FOI request (FOIR-647645494)

Human remains held by councils

Requested Tue 17 September 2024
Responded Wed 25 September 2024

Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 please provide me with the following information about human remains that are currently held by the council, including in its collections and museums.

To assist you with this request, this information should be recorded in the collections' database, list or inventory. These items are usually, but not always, held in anthropological, ethnographic, cultural and medical collections.

Where there are gaps in your records that limit the information you can provide please explain these in response to the relevant question.

For questions 1, 3, 4 5, 6 and 8, if precise numbers are not available please provide an estimate. If you do not know, or cannot provide an estimate, please say 'unknown'.

Please note that the term 'items' in the questions below refers to individual items of human remains. This includes human bone, skulls, skin, hair, nails, and other body parts, including 'modified' or composite items (which consist of human remains and other materials), as well as 'unmodified' human remains.

Questions:

1. How many individual items of human remains are recorded on a database, list or other overview of the current holdings of the council's collections and museums?

1.1 Does this figure include items on loan to the council's collections and museums? (Please answer yes or no.)

1.2 If it does, how many of these items are loaned to the collection and/or museum?

1.3 Does this figure include items loaned to other institutions? (Please answer yes or no.)

1.4 If it does, how many of these items are on loan to other institutions?

2. Which of the following types of human remains are held in your collections? Please answer yes or no to each:

2.1 Skeletons (whole and partial)

2.2 Bones (whole and fragments)

2.3 Skulls (whole and partial)

2.4 Skin

2.5 Hair and scalps

2.6 Nails

2.7 Other body parts

2.8 Mummified remains

2.9 ‘Modified’ or composite items, such as handmade artefacts that include human remains.

3. According to your records, how many of these items originate from the UK?

3.1 Of these items, how many are clearly evidenced as having come from archaeological excavations in the UK?

4. According to your records, how many of these items originate from outside of the UK?

4.1 Of these items, how many are clearly evidenced as having come from archaeological excavations from outside of the UK?

5. Are there further human remains currently in council's collection(s) that are not currently recorded on a collection database or other inventory? (Please answer yes or no.)

5.1 If so, how many items are not currently in the collection(s) database?

6. How many of the total number of human remains currently held or cared for by the council are clearly recorded as having provenance from specific continents?

Please provide the number of items from:

6.1 Europe

6.2 Asia

6.3 Africa

6.4 North America

6.5 South America

6.6 Oceania

6.7 Continent unknown

7. Has the council or any of its museums/collections ever undertaken a formal or informal review, assessment, audit or review of its current holdings of human remains, and/or of their storage, documentation and provenance? Please answer yes or no.

8. How many requests for the return, restitution or repatriation of human remains have you received from outside of the UK over the past five financial years? Please provide the data for each year and the five year total.

2019-20:

2020-21:

2021-22:

2022-23:

2023-24:

Total:

8.1 How many items have been returned to their country of origin as a result of these requests? Please provide the data for each year and the five year total.

2019-20:

2020-21:

2021-22:

2022-23:

2023-24:

Total:

Response

1. Unknown

1.1 This is not a request for recorded information.

1.2 This is not a request for recorded information.

1.3 This is not a request for recorded information.

1.4 This is not a request for recorded information.

2.1 Skeletons (whole and partial) - YES

2.2 Bones (whole and fragments) - YES

2.3 Skulls (whole and partial) - YES

2.4 Skin - YES

2.5 Hair and scalps - YES

2.6 Nails - NO

2.7 Other body parts - NO

2.8 Mummified remains - YES

2.9 ‘Modified’ or composite items, such as handmade artefacts that include human remains - YES

3. Unknown

3.1 Unknown

4. 5

4.1 Unknown

5. NO

5.1 Not Applicable

6. Unknown

6.1 Europe - Unknown

6.2 Asia

6.3 Africa - 2

6.4 North America - 3

6.5 South America

6.6 Oceania

6.7 Continent - Unknown

7. This is not a request for recorded information.

8.

2019-20: 0

2020-21: 0

2021-22: 0

2022-23: 0

2023-24: 0

Total: 0

8.1

2019-20: Not Applicable

2020-21: Not Applicable

2021-22: Not Applicable

2022-23: Not Applicable

2023-24: Not Applicable