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Legal Definitions - mortuary
Definition of mortuary
A mortuary refers to a place associated with deceased individuals, encompassing several distinct meanings:
1. A Facility for Preparation and Holding: This is the most common modern understanding. A mortuary is a facility where deceased individuals are temporarily stored, prepared for funeral services, cremation, or burial, and where various post-mortem procedures like embalming may take place. These facilities are often part of a funeral home or a hospital.
- Example 1: After a person passed away at home, their family contacted a local funeral director who arranged for the deceased to be transported to the funeral home's mortuary. Here, the body was prepared for a viewing and subsequent cremation, in accordance with the family's wishes.
Explanation: This example illustrates the mortuary as a facility where a deceased individual is taken for preparation (like embalming or dressing) and temporary holding before final disposition.
- Example 2: Following a tragic accident, the local hospital's mortuary held the deceased's body for several days while authorities completed their investigation and the family made arrangements with a funeral service provider.
Explanation: This demonstrates a mortuary (in this case, a hospital morgue) serving as a temporary storage facility for a deceased individual, often for official purposes or while awaiting family decisions.
- Example 1: After a person passed away at home, their family contacted a local funeral director who arranged for the deceased to be transported to the funeral home's mortuary. Here, the body was prepared for a viewing and subsequent cremation, in accordance with the family's wishes.
2. A Burial Place: Less common in contemporary usage, a mortuary can also refer to a place designated for burial, such as a cemetery, tomb, or mausoleum.
- Example: Historical records sometimes refer to ancient burial grounds, where community leaders were interred, as the tribal mortuary.
Explanation: This example highlights the historical sense of a mortuary as a specific location or ground used for the burial of the dead.
- Example: Historical records sometimes refer to ancient burial grounds, where community leaders were interred, as the tribal mortuary.
3. (Historically) A Customary Gift: In historical contexts, a mortuary could refer to a traditional payment or gift made to a parish church upon a person's death, often intended to settle any outstanding tithes or dues owed by the deceased.
- Example: In medieval England, upon the death of a wealthy landowner, a customary payment, known as a mortuary, was often made to the local parish church, sometimes in the form of the deceased's second-best animal.
Explanation: This illustrates the historical legal meaning of a mortuary as a specific type of customary payment or gift given to the church upon a death, distinct from its modern meaning as a physical location.
- Example: In medieval England, upon the death of a wealthy landowner, a customary payment, known as a mortuary, was often made to the local parish church, sometimes in the form of the deceased's second-best animal.
Simple Definition
A mortuary is primarily a place where dead bodies are prepared for burial or held before interment. It can also refer to a burial place. Historically, the term also described a customary gift left by a deceased person to a parish church for past tithes owed.
