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Exclusive Right of Burial

Whilst ownership of an Exclusive Right of Burial for a grave does not give any ownership whatsoever in respect of actual land, it does give the owner of the Deed the right to:

  1. Be buried in that grave
  2. Authorise further burial(s) in that grave (where space is available), or the interment or scattering of cremated remains in or over that grave
  3. Erect or place a memorial on that grave subject to the Rules and Regulations of the City Council relating to memorialisation
  4. Have inscriptions/additional inscriptions placed on a memorial on that grave subject to the Rules and Regulations of the City Council relating to this matter
    Possession of a Deed does not necessarily give the person in possession ownership of Exclusive Right of Burial. Where the owner is deceased, subsequent ownership depends upon whether the deceased person left a valid Will. The law concerning this matter can be very complex and it is strongly advised that a Solicitor be consulted to establish new ownership. Ownership of a Deed may also be transferred or assigned by use of a form (Declaration and Application in respect of the transfer of Assignment of an Exclusive Right of Burial) obtainable from a Cemetery Officer
  5. NB. The Deed of Exclusive Right of Burial, like any other Deed, is an important document and should be kept in a safe place
  • (a) On the purchase of the Exclusive Right of Burial in a grave, a Deed of Grant shall be issued to the purchaser whose name shall be registered
  • (b) N.B. The parents of children or stillborn babies buried in the Babies Section at Northern or Southern Cemetery may not purchase the Exclusive Right of Burial
  • (c) The Exclusive Right of Burial shall extend for 50 or 99 years from the date of purchase. The right may be extended for further periods on payment of the fees then applicable
  • (d) The transfer or assignment of a Right of Burial in a grave must be notified to the Wilford Hill Administration team who will enter the transfer in the Register of Grants maintained upon the production of the Deed
  • (e) Where no interment has taken place in a purchased grave the Council may agree to repurchase the grave. In such cases, the Council will pay the original purchase price
  • (f) Notice for the interment or strewing of cremated remains must be accompanied by the Certificate issued by the Crematorium where the cremation took place
  • (g) Persons arranging for burial in a non-private grave acquire no rights other than that of making a single interment in a grave
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