Burial

Many families choose burial because of personal preference, family tradition or religious reasons. Some people also like the idea of having a permanent place where they can go to lay flowers and be close  to their loved one.

If burial is your preferred option and you do not already own an existing grave, your main decision is which cemetery to choose. Please be aware that not all cemeteries in our local area have room for further burials.

Please contact us if you would like more information about a specific cemetery.

Further Information

Local Authority Cemeteries

Many cemeteries are owned and managed by the relevant local authorities in that area. The availability of grave spaces is regulated by the council who run the cemetery and some may operate a resident/ non-resident system of charging for the purchase of a grave and the cost of opening up ground for a burial. This system of resident / non-resident does not operate in Edinburgh.

When arranging a burial in an existing grave, we need to establish who is the legal owner of the grave – either by production of the Certificate of Right of Burial (Title Deed) or a search of cemetery records. To search the records, we will need the details of any person who is in the grave and the dates of their burial. Some local authorities insist that, where the grave owner is deceased, the grave is legally transferred into the ownership of the person arranging the funeral and there is usually a charge to do this. The grave also needs to be checked to ensure there is enough room for a further burial.

Your funeral director or arranger can advise you of the procedures required.

Churchyards

There are still a number of small Churchyards within our area where burials can take place.

The regulations relating to Churchyards, in most cases, will come under the jurisdiction of the relevant local authority and will therefore follow the same procedures outlined above.

Woodland or Natural or Green Burial Grounds

These have become popular for those who care about their natural environment and would like to minimise the environmental impact of their funeral. Funerals that take place in these types of burial grounds are sometimes referred to as Green Funerals.

There are a number of woodland/natural/green burial grounds available throughout Scotland. Some are privately owned and managed, whilst others form part of a traditional local authority cemetery.

For more information about woodland/natural/green burials, speak to your Funeral Director, Funeral Arranger, click here or click on the links below:

Binning Memorial Woodland, Tyninghame, East Lothian
Hundy Mundy Woodland Burial Ground, Girrick, Kelso
Cairnbrae Natural Burial Ground, Kellas, Dundee, Angus
Clovery Woods of Rest, Turriff, Aberdeenshire
Craufurdland Woods, Ayrshire

Doing things for others is such a special art, and it deserves a “thank you” directly from the heart. Thank you so much for making things easier for us over the past few weeks. We really appreciate your help, kindness and guidance.

June McCulloch & Jean Rankin