Unpurchased graves

In an unpurchased grave (also known as a ‘public’ or ‘common’ grave), the Council is the holder of the Rights. This means that the people buried in the grave will be unrelated and there are no specific rights to have a memorial. Therefore, the cost is much lower than that of a private grave.

Carrying out the burial

Burials in these graves are carried out with the same dignity and respect as those in private graves.

Unpurchased graves are available in either Twickenham or Teddington cemeteries, and the burial fee is shown on our fees page.

Older unpurchased graves may remain unmarked but you can purchase a temporary wooden cross(pdf, 63KB) from us.

You may prefer to purchase a small memorial from a Memorial Mason, for which there is a memorial application fee. The only permanent memorial permitted is a small headstone, maximum 18" high and 18" wide.

• Memorial Permit Application for unpurchased graves(pdf, 70KB)