10 Tips for Burial on Private Land

FUNERAL PLANNING...

In the UK it is not necessary to be buried at a local authority facility. Really?
That’s right. But so few such funeral ceremonies are carried out in the UK as it’s not widely known and varies from country to country. But it is relatively straight forward according to the Natural Death Centre. In fact burial on private land in the UK is free of the many legal considerations attributed to public burial. But it has to be considered carefully as a viable option.

Here are the TEN BASIC RULES and regulations for a burial on private land…
1) You (or the deceased) must have gotten written/documented permission from the land owner of the burial plot.

2) There are no by-laws or covenant restrictions in the land deeds that prohibit burial.

3) Take into account and check that the burial spot does not / will not be near public facilities such as water services. Check the council for the local permitted distances.

4) The depth of burial is deep enough to local rules… usually 1 meter of soil is required above the coffin lid.

5) Register the death and burial site & date with the local Registrar of Birth & Deaths , usually at the local Town Hall offices.

6) Complete the ‘green form’ at time of burial and return to the same Registrar.

7) Seek Planning Permission if there is any change of use for a building or plot, i.e. you are constructing a burial memorial or shrine or a permanent nature.

8) Ensure you have the right equipment to dig the grave to the correct depth and location, making sure there are no issues below ground.

9) Consider how things could be affected should the burial land or property be sold on? For example, how would mourners or loved ones visit the grave on private land.

10) If it’s a public event on private land then maybe a mention to the local police might be a good idea so they are not called out to something that looks improper or suspicious!!

You may want to seek some advice from local Funeral Directors. But check with at least three as there is confusion or lack of knowledge in this topic as it is so rare.

Don’t forget you can plan your own funeral online for free with Funerals To Die For (UK). www.funerals-to-die-for.co.uk

Unusual Funerals!!

Funeral Fun-Box: Every so often I come across a few strange facts or anecdotes about or related to funerals… here’s a few more:

1. Harry Houdini, an escape artist and magic entertainer died of a ruptured appendix. He had a massive collection of magic books and equipment to donate which was keft to his brother and to various libraries. He also left his magic rabbits to local children. But the strangest thing he left was for his wife … a special code of ten words which he said he would use to contact her after his death. Despite many years of trying his wife never had contact from Harry beyond the grave !!
2. Drumming Beyond the Grave: An American Hatmaker left his body to science. His will stipulated that two drums should be made out of his skin and given to a friend, who every June 17 at dawn had to pound out the tune “Yankee Doodle” at Bunker Hill, the anniversary of the famous Revolutionary War battle.
3. Doggone It! : A wealthy Eleanor E. Ritchey, of the Quaker State Refining Corporation, left her $4.5 million fortune to her 150 dogs when she died in Florida in 1968. But it was heavily contested by friends and family. By the time the estate was finally settled, its value had jumped to $14 million but only 73 of the dogs were still alive. Lucky dogs!
4. Janis Joplin Party Time: The famous rock singer of Texas, died of an overdose on October 4, 1970. Janis made changes to her will just two days before her death. She set aside $2,500 to pay for a posthumous all-night party for 200 guests at her favorite pub in San Anselmo, California, “so my friends can get blasted after I’m gone.”

[Thanks to How Stuff Works for the above information]

What will your funeral say about you?

The digital era has hit most aspects of our life and now it's part of our death!

We can now all access advanced online funeral planning tools to record our funeral plans. There are many to choose from such as the free service called Funerals To Die For (UK). So there is no excuse not to get online and start making your own funeral arrangements to let your friends, family and loved ones know how you want to celebrate your death.

Funeral Planning websites, sometimes called personal legacy sites, offer a simple and comforting way to record what you would like to happen upon your death and much more. Most funeral planning websites let you write freely write and record everything that relates to or is attendant to your death and funeral, such as who gets your treasures, where your money or important assets are kept, policy document details... or even what clothes you want to be buried in or the music you want played.

The better services will let you upload personal video or audio messages so they can be played at or after your death, easily done these days with modern Smart Phones or digital cameras. So let your mind be as creative, serious or humorous as you desire and document it all digitally online. It's really easy!


After all, when all is said and done, it's your funeral and surely should reflect your personal tastes and life's interests. You can try Funerals To Die For (UK) for free.

Funeral director - Planning for a Child's funeral or memorial Service

Funeral arrangements: Most of us find it difficult to discuss funerals, even more so when having to plan a child's funeral. It’s the unthinkable, so we avoid this discussion at all costs. For parents who have lost a child, it is an excruciating time and they need support and resources whilst going through this terrible time.

As it is not something we do too often, planning a funeral is baffling issue. But if that funeral is for your child, or the child of a loved one, it will be so much harder to deal with. Despite, children are supposed to bury their parents, aren’t they? However, in these circumstances it has be considered and auctioned.

