CORPSE (

See also:

• LAT

Lat. corpus, the

See also:

• BODY

body)  , a dead human body . By the common law of England a corpse is not the subject of property nor capable of holding property . It is not therefore larceny to steal a corpse, but any removal of the coffin or grave-cloths is otherwise, such remaining the property of the persons who buried the body . It is a misdemeanour to expose a naked corpse to public view, to prevent the burial of a dead body, or to disinter it without authority; also to bury or otherwise dispose of a dead body on which an inquest ought to be held, without giving notice to a coroner . Anyone who, having the means, neglects to bury a dead body which he is legally bound to bury, is guilty of a misdemeanour, but no one is bound to incur a debt for such a purpose . It is incumbent on the relatives and friends of a deceased person to provide Christian burial for him; failing relatives and friends, the duty devolves upon the parish . No corpse can be attached, taken in execution, arrested or detainedfor debt . See further BODY-SNATCHING, and BURIAL AND BURIAL ACTS .