It also discusses cultural practices and legal regulations for modern burial.
How Deep Are Graves?
There is no nationwide rule that says graves must be 6 feet deep.
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Regulations on how deep graves are can vary from state to state and city to city.
For the most part, graves dug today are not 6 feet deep.
The state of New York, for example, lacks a statewide grave-depth rule.
If the body is in a concrete vault, it needs to be just 2 feet below ground.
For single gravesites, roughly 4 feet deep is closer to the norm.
An exception is double- or even triple-depth plots.
In these plots, caskets are “stacked” vertically in the same gravesite.
A single grave in one of these plots might be 7 to 12 feet deep.
Burial depth also may be determined by cultural or religious practice.
Can You Be Buried on Your Own Property?
Technically, there are only three U.S. states that bar home burial: California, Indiana, and Washington.
A few other states will only allow home burial if a funeral director is involved.
Where Did 6 Feet Under Come From?
The idea that graves should always be 6 feet deep has been around for a long time.
There is no agreement about where this idea came from.
Here are a few theories about why people may have decided to bury their dead 6 feet deep.
Some people think this was the origin of the 6-foot standard.
There are a few reasons why this probably isn’t the origin of the 6-foot standard.
Between 1665 and 1666, there were an estimated 100,000 plague victims.
Many were buried in mass graves called “plague pits.”
These graves were sometimes 20 feet deep or more.
The orders also didn’t say in force long.
This is because the outbreak quieted in 1666 after the Great London Fire.
Gravedigger Safety
Some people think 6 feet was just a matter of safety.
Deeper graves might need bracing to prevent cave-ins.
This would be especially true if the soil was sandy.
Average Gravedigger Height
The depth could have also made grave digging easier.
At 6 feet, an average-sized gravedigger could still toss dirt out with a shovel.
He could also get in and out without a ladder.
This was especially true in England and Scotland.
Medical schools in these places needed bodies for anatomical study.
Some people met the demand by digging up fresh corpses.
There was also concern that animals might disturb graves.
Burying a body 6 feet deep may have been a way to stop animals from smelling the decomposing bodies.
A body buried 6 feet deep would also be safe from accidental disturbances like plowing.
To Prevent the Spread of Disease
People have not always understood how diseases spread.
During disease outbreaks, they may have feared that bodies could transmit disease.
Still, this may be one of the reasons why people thought bodies should be buried 6 feet deep.
This rule of thumb has unknown origins.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the average male was 5.48 feet tall.
It’s possible, then, that 6 feet was just a good rule of thumb.
Summary
It’s not clear where the “6 feet under” idea came from.
It might have been for the safety of the gravedigger, or to make grave digging easier.
People may have also believed it would keep bodies from being disturbed or prevent the spread of disease.
In the United States, there are no nationwide rules outlining how deep graves should be.
States usually have their own rules.
Generally speaking, most graves dug today are only about 4 feet deep.
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Miscellaneous provisions relating to cemeteries.
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