It can help to realize that funerals are for the living to commemorate the perished and will play a significant role in the grieving process. It is OK to grieve; others will understand this and the camaraderie of a funeral gathering will assist all who wish to grieve. Of course it is truly a sad event, not being able to see a child grow up and fulfill their potentials. So it is very understandable that parents and families find it troublesome to select the right funeral service for their deceased loved one. Nonetheless, the grieving family should ensure that they rally round and help choose a funeral service wisely that will rightfully honor their little child.

In realty, a funeral service for a child is pretty much like a funeral service for an adult. It is mainly held to allow friends and relatives come together, mourn and celebrate the deceased. It’s a time for each other to support, talk and help one another through a difficult time. If of any religious persuasion then the gathering can share prayers too.

However, the funeral service for children doesn't need to be so extensive but should be enough to accommodate close friends and relatives in accepting the loss and be glad that the child will be going to a very splendid and peaceful place.

Please consider some small tokens of activity to make a child's funeral unforgettable and help the family say goodbye to their little one. For example, allow their favorite toy or photograph to be buried with them. Sometimes the family may choose to release white balloons or butterflies to the sky after the service. The balloons can have farewell and loving messages on them for the child. It’s symbolic that the balloons are heading to Heaven.

The funeral service director will help you every step of the way. They will have experience of such times and assist in keeping things as uncomplicated and stress-free as possible for you. And please ensure that the immediate surroundings in church or at the service is conveys a loving memorial of the youngster. Placing cheerful pictures and lovely flowers help lighten the mood in the funeral parlor.

Remember that there is no need to feel lonely in such a tragic moment. Friends, family, and even strangers will be present share consoling words, recollect the the nice memories and stay by your side. Talking is good at these times.

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Funeral arrangements - How to Plan a Cremation Funeral Service

Funeral director: Planning a cremation funeral service, although tinged with sadness, can actually be one of the most beautiful services that you can have. All too often a traditional funeral service is a celebration of death. But times are changing. There are now many online services such as Funerals to Die For that encourage joyful and celebratory funeral planning. It is simply that a funeral is a celebration of life and we all deserve that surely?

So with that principal in mind, it is possible that a cremation funeral service can be planned as a celebration of life. And we hope to at least help you to have a really memorable cremation funeral service. Please read on…

Cremation services can be debatably considered as better than a traditional funeral service, since a cremation funeral service you typically will not have a body. Most people agree that the deceased’s body reminds them of death and sadness. A cremation, on the other hand can remind people of the life that the departed friend and loved one lived. Surely a much better experience for all involved.

Consider some of these ways to plan a cremation funeral service: Often people may create huge picture boards showing key moments of the dead person’s life. People will often place these picture boards next to the Urn. The urn itself is often a focus of kinship and friends get a feeling of attachment to the celebration. It’s like the deceased is there in Spirit.

It is important to know how you set a service up at the church or minister’s setting. Often the Urn is in put in front of the minister's pulpit. So that when the minister is speaking, he refers to the Urn and people can an idea about what they would like to say about the perished when guest visitors speak or give a eulogy.

When planning a cremation funeral service you may decide that instead of flowers to have the money given to the person's favorite charity or to medical research. You can announce this at the main gathering – it’s sure to get a positive response. If you are on a confined budget you can use some of this money towards special memorial cards with a favorite picture of the deceased or a favorite poem or a thank you for attending the service of the loved one who has passed away.

A less formal gathering after the service can lighten the mood. This get together should allow people to eat, drink and share memories of the person that they are there to honor. If you are organizing the after service do then make a point of thanking the attendees in a light manner, invite them to chat and eat. In some cultures it is the norm to have a celebration, rather than mourning. Even if the party only lifts the mood for a few hours, it will ease everyone’s tension.

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Free trial - Environmentally Friendly Funeral Choices

Online funeral service: How you say the last goodbye is as individual as how you are. Our aim at Funerals to die for is to ensure that each funeral reflects your feelings as well as the life of the perished person, their culture, their personality and their achievements. The choice of funeral is of course yours. Increasingly people are considering “Eco” or ‘green’ funerals.

Eco friendly funerals are your final contribution to reducing the carbon footprint and a last chance to make a positive impact on the world you leave behind. However, there is debate within the “green” movement about what actually constitutes green or Eco friendly funerals.

It may surprise most people to know that green funerals can be much more affordable than conventional funerals. By discarding some of the unnecessary processes of conventional funerals and choosing earth friendly funeral products the cost of a funeral can be reduced. And of course will have less impact on the surroundings. Reducing the cost of a funeral also helps lessen the financial burden on loved ones.

It is possible that eco-friendly funeral arrangements can be made for any style of funeral. The easiest is replacing the traditional wood casket burial with a cardboard coffin. And these now come in many custom designs to help personalize the casket. They can be used for either burials or cremations.

