Cremation or Burial

Families often deliberate over whether to have the deceased buried or cremated; indeed, this has been known to cause family disputes. This is because relatively few of us discuss our funeral wishes with our family. Selecting our pre-arranged funeral, of course, leaves no doubt which you prefer.

Cremation cannot occur until the cause of death is established. The crematorium usually requires five forms, signed by the executor or next of kin, the doctor, the crematorium’s medical referee and the funeral director.

After cremation, the ashes of the deceased are given to the family. Again, families are often unsure what to do with these ashes, and you can make your wishes known when you set up your funeral plan. The choices would be to have the ashes scattered in the crematorium’s Garden of Remembrance or in place specified by you, kept by your family, or interred in a grave.

Burial can take place after the funeral director hands the Green Certificate from the Register Office to the cemetery registrar. It is worth being aware of several points if you want to choose this option.

If there is an existing grave, for example a family plot, and there is room for a further interment, this is the simplest option. If a new grave is needed, this can be arranged by the funeral director or with the cemetery directly. However, new graves tend to be costly and there may also be restrictions on the type of memorial or headstone that can be placed on the grave, depending on the church authority.