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Finding a resting place for your loved one

Following on from enquiries to the Parish Council, please find below some useful information into local facilities for burials & cremations.

 

In most cases your Funeral Director can advise and help with enquiries, however the following information may be useful.

St Luke & All Saints Church Graveyard

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Currently there are no available burial plots in the church graveyard (unless you have an existing family plot with available space). However, Rev Judd has confirmed that cremation plots are available, with plans to extend the current cremation area to allow this option to continue to be available to residents of the parish.

 

The operation of Church of England cemeteries is governed by various ecclesiastical measures, although the law relating to churchyards is mostly contained in common law.

Local Authority Cemeteries

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Wakefield Council operate a total of 19 cemeteries around the district, with the nearest ones to Darrington being at Pontefract, Knottingley & Ferrybridge.

 

Currently there is no option to pre-purchase plots in any of the council's cemeteries. But as the need arises, purchase of a burial/cremation plots through the Local Authority provides you with a “right of burial” for 100 years. It is a general standard that Wakefield Local Authority provide burial plots which are suitable to be dug to the required, 7ft 6inches for 3 persons.

 

On purchase of a plot, you become the holder of a “Rights of Burial”. The person who holds the Right of Burial can organise the grave to be reopened for further burials or for headstones, memorials to be erected in relation to the grave space.

 

If you think you should have access to an existing family plot with spaces for further burials/cremations, where the person who owns the “right to Burial” has also passed away, it may be feasible; on provision of evidence and payment of a fee to Wakefield Council to take over the ownership of said plot.

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The legislation relating to the operation of Local Authority controlled cemeteries are laid down in the Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977 (LACO), as amended.

A Private Cemetery

Private cemeteries do not necessarily follow the same guidance as Local Authority run cemeteries, so pre-purchase checks on exactly what is being purchased can be useful. It is worth confirming:-

 

  1. The length of time of “right to burial” as some only offer varying lengths, such as 50 or 100 years.

  2. The standard depth of a burial plot, as not all private cemeteries offer the required depth for 2/3-person burial plot as a standard. (Required grave depth for 3 person is 7ft 6”, and 6ft for 2 person).

  3.  The actual ownership of the land the graveyard sits on, as this is not necessarily the company facilitating the plot sale.

 

The overall responsibility for burial legislation in a private cemetery lies with the Ministry of Justice. Local authorities do not have any liabilities, responsibilities, or jurisdiction in their running.

For more information, please see https://www.wakefield.gov.uk/births-marriages-deaths/deaths/burial-cremation/buying-a-grave

 

Bereavement Services                                                                          Email  :   bereavementservices@wakefield.gov.uk

Block B, Town Hall, NORMANTON, WF6 2DZ                                 Tel        :   01924 307446       
 

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