Braintree District Council cemetery fees
Current burial and cemetery fees for Braintree District Council cemeteries at Braintree, Bocking, Witham and Halstead. The council acts as the burial authority for the district.
Braintree charges no fee at all for the burial or cremated remains interment of anyone under 18 – the council recovers its costs from the Ministry of Justice’s Children’s Funeral Fund rather than billing the family. Non-resident adult interment fees are double the resident rate. Non-resident pricing for Exclusive Right of Burial (grave purchase) is not separately stated on the council’s published fee schedule.
For an adult burial in a new grave, budget for both the grave purchase (Exclusive Right of Burial) and the interment fee. The £923 interment figure below covers digging and burial only – see “Combined first-burial cost” for the realistic total, from £1,998 resident.
Grave purchase – Exclusive Right of Burial
Braintree uses a two-tier ERB pricing model – “next in line” (accepting the next available grave in sequence) and “selection fee” (choosing a specific grave location).
| Type | Next in line | Selection fee |
|---|---|---|
| Adult grave space (18 years and over) | £1,075 | £1,395.25 |
| Cremated remains plot | £635.25 | £695 |
| Under-18 grave space or cremated remains | £521.25 | £575.50 |
| Other ERB charges | Fee |
|---|---|
| 10-year ERB extension | £206.50 |
| Transfer of ownership | £74 |
Interment fees
| Service | Resident fee | Non-resident fee |
|---|---|---|
| Burial, under 18 years of age | No charge | No charge |
| Adult burial, single depth | £923 | £1,846 |
| Adult burial, double depth | £1,085.75 | £2,171.50 |
| Body part | £190.25 | £380.50 |
Cremated remains interment
| Service | Resident fee | Non-resident fee |
|---|---|---|
| Cremated remains, under 18 years of age | No charge | No charge |
| Single (person 18 years and over) | £233.50 | £467 |
| Two individual cremated remains in double casket | £407.25 | £814.50 |
| Two individual caskets in same plot | £407.25 | £814.50 |
| Two sets (one resident, one non-resident) in same plot | £608.25 | £608.25 |
| Cremated remains with a full burial | £100.50 | £201 |
The mixed-residency row above is a single blended rate published by the council for a plot holding one resident’s and one non-resident’s ashes together – it does not double like the other rows because it already accounts for one of each.
Memorial fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Lawn headstone | £201 |
| Lawn headstone with kerbs | £249.50 |
| Full memorial including kerb set | £277 |
| Cremated remains headstone or child’s memorial | £146.75 |
| Cremated remains headstone with kerbs | £174 |
| Additional inscription on any memorial | £127.25 |
| Permit fee for kerbing of full grave | £127.25 |
| Permit fee for kerbing of cremated remains grave | £103.25 |
| Permit fee for kerbing of lawn memorial | £115.25 |
| Memorial bench plaque (7”x3”), 5-year lease | £157.50 |
| Memorial bench plaque renewal, 5-year period | £108.75 |
| Memorial wall plaque | £250 |
| Memorial shrub with inscription plaque | £301 |
| Memorial shrub with inscription and motif plaque | £564 |
| Supply and install replacement memorial bench, without plaque | £934 |
| Supply and install replacement memorial bench, with plaque | £1,031.50 |
Grave maintenance fees
The council’s in-house staff can maintain a grave on the family’s behalf, including twice-yearly planting.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Planting twice a year for a full grave | £174 |
| Planting twice a year for a lawn section | £131.50 |
| Planting twice a year for cremated remains or a child’s grave | £108.75 |
Miscellaneous fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Use of cemetery chapel, per service | £233.50 |
| Cancellation fee (any confirmed booking, including change of day, time or location) | £135.75 |
| Fixed shoring and slatted boards | £255.25 |
| Collection of ashes | £27.25 |
| Relinquished plot fee | £59.75 |
| Family search of burials | £35.50 per hour |
| Grass seeding of grave | £38.25 |
Other fees
| Service | Resident fee | Non-resident fee |
|---|---|---|
| Exhumation per coffin (plus actual disinterment and reinstatement costs) | £1,884 | £3,768 |
| Exhumation of cremated remains | £217.25 | £434.50 |
Combined first-burial cost
A first burial requires both the ERB fee and the interment fee.
| Type | Resident total | Non-resident total |
|---|---|---|
| New adult grave – next in line (ERB + single interment) | £1,998 | – |
| New adult grave – selection fee (ERB + single interment) | £2,318.25 | – |
About Braintree District Council cemeteries
Braintree District Council operates four cemeteries: Braintree Cemetery, Bocking Cemetery, Witham Cemetery, and Halstead Cemetery. The cemeteries offer sections for different religious denominations, including Church of England, Roman Catholic, and unconsecrated ground.
Fees verified 2026-08-07. Source: Braintree District Council – Cemetery fees.
Contact: Braintree District Council Cemeteries – 01376 557772 | cemeteries@braintree.gov.uk