Buying a grave
How do I choose and buy a grave?
We can allocate a grave to you in the cemetery of your choice.
For a fee, we can arrange for you meet a member of the Bereavement Services team in the cemetery..
You will need to complete a form to register as the owner/s of the grave.
You will need to pay the fee to receive the deed of ownership.
You may wish to buy a grave to plan for the future. This can form part of a Pre- Paid Funeral Plan to cover the cost of the grave, the burial and the services of funeral professionals. Or you may wish to buy a burial plot in advance.
Grave information
- graves can accommodate up to 2 coffin burials and 6 to 8 cremated remains caskets
- grave memorials are lawn or traditional style
- cremated Remains graves are available at all of our cemeteries
Graves can be chosen once the burial has been booked. Please make an appointment by contacting us. If you do not contact us we will choose a grave on your behalf. Graves can be purchased for future use at any time by contacting us. Additional graves can be purchased at the time of a burial booking if family members would like to be buried nearby in the future. There is an additional charge for this.
Rights of burial
When you buy a grave in an Isle of Wight Council cemetery, you are buying the 'Exclusive Right of Burial', not the land itself. This right gives you the authority to consent to burials within the grave and to apply for the placing of headstones and memorials upon the grave for a period of 100 years.
Buying a grave in your name automatically gains you the right to be buried in the said grave.
The 'Exclusive Right of Burial' can be registered up to three names. If you are buying a grave for yourself, it can be a good idea to also add the name of the person who will be your executor or dealing with your affairs at the time of your death.
Transferring the Rights of burial
Upon the death of the owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial, the right should be transferred to a new owner to enable any future burials to take place or so new memorials or additional work to existing memorials may be legally carried out.
The right will usually pass down the family line, with the widow/er or all children of the original owner being entitled to this right. However each case has to be looked at on an individual basis in line with the relevant legislation.
The methods of transferring the right varies depending upon individual circumstances. It is considered legal ownership, so the process may involve a solicitor or executor.
Contact Bereavement Services
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