Laying remains to rest
Interring or burying cremated remains in our Memorial Gardens is known as a committal of ashes. Choosing where ashes are going to be laid to rest is a very important decision. There are certain legal effects of committal. Once buried, ashes cannot be taken from the ground unless they are in a container and an exhumation licence has been granted by the Ministry of Justice.
You can bury the ashes in:
- our memorial gardens
- one of our four cemeteries in a cremated remains plot, or an existing family grave
- in your own garden
- at another cemetery or crematorium or somewhere else.You must have the landowner's permission to bury ashes.
Burial in our Memorial Garden
Appointments:
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday am & pm
10:00, 10:40, 11:20, 12:00, 13:20, 14:00, 14:40
Sunday
10:00, 10:40, 11:20
Standard Fee applies with a surcharge for services at the weekend (Some of our memorials incur an interment fee, because the ashes are laid to rest in a container and can eventually be exhumed or removed.)
Burial in the gardens is known as a “Committal” and ashes are buried loosely in the soil unless you have purchased a memorial which incorporates remains.
Remains may not be:
- laid to rest without a member of our staff being present
- retrieved once laid to rest in the soil.
Remains cremated at another crematorium. You are welcome to bring family to be laid to rest in the Gardens of Remembrance. We require the Certificate of Cremation before we can authorise the committal and there is a fee for receiving remains cremated elsewhere.
We record the burial location of all remains and can ensure that loved ones are reunited.
If you wish to be present when remains are laid to rest you can book a “Witnessed Committal”:
- a non- religious service at the site of the committal
- led by a suited member of our team or a minister (booked by you) with our staff in attendance
- an opportunity for you to say a few words, if you wish
You may wish to use the South or East Chapel for a memorial service before the committal; an additional fee is applicable.
If you are the Applicant with remains still in our care, and do not wish to be present, we will need your written consent for another named person to authorise the burial, on the day of the committal. Without this, the committal will not proceed. You can download a Change of Instruction form below.
If you want to choose the location for the Committal you can:
- place a marker on the lawn no more than two days before
- place remains inside or in the vicinity of a memorial you have purchased
We cannot guarantee that ashes can be buried in any chosen area because it is illegal to disturb ashes that have already been buried. We will bury as close as possible to the chosen area but we will not bury ashes close to a memorial without authorisation from the owner.
Downloads / Other useful documents:
Burial in a cremated remains plot or an existing grave
There are two types of dedicated Cremated Remains Plots in Havering Cemeteries, in which you can bury up to four separate caskets of cremated remains. Types of Graves
The first interment in a lawn or traditional grave must always be a full burial.
However you can:
- reopen an existing grave to bury ashes
- ask your funeral director to care for cremated remains until the first interment in a grave takes place
- reunite when a full interment takes place by placing them inside the coffin or separately in the grave
The owner of the burial plot should complete our Interment Form available below. An interment form and fee must be submitted for each burial.
Downloads / Other useful documents:
Apply for an additional inscription on an existing Cremated Remains Plot
Apply for an additional inscription on an existing Mini Headstone
Interment Form
Releasing the ashes for committal elsewhere or to keep at home
You will need to choose:
- who will collect the ashes and
- what container you would like the remains to be in.
You can:
- ask your funeral director to collect the ashes
- collect them yourself
- write to us authorising a named person to act on your behalf
Unless the person collecting the ashes is a local funeral director, please ensure that they telephone us two working days before and that they bring proof of identity.
Unless you have chosen from our range of urns we will place the ashes in:
- a plastic container known as a polytainer and lay this in a strong corrugated cardboard box or in
- a biodegradable casket, (a cardboard in which the remains are held in a paper bag)
We will label the container with the name of your loved one and we give you a certificate confirming the details of the cremation. Please take special care of the certificate, as the ashes cannot be committed elsewhere without it. If you want to take the ashes abroad for committal, please let us know, as you will need additional documents to take with you.