What is the cheapest burial option?

When someone passes away, one of the first decisions that need to be made is whether the service of committal will be a burial or cremation. This can be a difficult decision, especially if you are on a tight budget. This blog post will explore the different committal and burial options and discuss which one is the cheapest. 

1) Traditional Burial

This form of laying someone to rest dates back centuries. Factors that affect the cost of burial are:

• Whether you want to lay your loved one to rest in a Churchyard or Cemetery? In a Churchyard you can’t own the grave, it will remain in the ownership of the Church. There is just an interment fee to pay when you lay your loved one to rest. However, not every Churchyard is open for burials, please ask your G. Seller funeral director for advice and up-to-date information on the individual Churchyard in question. Permission to be laid to rest in a Churchyard is dependent on the minister or Church council of that Parish. Another consideration is whether it is a new grave or re-opening an existing one. When it is reopening an existing grave, it will need to be determined whether there is space in the grave for your loved one to be laid to rest there. There will also be a second fee for grave preparation, which is either prepared by hand or by mechanical method. This varies from area to area.

In the Hinckley and surrounding areas this would usually be:

Interment Fee: £360

Grave Preparation: £380.00 

Total: £740.00 (it is important to note that you don’t own the grave)

• In a Cemetery (apart from in very rare circumstances) the family buy the grave (commonly referred to as the Exclusive Right of Burial) for a period of years, usually around 75. There is also an interment fee which is to lay your loved one to rest. Some cemeteries include the cost to prepare the grave into the interment fee but not all cemeteries do this. Your G. Seller funeral director who will be able to advise you. If your loved one didn’t live in the same area as the cemetery, the burial authority may determine that this will attract double, triple or quadruple fees. In some rare circumstances they may not allow it at all. There may be allowances made if your loved one has moved out of the area for care purposes, but the time period differs from cemetery to cemetery. 

In the Hinckley and surrounding areas, costs would usually be:

Exclusive Right of Burial: £600.00

Interment (single depth): £400.00 

Grave preparation: £380.00

Total: £1380.00

 

2) Cremation

Cremation is now the most popular form of commital in the UK (around 75%-80%). Costs vary from crematorium to crematorium. 

Typically to have the whole of the funeral service at the crematorium, the costs in this local area would be:

Heart of England Crematorium, Nuneaton (45-minute time slot): £1070.00

South Leicestershire Crematorium, Countesthorpe (1-hour time slot)

• 9:00am -10:00am: £825.00
• 11:00am - 4:00pm: £1010.00

Gilroes Crematorium, Leicester (1-hour time slot): £940.00

Rainsbrook Crematorium, Rugby (1-hour time slot): £860.00

Canley Crematorium, Coventry (45-minute time slot): £939.00

Seller does travel further afield to other crematoriums, please ask your funeral director.

Additionally, cremation gives families the flexibility to inter or scatter the cremated remains, commonly referred to as ashes, in a place that is meaningful to the deceased. At G. Seller we offer a range of cremated remains options, and are here to guide you through the alternatives. 

 

3) Direct Burial

This is the simplest form of service, where there is no funeral service. Your loved one is brought into G. Seller’s care, cared for and laid to rest in a simple coffin. When all of the paperwork is in place, G. Seller will then take your loved one directly to the cemetery or Churchyard to lay them to rest with nobody else present. This wouldn’t attract any cheaper fees in the cemetery or Churchyard as laid out in point 1.

 

4) Direct Cremation

Direct Cremation has become a relatively well-known option over the last few years due to a large amount of direct marketing on the television, radio and mailouts to home addresses. What is not publicised as widely is the fact that many of these companies advertising aggressively are transporting deceased hundreds of miles to their depots with multiple deceased people in their vans at any one time. Here at G. Seller, our service includes bringing your loved one into our care individually at any time day or night. You will always know where your loved one is being cared for. 

This is a service with no funeral or attendance, once the required paperwork is in place we will arrange the direct cremation at the local crematorium. We don’t use van’s, G. Seller will always use a hearse with no compromise on dignity or care regardless of how simple the service is that we’re providing.

The cost for a direct cremation is: £1550.00 including all third party costs.

 

In conclusion, there are many different burial options available and there may well be other costs to put your loved one’s funeral together, your G. Seller funeral director will be able to give you an itemised quotation. The best option for you will depend on your individual needs and circumstances. It is vital to keep in mind that the most important thing is to honour your loved one in a way that is meaningful to you and them. There is no right or wrong way to say goodbye, so do whatever feels right for you and your family.

G. Seller offer a variety of funeral options so that you can clearly choose the service that is befitting for you and your loved one. Don't hesitate to get in touch with us for any information. We pride ourselves on caring for you and your family as if you were our own.