The majority of graves are bought at the time of a burial, usually through a funeral director, who will purchase the grave on your behalf as part of the funeral arrangements.
Graves may also be bought many years in advance of a burial and often, people purchase Solid Grave Space if they wish to be buried near loved ones or in a particular part of a cemetery.
When you buy a grave, you do not buy the land that the grave occupies; you actually pay for leasing the exclusive Right of Burial for a fixed duration. The person who leases the exclusive Right of Burial is known as the Grantee. The written consent of the Grantee is required by law before any burial can take place in that particular grave, unless it is the Grantee who is to be buried; there is an assumption in law that the Grantee is entitled to be buried in the grave that he or she owns, providing the grave is suitable for further burials. The land itself remains in the ownership of the Council.
Currently, Stockton Borough Council also grants the Right to Erect a Memorial along with the exclusive Right of Burial and for the same duration. This means that the Grantee is also able to control the style and wording of any memorial placed upon the grave, subject to the Council's memorial regulations and the payment of cemetery fees. As with the exclusive Right of Burial, the Grantee must give his or her written consent before any memorial works may take place. The Right to Erect a Memorial, however, carries no assumption in law that the Grantee is entitled to be commemorated upon the memorial, which means that when the Grantee dies, a legal transfer of the ownership of the lease to these Rights must be completed before any further memorial works can be approved.
You do not have to purchase the Exclusive Right of Burial; adult or infant burials may take place in a public or common grave. It should be remembered, however, that the Council may bury unrelated persons in these graves. Memorials may not be placed upon a public grave. The grave will be maintained as a lawn and nothing must be placed on the grave space, although the planting of spring flowering bulbs would be most welcome.
You may find that a family grave has been reserved rather than purchased; traditionally, graves could be reserved for 14 years, but this practice is becoming increasingly rare. In the cemeteries under the care of Stockton Borough Council, it has not been possible to reserve grave spaces since 1969. If you find that a family grave has been reserved, rather than purchased, it may be possible to arrange for a burial to take place, but it will not be possible to place a memorial or add inscriptions to any memorial already present.
For further information on purchasing the Exclusive Right of Burial and the Right to Erect a Memorial, or if you would like a copy of our Rules and Regulations or current Cemetery Fees, please contact the Bereavement Services Section.
