Burials

South Lanarkshire Council Bereavement Services supports families arranging a burial, cremation or memorial in South Lanarkshire. We understand this can be a difficult time, and aim to explain each step clearly so you can make the arrangements you need.

Q. What is a lair?

A lair is the Scottish word for a grave. It is the place where a person is buried. It may also be called a burial plot. A lair may be for full coffin burials or ashes only burials.

Q. I have heard the word interred used, what does this mean?

Interred means buried.

Q. What is the lair certificate?

A lair certificate shows who holds the right of burial for a specific lair. It also gives the lair details and confirms who can authorise a burial or memorial at that lair.

Q. Do I own the ground where the lair is?

No. All ground within the cemetery remains the property of South Lanarkshire Council.

Q. What does right of burial mean?

The right of burial is held by the person named on the lair certificate. This person must give permission before any burial or memorial work can take place.

From 1 March 2026, new burial rights in Scotland will be granted for 25 years. After this, the right holder can apply to extend the right for another 10 years and further extensions of 10 year periods can be requested thereafter.

Q. How will I know when the right of burial is due to expire?

We will send a reminder to the contact address on our records at least 3 months before the burial right is due to end. The reminder will explain when the right ends and how to apply for an extension. If no extension is requested, the burial right will end.

Please keep your contact details up to date so we can send important information to you.

Q. Can I purchase the right of burial in advance?

No. New lairs are only available when they are needed for a burial. Only one lair can be bought at that time.

Q. Can I choose where a new lair will be?

No. Bereavement Services staff choose the lair to help manage the cemetery safely and efficiently. We will consider any specific request where possible.

Q. How many burials can take place in a lair?

There is no guarantee of how many burials can take place in a lair. This can depend on things such as coffin size and ground conditions.

Q. Can ashes be buried in a lair?

Yes. Ashes can be buried or scattered under the turf in a lair. The registered lair owner must give permission, as they would for a coffin burial.

Q. Can I place kerbing or fencing at the lair?

No. Kerbing or fencing is not allowed on the burial area of a lair. Any items must stay within the headstone border area and must not spread onto nearby lairs. This helps us maintain the cemetery safely.

Q. Can I plant trees or plants at the lair?

Please do not plant trees, shrubs or bushes at the lair. They can make cemetery maintenance more difficult and may affect the stability of nearby headstones or memorials.

Q. Can I place artificial turf on the lair?

No. Artificial turf is not allowed on lairs. It can make grounds maintenance difficult and may get caught in grass-cutting equipment.

Q. Can I maintain the lair by myself?

No. Individuals or private companies are not allowed to maintain lairs. Cemetery maintenance is carried out by the council.

Q. When will turf by laid on the lair?

After a burial, the lair will be turfed or grass seeded. This depends on the time of year and the weather.

Q. When I visited my lair it appeared to have been disturbed and the turf removed, what has happened?

It may be that the lair next to yours has been excavated for an interment to take place. Unfortunately, there are times when the lair shoring is removed to allow a lair to be backfilled that the ground subsides, this is a natural process that can occur when conducting burials, excavations and backfill of lairs. Be assured that the lair itself has not been disturbed and any subsidence which has occurred has not disturbed the interment within your lair.

Q. How can I arrange a headstone at the lair?

You can arrange a headstone or memorial through a monumental sculptor. Anyone carrying out memorial work in a South Lanarkshire Council cemetery must be registered with the council’s Memorial Mason Registration Scheme and must have a permit for each item of work.

Q. Who is responsible for any repairs to the headstone?

Headstones and memorials are placed at the right holder’s own risk, so it is advisable to consider suitable insurance cover. The council carries out headstone inspections on a five-year rolling programme. If a headstone is found to be unsafe, action will be taken to reduce the risk to cemetery visitors and staff. A notice will be placed on the headstone and, where possible, the right holder will be contacted. More information about the council’s headstone inspection programme is available on the headstone inspection programme page.

Q. What happens if an unauthorised headstone or memorial is placed at the lair?

We carry out routine cemetery inspections and will contact the recorded lair owner if we find an unauthorised headstone or memorial. If the item is not removed when requested, the council may remove it, and the person who arranged the work may have to pay the reasonable removal costs. As the burial authority, the council has the right to remove unauthorised memorials under section 5 of the Burial (Management) (Scotland) Regulations 2025.

Q. Can I take my dog into the cemetery?

Yes, dogs are permitted in the cemetery, but they must be kept on a lead and under control at all times. Please clean up any dog fouling and keep dogs a respectful distance from lairs and memorials. Issues such as dog fouling or out of control dogs should be reported to the council’s Environmental Section on 0303 123 1015 or through the council website.