Human remains in the collection

Human remains hold a unique and important place within museum collections. They have the potential to help us understand our history more deeply through scientific research. They can also hold personal, cultural and spiritual importance for individuals and communities.

We care for the remains of around 27,500 individuals. Many of these remains were donated to us between the late 1800s and mid-1900s. Others were transferred from institutions such as Oxford University, the Royal College of Surgeons of England, the Wellcome Collection and University College London. More than half of the remains in our care come from the British Isles.

These collections continue to have scientific importance, for example by informing our understanding of modern health and diseases. However, we know that some parts of the collection may have complicated or problematic histories, including methods of acquisition that are unacceptable.

We’re committed to maintaining high standards of care and stewardship for the human remains in the collections we care for. We have a dedicated Human Remains Policy that outlines our general principles for the management, care and access to these collections. It also outlines the process for requests for return of human remains.

Care of human remains collections

We consider ethical perspectives in all activities involving human remains. This includes how we care for the collections, how we manage access and how we develop our policies.

All requests to work with the collection are subject to ethical review. To support this, we’re currently working to better understand the human remains in our care and the circumstances in which they were acquired. The aim is to make our ethical review process more efficient, consistent and transparent.

Returning human remains

We understand that there are diverse views on the appropriate custody, care, location and access to human remains.

Since the Human Tissue Act (2004) came into effect, our Trustees have been able to consider requests for the return of remains of individuals who died within the last 1,000 years.

We’ve already returned nearly 600 individuals to their countries or communities of origin, including Australia, New Zealand, Africa and North America. We haven’t refused any requests to return ancestors for which connections have been established with communities and places of origin.

We welcome enquiries from individuals or groups who are considering making a request for the return of remains to a place, community, or country of origin. Formal requests should be made in writing to our Director by a designated representative of the group or organisation making the request. Both informal enquiries and formal requests can be sent to our Human Remains Governance Team. Further information on making a claim can be found in our Human Remains Policy.

All requests are treated with care, sensitivity and accuracy. This includes thorough research to understand the origins of the remains and to ensure that, as far as possible, all relevant remains are identified and that records of connections to places and communities of origin are accurate.