How a Grave purchase works

How does a Grave purchase work? Who owns the grave?

The land is owned by the Government and the “Holder” purchasing the grave purchases the Right of Burial only in the grave.  

Purchasing a Grave   
All graves are sold with a minimum of two interments.  When buying a grave, one person - usually the purchaser of the grave - is the holder of the “Right of Burial”. This person’s name is then recorded in the cemetery registers, and it is this person the cemetery will require permission from to allow a burial in that grave, or to allow any monumental work on the grave.             

Burying in a Grave         
At the time of opening a grave, the “Holder” or “Grantee” having authority of that grave must sign the interment form for the burial to take place. If the Holder is deceased, then proof of descendency or the Executor of the Estate must prove line of control before the signed interment form will be accepted.

A Will, Death Certificate or signed agreement from all of the identified remaining family may be needed.  This is particularly important if a second person is to be buried and the Grantee or Holder has already died. 

The same procedure applies when burying ashes in a grave.  For each individual grave location a maximum of twenty ashes per grave are permitted to be buried there, thus enabling the gravesite to become a memorial to the entire family. Family are welcome to participate if they wish.

Monumental Construction
No monuments are to be built over a grave that restricts burial access to the grave. The “Grantee” or “Holder” of Right of Burial must seek approval from the Trust before a monument can be erected over a grave or an existing monument can be renovated.
Any contravention of the By-Laws set out under the Necropolis Act for monumental construction may result in any unauthorised monumental work being removed.
For Pauper burials, no monuments can be erected over the graves.

For more information on the Right of Burial click here