You should also choose whether your eco-friendly funeral is to be buried or cremated. The green impact of either is still debated as to which is best, in fact each method has its own positive and negative points. For instance, cremation eliminates the use of toxic chemicals in the preservation of the body which eventually escape into the environment but can induce environmental damage in the smoke and toxins released into the air during cremation. Whereas ground burials are also a concern with the use of embalming fluids and using caskets which are made by non-biodegradable materials. The use of cement for headstones and burial chambers is considered non-green too. Be sure to research the options available for eco-friendly funerals as there are lots on offer these days. Eco funeral products are a thriving industry now.

Consider also whether or not to embalm. Although the embalming will not necessitate a sooner burial, it has some environmental impact. Be certain to check if the cemetery allows non embalmed remains – some don’t. Consider your burial chamber and headstone products as you may be able to avoid putting unnecessary cement into the ground. Call the local cemetery or crematorium for their guidelines.

One of the biggest growths in eco-friendly burials is the choice of casket products. It is still possible to go with a much simpler pine coffin but increasingly the recycled cardboard containers are popular. And these are often beautifully decorated or custom printed to a theme of your choice. For cremation, there are biodegradable urns available, as well as the rehashed paper spreaders. Often these are used in sea burial as they float beautifully on the water.

Also consider your requirements for funeral reef which have such a short useful purpose and can include non-eco materials. If mourners want to contribute with flowers and reefs encourage them to buy or make ‘green versions or donate the saved money to an eco charity.

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Funeral planning - Different funeral services

Bereavement: Not many of us dare think about it but death is destined to every human being in this world. No one can escape from death. Therefore arranging funerals is also unavoidable. Funerals are a key cultural and practical element of most countries. The different people of these culture use different funeral ceremonies. Here just a few common funeral services across the globe.

In New Orleans they have a unique funeral service called the “Jazz Funeral” which follows old traditions of West Africa. They believe that the funeral service should be filled with the waking of the body and later followed by a church service and finally they walk to the cemetery. The music, singing and dancing go along with the procession to the cemetery. While walking to the cemetery the jazz musicians play spiritual songs. This helps to make the burial process a sacred experience. After laying the body in the ground the band plays upbeat jazz music to celebrate the deceased life. It becomes more joyous as the day progresses.

The Jews on the other hand, follow a different funeral service. They will immediately call the spiritual leader who is called as a Rabbi. He plans the funeral arrangements for the family. The deceased body is washed and dressed in white cloth before he is laid in a plain, pine box. Embalming is not followed among Jews. The burial is very quick after death. They honor the dead, guarding the body until and after burial and the recitation of psalms is read. During the funeral ceremony, prayers are read, followed by a eulogy and a memorial prayer. The Rabbi then closes coffin, it is lowered into the ground, and the family members throw dirt onto the coffin.

As a contract the elders in Cherokee culture (Native Americans) wash the dead cleanse away all earthly impurities. The body is scented with oil and lavender. According to their custom the body is wrapped with white cotton. It is then placed in a cedar coffin. An eagle feather is placed a top the deceased’s chest and the coffin closed. In Cherokee tradition the person is buried in the ground where they died - not so practical these days. And they have 7 days of mourning when no-one close is allowed to be angry.

In traditional Mongolian death ceremonies the deceased is dismembered by a Rogyapa, or body breaker. The body is left outside, well away from nearby occupied dwellings to be consumed by nature. To any westerners, this “funeral” will seem inhuman. Well, thankfully the Chinese outlawed this practice after taking control of Mongolia in the 1950′s. However to Buddhist thinking, it makes perfect sense as they regard the deceased body as worthless after their spirit has left. It is better providing nourishment to the local birds and animals. And they say practically that in remote places it is too hard to dig a grave in rock and very little precious fuel for a cremation!

So these are just a few examples of cultural attitudes to funeral ceremonies and burial.

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Funeral plans - A Check List for Pre-arranged Funeral Director Services

Free trial: Death is inevitable for all of us. It could be sudden or expected after a long illness, but for sure it comes to us all. As sad as it can be we have to deal with it. Therefore arranging funerals are also unavoidable.

What can shock most of us is the multitude of tasks and costs involved in planning funeral. It can be an over-bearing stress for even the most calm and organized amongst us, especially when someone has died unexpectedly. So pre-planning a funeral for yourself or a loved one needs a funeral checklist and a plan of action. Here are some tips that might help you.

Initially it may be that letting a local Funeral Director take full control of the arrangements is just better for you. There are many funeral directors' who can handle all the usual aspects for funerals. They have the experience and will do it in organized way. They know who to call and will definitely take away a lot of the stress and emotion attached to a death. If this is for you, then go to a funeral director or local funeral home and talk to him or her about the arrangements. If this affects other people you may wish to go together to talk to a funeral director. If you are helping a family member or friend to plan a funeral they may wish to attend to. Some local Funeral Directors can make home visits it it is easier for you. You should enquire with him all the options available in organizing the funeral. Make sure it is best for YOU and that it is within your budget. Be firm and explain your requirements.

