Ethical Concerns When Relocating English Cemeteries

WARNING: THE VIDEO CONTAINS VERY GRAPHIC IMAGES OF THE DEADLink:Victorian Cemetery: Archaeological Finds

I can not stress enough how amazing YOUTUBE is for archaeological research purposes. There are so many fascinating videos that cover current archaeological issues, findings, and events. If you dare to watch the video I have linked, I strongly suggest to explore some of the suggested videos on the side bar. There's one really interesting one that goes beyond the subject matter of this blog regarding Titanic victims
Right, to get to the point, this blog will be devoted to some of the questions archaeologists MUST consider when preparing to excavate a potential site-- particularly a grave site. As a student of archaeology, I am well aware of the numerous benefits that can arise when excavating a cemetery, however, it is important to think about when it is inappropriate to excavate a site.
Growing up on Vancouver Island I have learned many current ethical issues that can arise. Clearly, the people buried in cemeteries belonged to and still belong to a family that cares for them. Whether or not the ancestry of a deceased individual is known current archaeological literature urges to treat the dead with respect and if the ancestry or familial ties are known to make certain the living ancestors are involved in major decisions. This means if living ancestors do not want excavation to occur archaeologists must respect their wishes and find new ways other than excavation of gaining data.
In my exploration of looking up “archaeology of death videos” on you tube, I stumbled upon a very eerie but equally amazing video which deals with the relocation and excavation of an old churchyard in England. In this case excavation had to occur. The churchyard was in dire need of repair, bodies were rising out of the ground and caskets were deteriorating. Obviously, relocation to a new site was needed and excavation was inevitable.
These kings of issue which are faced in England has been discussed often in my Archaeology of Death course, at the Univeristy of Victoria. The issue England faces with many old church yards is space. The English church yard is very much alive in the sense that everything is constantly being moved, altered, and room is constantly being needed for new burials. For very practical and health reasons excavation must occur and when it does the data that can be retrieved from examination of the graves is unfathomable .
In this particular video a Victorian cemetery was excavated in London, with the aim to relocate it to a safer location. In the process of relocation archaeologists took advantage of examining the graves and discovered a vast majority of these individuals had been mummified, appearing as though they were buried within the last decade! The respectable Archaeologists were able to gain information on the diseases the deceased had suffered from, the type of fashions Victorian people wore, causes of death, subsistence patterns... The list went on!!!!!!!!
　
Questions and things to think about for my blog readers:
Knowing the vast benefits of excavating and relocating cemeteries, what are some of the ethical issues archaeologists should consider? Is it appropriate, despite all the archaeological knowledge that can derived from excavation? What is your take on the matter? Should these archaeologist have still examined the deceased when relocating a grave? Are there alternative archaeological methods to obtain similar data results without disturbing peoples’ graves?