ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY BURIALS
As well as traditional religious burials in a churchyard or cemetery, we can arrange for a natural burial...
Natural burials are increasingly popular and we have strong connections with the growing number of sites in Cornwall and Devon.
They offer an ecological alternative to traditional burials and are sometimes, but by no means always, less expensive. The land is managed with the environment in mind and the land is reverted back to woodland or meadows. Instead of a traditional headstone, sometimes a tree is planted, or the grave is marked with a simple stone plaque. Environmentally-friendly coffins made from materials such as bamboo, wicker or cardboard are used. The body is not embalmed with harmful chemicals.
Everybody is entitled to be buried in the parish where they live, but some churchyards are full, and not really appropriate for the non-religious, and many municipal cemeteries, though not by any means all, can feel a bit lacklustre. This is one of the reasons that natural burial grounds came into being.
As well as traditional religious burials in a churchyard or cemetery, we can arrange for a natural burial. Natural burials are increasingly popular and we have strong connections with the growing number of sites in Cornwall and Devon.
They offer an ecological alternative to traditional burials and are sometimes, but by no means always, less expensive. The land is managed with the environment in mind and the land is reverted back to woodland or meadows. Instead of a traditional headstone, sometimes a tree is planted, or the grave is marked with a simple stone plaque. Environmentally-friendly coffins made from materials such as bamboo, wicker or cardboard are used. The body is not embalmed with harmful chemicals.
Everybody is entitled to be buried in the parish where they live, but some churchyards are full, and not really appropriate for the non-religious, and many municipal cemeteries, though not by any means all, can feel a bit lacklustre. This is one of the reasons that natural burial grounds came into being.
Natural burial is a very broad church, and there are various different ethos and styles of management, from the environmentally purist to the more laid back. Your choice may be influenced by aesthetic or environmental reasons, and making sure that you find the right natural burial ground for you may require some basic research. For these reasons we have summarised the ones we use, and this information can be found in Further Resources – Natural Burial Sites, but there is no substitute for actually visiting a site. We can also arrange for burials on private land.
A common question around natural burial sites is whether their future is secure. It is very difficult to absolutely guarantee the long term security of a site, but it is worth remembering this: in most churchyards and municipal cemeteries you buy a lease on a grave, sometimes for 99 years but sometimes only 40 or even 25. Technically they may be reused after this time. To exhume a grave you need the visiting of the Home Secretary and is extremely difficult and expensive.
Most natural burial grounds are in the countryside and outside of permitted development zones, so getting planning permission for a house is nigh impossible, let alone permission to exhume hundreds of graves, possibly against relative’s wishes for any development of any kind.
The few occasions when old graveyards have been moved to make way for essential development have been municipal council run ones, so in many ways natural burial grounds are probably more secure than their conventional counterparts, but always ask the operators of a site what their long term strategy is, and be wary of those who can produce no more of an answer than it will be given to a wildlife trust. Future operators will probably need a financial incentive, and a clear long term management plan that is sustainable and realistic.
Everything you wanted to know about a grave
but were afraid to ask.
At 3 ft deep it is shallow enough to ensure that the body decays naturally. The bottom has been lined with foliage, a lovely touch.
The grey bit visible at the bottom is actually bedrock, you don’t have to dig too deep in Devon and Cornwall before you hit it.
So few people have been to a burial these days that we often walk the family up to see the grave before the ceremony starts. They are always comforted by their first sight of it. Burying closer to the surface is not only better for the environment, but it also stops it from feeling such a huge psychological distance from the living. 6ft down is a long, long way.
Before the service begins we put our two lowering straps and two cross sticks across. The straps are just visible in the top right of the picture. The coffin is placed onto the cross sticks, then the coffin is lifted by the straps, the sticks removed and then you gently lower the coffin. We have helped hundreds of people, old women and children included to do this simple but profound action.
If you only do one thing at the funeral of someone you love, make it carrying the coffin. It helps to physically embody the reality of what is happening in a situation in which it is all too easy to retreat up into your head. I wish I had done it for my mother.