Graves and memorials
What happens after burial?
- The ground will subside and need to settle for a few months
- As soon as it is practical, the ground will be levelled, seeded over, and maintained by the Council
- Any temporary markers on the grave may be removed
Burials next to your family grave
If a burial happens next to your family grave, it may be temporarily covered with earth.
The headstone will be protected and put back immediately after the burial has taken place.
Cremated remains
- There are memorial gardens for cremated remains at each cemetery
- Cremated remains can be placed in graves
Kinds of memorial
- Book of remembrance at Oldham Crematorium
- Gardens of remembrance
- Bronze memorial plaques to be displayed within the gardens of remembrance
- Cremation Plots at Hollinwood Cemetery.
Contact the Cemeteries Office on 0161 681 1312 about any of the above-mentioned items.
Blessed and unblessed areas
- Most cemeteries have areas blessed by the Church of England.
- You can choose an unblessed area
Public or common graves
A public or common grave (an "unpurchased" grave) is where the right to burial cannot be bought and the council has total control of the grave.
Public graves can be bought within three years of the last burial.
The council will decide who will be buried in the grave, and this might not be members of the same family.
No memorial rights exist on public graves, so no headstone or other memorial can be put up.
Purchased graves
A purchased grave is where the right of burial can be bought for a period of 99 years.
The owner of the right of burial can decide who will be buried in the grave and memorials are allowed in line with cemetery regulations.