Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums
This document provides guidance for museums and other institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that hold human remains in permanent collections.
Applies to England, Northern Ireland and Wales
Documents
Details
This document provides guidance for museums and other institutions in England, Wales and Northern Ireland that hold human remains in permanent collections. It was also issued in support of Section 47 of the Human Tissue Act 2004 that allows nine named national museums to de-accession human remains under 1000 years old. The guidance is divided into three parts: Part 1 gives a legal and ethical framework for the treatment of human remains; Part 2 deals with the curation, care and use of remains; Part 3 provides a framework for handling claims for the return of remains.
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is currently doing a formal review of the Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums. The review will be chaired by Baroness Black of Strome.
The review is scheduled to end in 12 months, with the updated guidance expected to be published in Autumn 2027.
Further information about the review will be posted here.
For any questions please contact the Cultural Property team at humanremainsguidance@dcms.gov.uk.
Updates to this page
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Replaced PDF with a HTML version of the Guidance for the Care of Human Remains in Museums so it can be updated more easily. Also included a callout statement that a formal review of the guidance is underway and new guidance published late 2027.
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First published.