In England, a Pauper's funeral was a funeral for a pauper paid for under the poor law. The phrase is still sometimes used to describe a funeral paid for by the state when the estate of the deceased person or the relatives of the deceased person do not have sufficient funds to cover the cost. Pauper's funerals—very basic burials at public expense—still exist today for people with insufficient assets.
In Britain, under Section 46 of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984,[1] the local Authority where a body is lying has a duty to fund a funeral if there are no next of kin or family who can be traced, or if once traced they do not have sufficient funds or the inclination to pay for a funeral. As the money is public, the funeral is simple but dignified, usually preceded or followed by cremation. To reduce public expense councils often put out to tender to funeral directors the task of arranging these funerals. Friends and family may attend but have no say in the timing or other arrangements
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