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 Delliefure 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.

We don’t offer funeral services, but both family-organised funerals and professional services are welcome.

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.

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 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 stones are not permitted on graves, in order to preserve the character of the meadow areas at Delliefure as an open grassland environment, the way you see them now. But you can purchase a memorial plaque, or rights to place a memorial stone within the woodland. Please read the terms and conditions for placing a stone in the woodland before applying.

Memorial plaques

Inside the burial ground, we have recently built a solid chestnut-framed memorial panel where Caithness 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 local materials and constructed the panel to withstand the test of time and weather.

If you would like to order a memorial plaque for the memorial panel, please go to the forms and prices page and download the relevant form.

Memorial Rights

The 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.

Leaving flowers and mementoes

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.