Cemeteries and estates
Cotswold District Council own and maintain the following cemeteries in Cirencester:
- Chesterton cemetery
- Stratton cemetery
Our cemeteries are bound by the rules and regulations of the ‘The Local Authorities' Cemeteries Order 1977.
Cemetery opening times for visitors:
Monday - Friday – 7.30 am to 8pm (Summer hours) 17:00 (Winter hours)
Saturday - 8am to 5pm
Sunday and Bank Holidays - 10am to 5pm
Burials administration team
The Burials Administration Team is located at Moreton Area Centre, Moreton in Marsh, GL56 0AZ.
For information regarding our cemetery services, please contact the burials team:
- Telephone: 01608 650881
- Email:The burials team
The Burials team can:
- Search for relatives buried at either Chesterton or Stratton Cemetery
- Advise about reserving and purchasing a grave space
- Help to make funeral arrangements for the interment of cremated remains, without the services of a Funeral Director
- Answer general enquiries about Chesterton or Stratton cemeteries
Rules and regulations
Plot 29 at Chesterton Cemetery
Plot 29 opened in 2012 and the following information sets out the standards that Cotswold District Council expects in relation to any interment undertaken there. All new graves are laid to lawn, with plantings confined to the memorial end of the grave.
There are two reasons for this:
- It makes the cemetery more tidy and attractive, as this is easier to maintain
- It is easier and safer for visitors to walk around to find a particular grave
In order to maintain this standard, requirements are detailed below:
- Graves are allocated on the basis of the next available plot in the row
- Requests to choose a grave will be considered, but the choice will be limited to the available plots within the row
- All planting is restricted to a maximum 12 inches from the memorial end of the
grave - No kerbstones are permitted
- No grave mounds are permitted
- No individual gardens can be planted
- Wooden crosses are not permitted
For all other plots within the cemetery the same regulations will apply but planting is restricted to a soil border (18 inches maximum) at the memorial end of graves.
Should any contraventions be found, the Burials Administration Team would contact the grave owner requesting the grave be returned to its original state. Failure to do so will result in the council removing said items and returning the grave to its original state as detailed above.
Fees and charges for Chesterton and Stratton cemeteries
1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023
| For the interment, in a grave including the reopening of a grave | Fee |
|---|---|
| Of the body of still-born or a child whose age at the time of death did not exceed 16 years | No charge |
| Of the body of a person whose age at the time of death exceeded 16 years | £415 |
| Charge for extra depth (interment at a depth exceeding seven feet) | £65 |
| Additional fee for the interment of a coffin/casket exceeding seven feet two inches long or 32 inches wide | £110 |
| Interment of cremated remains in a burial garden, a grave or a vault, in respect of which an exclusive right of burial has been granted | £168 |
| Interment of a body part in a grave | £225 |
| Exclusive rights of burial - granted for a period of 50 years | Fee |
|---|---|
| For the exclusive right of burial in an earthen grave nine feet by four feet | £850 |
| For the exclusive right of burial in an earthen grave four and a half feet by four feet (grave of a still-born child or a child not exceeding the age of 16 years) | £380 |
| For the exclusive right of burial of cremated remains in a burial garden | £270 |
| Memorials and inscriptions | Fee |
|---|---|
| For the right to erect a memorial on an earthen grave in respect of which the exclusive right of burial has been granted (this fee includes the first inscription) | £165 |
| For the right to erect a memorial on a cremated remains grave in a burial garden in respect of which the exclusive right of burial has been granted (this fee includes the first inscription) | £145 |
| For each inscription after the first / Replacement memorials | £95 |
| Miscellaneous | Fee |
|---|---|
| For the use of the Chesterton Cemetery Chapel | £105 |
| Additional fee for the interment of a coffin outside normal hours | £120 |
| Additional fee for the interment of cremated remains outside normal hours | £50 |
| To transfer the ownership of exclusive rights of burial | £80 |
| For a copy of Deed of Grant for exclusive rights of burial | £45 |
| Search of burial fees and/or records covering a period of one year | £15 |
| Search of burial fees and/or records covering a period beyond one year | £30 |
| Scattering of cremated remains | No charge |
Interment fees
(a) Include the digging of the grave
(b) Apply when the interment is made within the following hours:
- April to September: Mondays to Fridays 9am - 2.30pm
- October to March: Mondays to Fridays 9am - 2pm
(c) apply when the interment is made on the certificate of a coroner or registered medical practitioner that immediate interment is necessary.
Interments are not available at weekends or bank holidays
Researching burial records of a loved one
We hold burial records for Chesterton Cemetery and Stratton Cemeteries only.
Records for all other burials are held by the local Parish or Town Council or by the church if the interment was in a churchyard.
For guidance on how to find where a burial has taken place please view the Gloucestershire archive guidance document.
Green burial
A green burial is designed to sensitively lay to rest someone in an ecologically friendly way.
For more information about green funerals, types of coffins and woodland burial sites, please contact the:
Stratton Cemetery
Due to limited remaining capacity we are no longer able to reserve full grave spaces at Stratton cemetery.
Trees and Benches
We have now reached full capacity for memorial benches and trees at both Chesterton and Stratton cemeteries. Therefore, any future requests for memorial benches and trees will not be permitted.