The funeral director will provide you with different options after listening to your concerns and needs. So have the check list of the following things to discuss when you are arranging for a funeral. While meeting the funeral director state them clearly about the clothes or jewellery which is to be worn by the burial body. Discuss to him about the things you would like: such as funeral-casket type or whether it is to be cremation or burial. What religion should this be? Many other funeral things can be discussed like burial plots, flowers, donations, tree-planting ceremony, graveside ceremony, funeral service, music, poetry readings.

Conduct a discussion to the funeral director which will help you make many of these decisions based on your needs, wishes, wants and budget. Always record your funeral plans and make copies. If you change your mind later make sure it is recorded, dated and signed where possible. Put these plans in a safe place. Tell key family members where the plans are so this will help them arrange the funeral.

The main thing is to get active with your funeral plans well in advance of any major illness – that way the funeral will be more of what you (or the deceased) wanted. It really does make sense to pre-plan a funeral.

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Bereavement - Benefits of saving money for your Funeral Arrangements

Funeral director: Fact is death is inevitable at some point. Whether it is sudden and soon or expected or slow, it’s a sure thing. Sadly it is an unavoidable moment in a human’s life. Therefore arranging funerals are also unavoidable. But the burden can be lessened with some pre-planning.

The cost of a funeral may give some financial burden to family members, especially when someone has died unexpectedly. Pre-planning a funeral for yourself or a loved one can help to save on the costs of a funeral service. A pre-arranged funeral is the best way to lessen the emotional and practical burden but also to save money. It is much easier if you pre-arrange as your family and friends cannot make decisions when they are under the emotional distress of a recent death. It is a fact that when making last-minute decisions the cost considerations are almost always ignored.

So the first way to save money is through a pre-arranged funeral plan which will help avoid making decisions during an emotional crisis of a death. Pre-arranged funerals are a great way to ensure that you save money and ease your duties. But what makes preparing your funeral in advance so significant is that many funeral homes will guarantee the price of a pre arranged funeral – i.e. it will not increase. In the end, you can save thousands by planning in advance.

Another way for a pre-arrangement funeral and to save your money is to buy a funeral insurance package (or funeral plan) which you pay each month, usually collected by a direct debit from your bank account. Many funeral homes offer these packages online or on their premises. It’s a good way to spread the costs but be aware of the terms and conditions attached to the plan.

Often or not, these funeral packages come with a discount of 100’s or more as an advanced customer. They are able to create these package deals as they have arrangements with the insurance companies that they do business with. There lots to choose from and you can get a quick online quote but be very careful that the package you choose is suitable for your needs. There are also websites that will compare cost and features for you. This is great for you as you may be able to save yet again. Shop around is our advice!

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Online funeral service - The Formalities for Funerals

Costs: Funerals are increasingly costly these days. So the death of a loved one may give some financial burden to family members especially when someone has died unexpectedly. By pre-planning a funeral for yourself or a loved one can help to save the costs of a funeral service.

So how do you cope? Firstly contact a local Funeral Director to organize a funeral as they are skilled professionals. They can help organize the entire funeral process.

You will need to get a death certificate from the Doctor, which establishes the cause of death. This is vital and the first necessity to do. Once the Medical Certificate of Death has been issued, the body of the deceased can be transferred by the funeral directors to their premises. The Funeral Directors will liaise with hospitals about this transfer.

Next, contact the deceased’s solicitor to check whether the decreased has drawn up a will or their own funeral arrangements. Contact the local authorities to find your Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages to formally register the death. After completing the formalities the registrar will issue you a green Certificate for Burial or Cremation.

Think about the funeral itself. Is it to be a religious or non-religious funeral? If you are not sure then consult with the deceased friends and relatives. The bereaved should do their best to let as many people as possible know about the death. The traditional way of reaching a broader public is to put a formal announcement in a national or local newspaper under ‘Deaths’. Printed announcements can also be mailed to everyone in the deceased's address book. Increasingly email can be used for distant friends, acquaintances and work colleagues if they live far away or you don’t have their full contact details.

Other various authorities, businesses and institutions also need to be informed about the death. These include insurance and pension companies, the tax authorities, the local authority for Council Tax, the social services, banks, building societies and other financial institutions, utility companies, any business receiving direct debit payments or standing orders, professional associations, and so on. It’s quite a long list! The deceased’s passport or driving license should be returned to the relevant authorities, and car registration papers need to be altered to show changed ownership.

So, you can see, there is quite a lot of time consuming formalities to perform when conducting funeral duties. Perhaps more than most of us realize, so think ahead if it is possible.

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