Until the Burial Act of 1857, the reuse of graves had been common but as the cemeteries began to fill up, the eviction of some of their tenants rather more swiftly than was felt to be decent often led to public outrage. The legislation made it illegal for a grave to be disturbed, except when official exhumations were ordered. Interestingly, it was only opening a grave that constituted an offence. It was not against the law to actually steal a dead body – as long as it was naked.
