surprised the caskets aren't entombed in a burial vault. Here in the states, most states require it, as they keep graves from sinking, and keep decomposed bodies from contaminating the ground. Do any of these cemeteries contain a columbarium or mausoleum which house cremated remains?
Most of the graves in Poland are just dug in the ground, without a concrete vault. We have concrete vaults also but they are rare. We cremate over half of the dead and mostly bury the urns under the existing tombstones (in the ground), in the columbariums or in the recycled children graves (the graves are recycled, not the children ;)
They don’t embalm there which makes the body not toxic. We are organic - this is natural and normal. What we do in the states is not.
Just because we are organic doesn't mean we don't carry potentially toxic chemicals. Organic chemistry.. When someone passes away and isn't discovered for weeks, they're essentially decomposed to the point of a liquid state which is a biohazard if not cleaned properly. I'm not saying what we do in the states is normal, but just because we are organic doesn't automatically make us completely safe when one is in advanced stages of decomposition.
concrete doesn't keep the body from contamination the soil as concrete is porous
@@SourMlkSea The body doesn't stay a biohazard forever. Everything decomposes into basic compounds. The bacteria etc, that may be harmful;l after death will eventually die off. People have been naturally decomposing for thousands of years with no need to seal them in a vault. Besides, the vault isn't watertight. Concrete is porous.
Loved the respect you show. What I have learned is that plastic does not belong in a grave or coffin. I will see to that in case I have to choose a coffin. Cotton, wood, metal.
Thank you. I am editing a video about how fast the clothes are rotting in the ground. It should be out on friday. I think that you may find it interesting.
My Dad had a cardboard coffin. He'd always said it was a waste of good wood. It wasn't a thing when he used to say it. Nobody knew it was cardboard as it looked just like wood so when they were told they were quite shocked x
@@hazelparr8461 That is great!
So with this being the common practice, why not dig all graves deeper in the first place and lay a plastic tarp over so the next digger will know when to stop digging and not have to exhume any bodies?
Exhumation is done only if the grave rental fee is not paid for another term. As long as rent is paid, the remains are left alone.
World will start doing that as we get more and more and with less and less land..
@@Proud2bmodestso basically you evict someone’s family after 20 years because their “rent” isn’t up to date?