The Drayton Burial Ground is located behind St Peter’s Church on Church Lane, with access through the churchyard. The Burial Ground is owned by the Parish Council and is managed on behalf of the community.
In addition to plots for burials, there is a separate cremated remains area. Burials spaces are provided primarily for Drayton residents, but non-Drayton residents (usually ex-Drayton residents) may also be buried, but are charged triple. Plots may be purchased in advance as family graves or for cremated remains.
Drayton Parish Council Burial Ground is a low maintenance lawn-grass cemetery. The Parish Council arranges and funds grass cutting and ensures that grass on graves which families can no longer maintain is kept clipped. Memorial installations must therefore consist only of a headstone or tablet. The only other permitted installations are kerbstones which must be set flush with the ground to allow mowing to take place. Kerbstones must be secured with the minimum of mortar. The grave area must not be in-filled with any permanent concrete or stone installation, but must be kept as earth. In recognition that families may not be local and able to tend graves regularly, temporary use of an overlay with a weed-proof membrane and infill with gravel or chippings is permitted but the Council reserves the right to remove these and restore the area to grass if the grave is not properly maintained..
The Parish Council has adopted the guidance set out in the Ministry of Justice document ‘Managing the Safety of Burial Ground Memorials’, published in January 2009, a copy of which is available from the Parish Clerk.
All memorials and inscriptions thereon are subject to the approval of the Parish Council and a copy of every inscription proposed and a drawing showing the design and dimensions of every memorial proposed to be erected must be submitted for approval to the Parish Clerk with the application on the prescribed form.
The full version of the current burial regulations and charges are given here: 2023 11 Burial Ground Regulations and Fees