Advice index

Burial

Before someone can be buried, you must have a Medical Certificate signed by a doctor. This is then given to the Registrar of Births and Deaths who keeps it and then issues the certificate for burial.

You should find out if the person has already arranged a grave space in a churchyard or cemetery, by checking their will and looking through their papers. There will be a ‘deed of grant’ which shows that a grave space has been paid for in a cemetery. Most cemeteries are open to all faiths, so you can have most types of service or ceremony. These cemeteries are owned by local councils or private companies, and their fees vary. Some cemeteries and churchyards no longer have any space for new graves.

If you want the burial to be in a churchyard, you can find out from the priest or minister if there is space and who has the right to be buried there.

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