A gentle alternative

Unhurried, tranquil, and private, the burial ground offers a gentle alternative to a traditional cemetery or crematorium. There is space and time to create your own bespoke ceremony within the ethos of the natural burial ground.

Professional funeral directors are there to support you and help you achieve what you want to do. A good funeral director will provide the help and support you need when you need it. If you wish to do as much as you can yourselves, there is no legal requirement in the UK to use a funeral director.

Both family-organised funerals and professional services are welcome. We don’t provide funeral services ourselves but do offer a lot of advice and suggestions.

Coffins and embalming

Coffins should be made from and lined with natural, biodegradable materials. No plastics, MDF or chipboard should be used.

We can’t accept embalmed bodies for burial unless there are exceptional circumstances. Cremated remains contain no residue from embalming chemicals and can therefore be interred in the meadow.

Plots

You can choose a plot for a natural burial, or find a place in the meadow to inter cremated remains.

Graves are unmarked, but they are laid out in a grid pattern and we record the location and measurements from survey points. We provide these and other coordinates so you can easily share the location. If you struggle, we can flag the spot for you.

Read more about finding the spot.

Double plots

Burial and interment plots are single-depth, and double-plots are side-by-side.

In woodland areas, developing tree roots and canopy prevent new graves from being dug next to older ones, but we will offer the closest possible arrangement when the time comes.

Alternatively, cremated remains can be included in a coffin burial or combined in one ashes plot at the time of interment.

Memorials

It’s important to commemorate the names of the dead and when they lived.

The burial ground meadow will remain as a natural environment, the way you see it now. Unlike a conventional cemetery, there will not be rows of memorial stones, benches, vases of flowers or mementos, which would alter the special natural quality of the meadow.

Memorial plaques

Inside the wildlife area to the left of the entrance is a solid chestnut-framed memorial panel where slate plaques are mounted. Each plaque is inscribed with the name, year of birth and year of death of those buried here.

We have selected the materials and construction to withstand the test of time and weather. For many, it is important to have the name of the person written and recorded, especially as there are no markers on the individual graves in the natural burial ground.

If you would like to order one please go to the forms and prices page and download a memorial application form and send it to us.

Memorial rights

Memorial rights are granted for the display of a memorial plaque in the frame. Rights last for a period of 25 years after which they are renewable. The renewal of memorial rights in the future will provide an important contribution to the upkeep of the frame and other maintenance at the burial ground after income from the sale of rights of burial has ceased.

Memorial Tree Planting

Native tree planting at the natural burial ground will create a new area of woodland, improving biodiversity and encouraging wildlife to visit.

There are two options for planting individual trees at the burial ground:-

1. In a small number of positions inside the burial meadow itself, close to the edges, where robust cages guard these new trees against being nibbled by livestock
2. Within the copse area at the western corner (bottom right of the burial ground) where trees can be guarded by a much simpler tree-tube guard and stake.

In each case, a horticultural ‘tree label’ is displayed at the base of the tree. Tree labels will be displayed for an initial period of ten years (due to the projected lifespan of the materials), and you will have the option to renew/extend the periods at the end of this term.
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If you would like to dedicate a tree in memory of somebody please go to the forms and prices page and download a Tree For Life application form and send it to us.

Leaving flowers and mementos

Because these are natural places, any flowers you place on the site will need to be native, indigenous species that will not harm grazing animals or invade habitats. We, therefore, ask that nothing is planted or placed on the grave unless it is run by the custodian and has our consent. Anything that appears without our consent will be removed.

Please make sure this is right for you before you commit to the burial ground. It may not suit everyone but it is important to those who choose our burial grounds for their unspoilt, natural character.

Wild Flowers

Native wildflower seeds may be scattered on the grave and the surrounding area after the burial. However, animals do graze within the field so please be aware these may be nibbled by our local woolly residents when they graze.

In the meadow native wildflower seeds may be scattered on the grave and the surrounding area after the burial. The mix should be chosen to suit the clay sub-soil.

A typical mix would comprise:

• Birdsfoot Trefoil (Lotus Corniculatus)
• Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas)
• Cowslip (Primula veris)
• Field Scabious (knautia arvensis)
• Lady’s Bedstraw (Galium Verum)
• Lesser knapweed (centaurea nigra)
• Meadow buttercup (ranunculus acris)
• Musk Mallow (Malva Moschata)
• Ox eye daisy (leucanthemum vulgare)
• Ragged robin (lychnis flos cuculi)
• Red campion (Silene Dioica)
• Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
• Salad burnet (sanguisorba minor)
• Self heal (Prunella vulgaris)
• Sorrel (rumex acetosa)
• White campion (Silene Alba)
• Wild carrot (Daucus Carota)
• Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium)
• Yellow Rattle (Rhinanthus minor).​

Native species are not easily found at the garden centre but can be ordered from specialist nurseries.