Buying a Burial Plot

This page contains information about buying a burial plot in a council run cemetery. Further information is also available on this site regarding burials on your own land.

Contact Details

Burials and Administration Officer, tel. 01225 776655 ext. 545.

Exclusive right of burial - what it means

An exclusive right of burial can be bought for full graves or spaces for cremated remains. Each right lasts for 40 years and permits the owner to:

• Nominate whose body or ashes may be interred in the space, provided there is enough room. This is subject to a fee being received by West Wiltshire District Council for such interments.
• Erect a headstone or memorial, subject to prior written approval from the Council and payment of the relevant fee (if a stonemason is acting on your behalf, they will make the application for you). The maintenance and repair of memorials is not the Council’s responsibility and you will need to make your own arrangements for future maintenance.
• Bequeath it in a will or transfer it to someone else - however, if ownership of the right is transferred, the Council must be informed in writing.
• Renew the right for a further term of ten years, although the total can not exceed 100 years.

Information about fees and charges for exclusive right of burial.

Other information relevant to the grave

Certain flower containers are not allowed on graves because they can cause a safety hazard to workers and visitors - examples include bell glasses, pot jars, tins and bottles.

The exclusive right of burial relates only to the land identified on your certificate. It does not permit you to place headstones, kerbs, other memorials or other materials on the site without prior permission from the Council.

When new graves are being dug, there may occasionally be a need to place soil on top of adjoining graves. On such occasions, it will be on a very temporary basis and affected graves will be cleared and restored.

For further information, please contact the Burials and Administration Officer, tel. 01225 776655 ext. 545.