Friends of the late Huddersfield eccentric Jake Mangle-Wurzel have been left "sickened" after he was left with an unmarked grave. A year on since Jake's body was exhumed from his former garden in Salendine Nook and reburied, there is nothing to mark his final resting place. There is no headstone, plaque or marker, just an unmarked grave at Hey Lane Cemetery, near Castle Hill, Huddersfield, Yorkshire Live reports.
Friend's Sadness Over Lack of Headstone
Former Almondbury councillor Bernard McGuin, who knew Jake for many years and was a friend, said it appeared that whoever inherited Jake's estate hadn't provided a gravestone. He feels "saddened that he has been let down so badly" but said it was "typical of Jake to leave a mess for others to sort out" and that he would "love the hoo-ha going on about it."
Bernard said he would like to see Jake's final resting place acknowledged, and he is willing to make a contribution towards a headstone if others come forward.
Funeral Director's Statement
Debbie Ingham, of Deborah Ingham Funeral Service, who conducted Jake's 2021 funeral, said she - and others - had been left "sickened" by the way Jake had been treated following his death. Jake died in August 2021 at the age of 83. He was buried at his Peat Ponds home but was later exhumed, moved and reburied.
In a statement, she said: "We were unaware that Jake was going to be exhumed, had we been made aware we would have arranged him to be reinterred at his second choice of burial place. He had paid for and even had dug a grave at Pole Moor cemetery and expressed to be buried there if not able to be buried at home.
"The first we knew about him being moved was when it was brought to our attention that he had gone. We looked into where he was and eventually was told that he had been moved to Hey Lane.
"We have no idea who actually purchased the grave and they are the only ones able to place a stone on there. In view of the way he was removed we doubt very much that a stone will be placed there as a memorial. We are unable to do it as we don't own the grave."
Wishes Expressed Before Death
Debbie said it was "a shame" there is no headstone for Jake at Hey Lane cemetery. "It's not what he wanted and was all done very quietly. Unfortunately we don't know who is responsible or who the owners of the grave are and i don't think the Cemeteries Office will be able to give that information out."
She added: "Jake had expressed his wishes clearly to me over a period of several years. He approached me again when he was told he was terminal and told me about his second choice. I went up to Pole Moor and found the grave he had purchased.
"It has totally sickened me and a lot of other people about the way he was treated. I can't afford a headstone but would be happy to put a grave marker on it if I was allowed to but at the moment I'm not."
Our sister site, Yorkshire Live, approached Kirklees Council for information about the current situation with Jake's grave and friends' desire for a headstone. A spokesman said that if Jake’s friends and family would like to contact Kirklees at bereavement.services@kirklees.gov.uk "the team would be happy to pass on a message and their contact details to the current owner of the grave."
