Lost or overused: legal, ethical and research imperatives for a centralised human-remains database in the UK

The skeletal remains of almost 25 700 people excavated in the UK between 1869 and 2008 are unaccounted for. Although their existence is recorded in a human-remains database, their current location is unknown. Here, the authors explore the research, legal and ethical implications of this missing heritage, arguing that difficulties in accessing human remains from smaller sites or under-represented regions stifle research into past lives and contribute to the overuse and potential damage of well-known skeletal collections. To combat this, and to safeguard legacy and future collections, the authors (re)advocate the imperative for a centralised database of human remains.