Exclusive Rights of Burial
Exclusive rights of burial does not mean you own the actual land. However, it does protect your rights and the owner of the Deed has the right to:
- be buried in the grave, or
- authorise further burials in the grave, if space is available
There is an additional cost involved in purchasing the exlusive rights of burial. If you choose not to purchase the Exclusive Rights of Burial you do not have the right to erect any memorial or leave any mementoes as the council owns the exclusive right of burial.
Your Rights and Responsibilities
All burials must be carried out in accordance with burial law. Whoever signs the Notice of Interment form at the time of the first burial, will become the owner of the exclusive right of burial in the grave. The Deed of Exclusive Right of Burial (EROB) will be sent out soon after the funeral.
The EROB deed is for 30 years and can be renewed every 5 years so that the total of 30 years remains unchanged. Renewing the exclusive right is strongly recommended.Please note there is a fee payable for renewing the deed.
The Deed of an Exclusive Right of Burial is important. Please keep it in a safe place. To ensure continuity of the EROB deed, we recommend that the exclusive right of burial grant is included in any Will to be transferred to next of kin or friend (as appropriate). Ownership can be transferred at any time, please contact the Cemeteries Manager (01730 234285) who will be happy to advise you.
The owner’s signature will be required on any application for future interment, or to erect a memorial – this cannot be done by another family member or friend.
Your Grave
The allocated area for a new grave is 6ft 6ins (198cm) long by 2ft 6in (76cm) wide, which includes the space for you to erect a memorial (maximum 3ft 6” high by 2ft 6” wide).
A cremated remains plot is permitted to have a flat cremation tablet 18” x 14” (portrait style, set flat in the ground).
All memorials must be kept within this space and as a result, you may wish to consider a bored hole in the tablet to allow for a vase for flowers or a small plant in a pot. Any articles placed outside the allocated area will be removed, as space between graves is used for access and must be kept clear.
The following items are not permitted:
- Stones/gravel etc as this may damage grass cutting equipment
- Kerb-sets or fencing of any kind around the grave as this prevents maintenance and can create a trip hazard to others.
- Any glass vases or other items, as they will shatter in frosty conditions and create a hazard to visitors and wild life
- Wind chimes, lights or any other momentoes which will infringe on the peaceful tranquillity of the cemetery.
- Any other momentoes which will deteriorate over time (e.g. beer cans and soft toys)
Personal momentoes placed on graves are at the risk of the EROB deed owner. The council will not be held responsible for any damage caused to such items.
Many plants, due to the depth of their roots may prevent the future reopening of the grave. For this reason we ask grave owners to keep all such planting in pots.
The council reserves the right to remove any items/plants which are outside the allocated space.
After the burial, it will take some time for the soil to settle. Our contractor will, check for settlement, add topsoil where necessary and level it. Once the grave appears to be stable, the contractor will turf/seed the grave – please note some delay may occur if the weather is not suitable.
Restricted Access to your grave
There are times when we will need to excavate the grave at the side or foot of the grave you have purchased, for other burials. Boards will be placed over the grave and it may be difficult for you to visit for a short period. Please be prepared for this and rest assured that after the funeral, the grave is cleared and the area left neat and tidy.