Public Health Funerals

Public health funerals

Under Section 46 of the 1984 Public Health Act, if somebody dies, and it appears that no suitable arrangements have been made, we have a responsibility to make sure they receive a proper burial.

This usually happens when someone dies with no known blood relatives or has relatives that do not want to or who are unable to be involved. Where possible, the costs of this are recovered from the estate of the deceased.

Frequently asked questions

Public health funerals are the subject of frequent freedom of information requests, and the answers to the most commonly asked questions are as follows:

we do not use solicitors, probate specialists or genealogical companies to trace relatives
we do not have a contract with a designated funeral director
placing notices in newspapers would be arranged by the funeral director
none of these funerals have required a formal notification to the Duchy of Lancaster
none of these funerals have resulted in notification to the Land Registry, as none of the estates have included land or property
due to the infrequent nature of these funerals no individual officer is designated for dealing with these matters

Public health funerals we have carried out

Since January 2010, we have carried out the following Public Health Funerals:

Name: Jonathan Beazer
Date and place of birth: 20/04/1968, Gloucester
Date and place of death: 18/07/2024, 323 Chapel Lane, Coppull, Chorley, PR7 4LY
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Male Unknown
Date and place of birth: Unknown
Date and place of death: 07/12/2023, Pilkington Wood, Horrobin Lane, Chorley
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Stephen Crichton
Date and place of birth: 03/11/1973, Preston
Date and place of death: 18/03/2024, Royal Preston Hospital, Preston
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Frigga Hayes
Date and place of birth: 06/06/1944, Preston
Date and place of death: 04/02/2023, 1 Grisedale Place, Chorley PR7 2JW
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Harold Edward Thomas
Date and place of birth: 31/10/1952, Unknown
Date and place of death: 28/05/2022, 22 Marlbrough Street Chorley PR6 0DT
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Paul William Haggis
Date and place of birth: 04/02/1960, Unknown
Date and place of death: 15/02/2022, 3A St Gregory's Place Chorley
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: William Barry Cross
Date and place of birth: 17/11/1946, Unknown
Date and place of death: 15/02/2022, 127 Greensidde Euxton PR7 6AR
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Jeans Braithwaite
Date and place of birth: 21/05/1937, Chorley
Date and place of death: 30/01/2022
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Jeff Ininahazwe
Date and place of birth: 24/07/1968, Burundi (East Africa)
Date and place of death: 18/10/2021, 17 St Gregory's Place Chorley PR7 3NX
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Colin Sharman
Date and place of birth: 22/10/1938, Preston
Date and place of death: 08/11/2021, 20 Dale View Close Chorley PR7 3QJ
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: James William Large
Date and place of birth: 02/02/1949, Unknown
Date and place of death: 15/12/2020, Croston Park Town Road,Leyland
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: John Terrence simons
Date and place of birth: 27/05/1945, Melton Mowbray Leicestershire
Date and place of death: 19/02/2020, 21A Corporation Street Chorley
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Donald Cooke
Date and place of birth: 01/02/1934, Ardwick, Manchester
Date and place of death: 21/05/2019, Chorley
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Barry Cheetham
Date and place of birth: 07/05/1968, Unknown
Date and place of death: 10/04/2019, Chorley
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Kathleen Burn
Date and place of birth: 09.09.1917, Unknown
Date and place of death: 14.04.2012, Unknown
Value of estate: £0

Name: Andrew Martyn Swarbrick
Date and place of birth: 24/03/1957, Unknown
Date and place of death: 01/03/2017, 110 The Martindales Clayton le Wood Chorley PR6 7TJ
Value of estate: <£1,000

Name: Sylvester John Nickson
Date and place of birth: 23/06/1932, Unknown
Date and place of death: 11/03/2016, 25 Halliwell Court Halliwell Street Chorley PR7 2AX
Value of estate: <£1,000

Name: James Wright
Date and place of birth: 14/09/1977, Unknown
Date and place of death: 23/07/2015, Unknown
Value of estate: <£1,000

Name: Peter Simon Bontiffe
Date and place of birth: 20/01/1962, Unknown
Date and place of death: 10/05/2014, 103A Barn Meadow Bamber Bridge Preston PR5 8EA
Value of estate: <£1,000

Name: Colin Aston
Date and place of birth: 25/04/1944
Date and place of death: 28/02/2014
Value of estate: Unknown

Name: Kristen John Burrows
Date and place of birth: 25/11/1955, Unknown
Date and place of death: 19/05/2013
Value of estate: £0

Name: John Charles Wadsworth
Date and place of birth: 31/12/1932, Unknown
Date and place of death: 20/02/2013
Value of estate: £0

Name: Alan Derbyshire
Date and place of birth: 21/01/1952, Unknown
Date and place of death: Approx 17/11/2010, Unknown
Value of estate: £0

Name: Brian H Whittle
Date and place of birth: 15/01/1951, Unknown
Date and place of death: 31/08/2010, Unknown
Value of estate: £20,000

Name: Ian Derek Kewley
Date and place of birth: 04/11/1940, Unknown
Date and place of death: 08/10/2010, Unknown
Value of estate: £15.00