Purchasing a grave plot
The exclusive rights of burial can be purchased for a full grave plot or a cremation plot for a 30-year period.
It is important to understand this allows people to buy the right to bury within a grave and not to purchase the burial land which remains in North Devon Council's ownership.
By purchasing the exclusive rights of burial it means:
The exclusive rights of burial can be purchased for a full grave plot or a cremation plot for a 30-year period.
It is important to understand this allows people to buy the right to bury within a grave and not to purchase the burial land which remains in North Devon Council's ownership.
By purchasing the exclusive rights of burial it means:
- the grave may not be opened/re-opened for burial or interment of ashes without your permission
- members of a family can be buried together
- a memorial may be fixed on the grave, and only that memorial/alteration to an existing memorial with your permission
Exclusive
rights of burial can be purchased at any time, either prior to a funeral or as a reservation.
Purchases can take place through your chosen funeral director or through the burial officer direct. Please refer to our published charges.
Where possible people can have a choice of graves where prompt response to reserve adjacent plots next to relatives occurs. Thereafter normal booking is limited to strict numerical order assigned to Funeral Directors, due to health and safety excavations over steep gradients.
Legally there can be many owners of the exclusive rights of burial. However this makes things very complicated, as we would not be able to permit the opening of the grave, interment of ashes or the installation of/alteration to an existing memorial without all the owners' permissions.
We would also need to transfer ownership to the correct person(s) following any original owners passing away thus passing ownership on through their will.
Therefore, we would ideally prefer to deal with one person or at the most two people.
Upon the purchase of exclusive rights of burial a deed of grant will be issued for safekeeping. This is a legal document which should be considered in the provision of any current or future will(s), as all applications for future burials, interment of ashes, memorials and alterations to existing memorials will require the signed authorisation of the person who is the holder of the exclusive rights of burial. Further information is contained on the transfer of graves page.
Please Note: As owner of the exclusive rights of burial you are responsible for informing us of any change of name or address. This will ensure burial records are correct and up to date, and should the need arise to contact you in the event of a problem occurring with the grave or any applicable memorial.
If we cannot contact you, we have the right to take whatever action is necessary to rectify the problem.
At the end of the 30-year period families may, at a cost, extend the exclusive rights of burial for a further period and so on for as long as they wish.
Please refer to our published charges.
Unpurchased graves
Unpurchased graves represent the least expensive burial option; all you pay for is the funeral.
The grave itself remains our property however and we may use it to bury other people who want an unpurchased grave.
Please note you will not be allowed to place a memorial on an unpurchased grave and you should not expect to be able to bury another relative in the same grave.
Variety of grave plots available
The following details are based upon the purchase of exclusive rights of burial for new grave plots.
Full grave plots
Double grave: For the provision of a double depth burial, the first burial would take place at 6ft, followed by the grave being re-opened to accommodate the second burial at 5ft. A number of caskets/urns (depending on their size) can then also be buried within the grave.
Single grave: A single depth burial would take place at 5ft. A number of caskets/urns (depending on their size) can then also be buried within the grave.
Cremation plot
Cremation plots 3ft by 3ft can accommodate up to 3 caskets/urns (depending on their size).
Children’s Graves
There is a separate children’s section available within the cemetery.
Our policy is that there is no charge for the burial of a stillborn child or infant up to 2 years of age. A lower burial rate for a child 2 years to 10 years of age applies.
The purchase of exclusive rights of burial is necessary however for all age groups to permit the installation of a memorial.
Scattering of ashes
Ashes can be scattered over an existing family grave or within the woodland wild flower area.
As the scattering of ashes is not a burial, no records are required.
The policy is there is no charge for the scattering of ashes which family or friends scatter themselves.
Please note no memorials are permitted within the woodland wild flower area.
Old family graves
Please note old family graves often have unused capacity within them and which can be an inexpensive option for burial or interment of ashes.
By using unused capacity it will also help us utilise burial space further which will become more and more in short supply.
These graves are often in the older part of the cemetery that some families may find more attractive.
Another benefit of using an old family grave is that existing memorials can be preserved and new inscriptions added.
You will need to check with us however about ownership/transfer of ownership.
Purchases can take place through your chosen funeral director or through the burial officer direct. Please refer to our published charges.
Where possible people can have a choice of graves where prompt response to reserve adjacent plots next to relatives occurs. Thereafter normal booking is limited to strict numerical order assigned to Funeral Directors, due to health and safety excavations over steep gradients.
Legally there can be many owners of the exclusive rights of burial. However this makes things very complicated, as we would not be able to permit the opening of the grave, interment of ashes or the installation of/alteration to an existing memorial without all the owners' permissions.
We would also need to transfer ownership to the correct person(s) following any original owners passing away thus passing ownership on through their will.
Therefore, we would ideally prefer to deal with one person or at the most two people.
Upon the purchase of exclusive rights of burial a deed of grant will be issued for safekeeping. This is a legal document which should be considered in the provision of any current or future will(s), as all applications for future burials, interment of ashes, memorials and alterations to existing memorials will require the signed authorisation of the person who is the holder of the exclusive rights of burial. Further information is contained on the transfer of graves page.
Please Note: As owner of the exclusive rights of burial you are responsible for informing us of any change of name or address. This will ensure burial records are correct and up to date, and should the need arise to contact you in the event of a problem occurring with the grave or any applicable memorial.
If we cannot contact you, we have the right to take whatever action is necessary to rectify the problem.
At the end of the 30-year period families may, at a cost, extend the exclusive rights of burial for a further period and so on for as long as they wish.
Please refer to our published charges.
Unpurchased graves
Unpurchased graves represent the least expensive burial option; all you pay for is the funeral.
The grave itself remains our property however and we may use it to bury other people who want an unpurchased grave.
Please note you will not be allowed to place a memorial on an unpurchased grave and you should not expect to be able to bury another relative in the same grave.
Variety of grave plots available
The following details are based upon the purchase of exclusive rights of burial for new grave plots.
Full grave plots
Double grave: For the provision of a double depth burial, the first burial would take place at 6ft, followed by the grave being re-opened to accommodate the second burial at 5ft. A number of caskets/urns (depending on their size) can then also be buried within the grave.
Single grave: A single depth burial would take place at 5ft. A number of caskets/urns (depending on their size) can then also be buried within the grave.
Cremation plot
Cremation plots 3ft by 3ft can accommodate up to 3 caskets/urns (depending on their size).
Children’s Graves
There is a separate children’s section available within the cemetery.
Our policy is that there is no charge for the burial of a stillborn child or infant up to 2 years of age. A lower burial rate for a child 2 years to 10 years of age applies.
The purchase of exclusive rights of burial is necessary however for all age groups to permit the installation of a memorial.
Scattering of ashes
Ashes can be scattered over an existing family grave or within the woodland wild flower area.
As the scattering of ashes is not a burial, no records are required.
The policy is there is no charge for the scattering of ashes which family or friends scatter themselves.
Please note no memorials are permitted within the woodland wild flower area.
Old family graves
Please note old family graves often have unused capacity within them and which can be an inexpensive option for burial or interment of ashes.
By using unused capacity it will also help us utilise burial space further which will become more and more in short supply.
These graves are often in the older part of the cemetery that some families may find more attractive.
Another benefit of using an old family grave is that existing memorials can be preserved and new inscriptions added.
You will need to check with us however about ownership/transfer of ownership.
