I totally endorse Jeremy's comments, and would made the additional comments as one who works in a county record office in the UK and who is often asked about this topic. Probably the main reason that there is no 'central database' is that there are different types of cemeteries in England and Wales and their records are held by different organisations. To use the county of Surrey as an example, local authorities (e.g. borough councils) are normally responsible for municipal cemeteries, including sections reserved for specific religious groups, and therefore will hold the relevant records. There are also privately-owned cemeteries, such as Brookwood near Woking whose records are held by the cemetery company. (In the case of Brookwood, however, copies of these registers are also held at the county record office). In the case of faith-specific cemeteries, the records are normally in the possession of the relevant religious organisation, such as the United Synagogue. As the ‘established religion’, Anglican churches are required to deposit burial registers over 100 years old with the county record office but, in most cases, these registers do not contain details of grave locations. Consequently, the creation of a central database would be a logistical challenge, to say the least. It’s easy enough to find a registered death but what happens to the body afterwards often remains a mystery! Jill Staines, Middlesex