Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill cemetery fees
Current burial and cemetery fees for Bury St Edmunds Cemetery and Haverhill Cemetery, both owned and managed directly by West Suffolk Council. Fees are effective from 1 April 2026 (2026/27 financial year).
West Suffolk Council has an explicit policy of not charging increased fees for non-residents at these two cemeteries. The same rates apply regardless of where the deceased was resident at the time of death – this is a genuine council-wide decision, not an omission: the council’s fee schedule states plainly that no non-resident surcharge applies at Bury St Edmunds or Haverhill.
This is worth knowing because it is not standard practice locally. Newmarket Cemetery, the third site in the West Suffolk area, applies the opposite policy – see below.
There is no charge for burials of children under 18, or for stillborn babies after 24 weeks of pregnancy. These costs are recovered by the council from the Child Funeral Fund (funded by central government).
Grave purchase – Exclusive Right of Burial (50 years)
| Grave type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Standard lawn grave (includes headstone base where applicable) | £1,144 |
| Large lawn grave (includes headstone base where applicable) | £1,242 |
| Child grave, up to 12 years (single interment depth only) | £157 |
| Cremated remains earthen grave (25 years) | £763 |
| Cremated remains earthen grave (50 years) | £1,526 |
Cremated remains above-ground vaults (Sanctum 2000, 25-year ERB) are also available at £1,606.82 including VAT.
Interment fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Adult burial, person aged 12 and over (standard lawn grave) | £929 |
| Adult burial, person aged 12 and over (large lawn grave) | £996.50 |
| Child burial, up to 12 years | £105 |
| Stillborn and children up to three weeks old | £58 |
| Large coffin surcharge (198 cm or 75 cm or more in width) | £99 |
Cremated remains interment
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Interment of cremated remains (earthen grave, below-ground vault, or above-ground vault) | £259.50 |
| Interment in coffin or burial casket, or second set of ashes (simultaneous) | £129.75 |
Memorial fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Permit to install a new memorial | £249 |
| Permit to add an inscription to an existing memorial | £88 |
| Permit to install a child’s headstone (60 cm or less) | £78 |
| Memorial tree (10-year lease, includes dedication plaque; interment of cremated remains under the tree is not permitted) | £685 |
| Dedication memorial wall tablet, 101x76mm (Haverhill only, 10-year lease) | £230 |
Other fees
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Use of chapel | £93 |
| Surrender of grave space (buyback) | Half the current ERB fee |
| Transfer of Exclusive Right of Burial | £76 |
| Exhumation | Double the current relevant interment fee |
| Genealogy search (up to four entries, not connected to an upcoming interment) | £33 |
| Certified copy of a burial register entry | £11 |
| Brandon bench (150 cm), all council-owned sites | £1,416.86 |
| Replacement bench plaque (150x75mm, silver with black writing) | £73 |
| Plaque with stake (150x130mm, silver with black writing) | £117 |
| Poly urn (for use in vaults only) | £31.14 |
| Administration fee for a replacement tablet or plaque (tree, rose, bench, etc.) | £11.50 |
Newmarket Cemetery is different: non-residents pay double
West Suffolk Council owns and manages Bury St Edmunds Cemetery and Haverhill Cemetery directly, which is why the no-surcharge policy above applies to both. Newmarket Cemetery is a separate site: West Suffolk Council took on day-to-day management of it in April 2017, but Newmarket Town Council remains the site’s owner and sets its own fee policy.
That policy is the opposite of the one above. Newmarket Cemetery charges double fees for anyone who did not live in the Newmarket Town Council area – residency is defined as having lived in the town for the five years before death and having paid the parish precept to the Town Council to that address. A Council Tax bill is the only accepted proof; without it, the double rate applies by default. An exception exists if the deceased moved out of the area for medical reasons, into a nursing or residential home through no fault of their own – in that case the single (resident) fee still applies.
Newmarket’s base fees mostly match the Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill rates above (standard lawn grave ERB £1,144, adult interment £929, cremated remains interment £259.50) – it is only the non-resident treatment that differs. Newmarket does not offer the large lawn grave, Sanctum vault, or memorial tree options listed above. Full current fees are published separately: West Suffolk Council – Cemetery fees for Newmarket Cemetery (PDF).
Fees verified 2026-08-11. Source: West Suffolk Council – Cemetery fees for Bury St Edmunds and Haverhill Cemeteries (PDF).
Contact: West Suffolk Council Cemetery Services – 01284 757068 | cemetery.services@westsuffolk.gov.uk