Deaths, funerals and cremations
Advice and information to help you register a death, arrange a funeral including information about financial support that could be available to you.
- Registering a death
You can make an appointment to register a death by contacting Dorset Registration Service on 01305/01202 225153.
- Tell us once - when someone has died
When someone has died we can help you tell the people who need to know.
- Death - copy certificates and historical searches
Information about historical death registrations including what to do if you want to search the death indexes for Dorset or obtain a copy of a death certificate.
- Coping with bereavement
Losing someone close to you is always traumatic - and it can be very difficult to focus on practical issues when you are grieving. Here are some links to advice and information to guide you through this difficult time.
- Funeral - civil
A civil funeral is a celebration reflecting the wishes of the deceased and their family.
- Funerals - independent
You can arrange a funeral without the help of a funeral director.
- Funerals - low cost
If you're on a low income and need financial help to pay for a funeral you're arranging, you may be able to get a one-off funeral payment from the Social Fund. You might have to repay some or all of it from the estate of the person who died.
- Funeral costs for Christchurch Cemetery
Fees and charges for 1 April 2011 - 31 March 2012.
- Funeral records
There are various ways of obtaining records of funerals.
- Weymouth and Portland Crematorium
The Bereavement Services Division of Weymouth and Portland Borough Council is located at the Weymouth Crematorium, Quibo Lane, Weymouth.
- Stillbirth - registering
Information about registering a stillbirth in Dorset, including how and where to register.
- Memorial construction
Memorials may be erected on graves which have exclusive rights of burial.
- Death - repatriation of bodies - England and Wales
Information about bringing the body of a deceased person into England or Wales
- Death - repatriation of bodies - abroad
Information about taking a body of a deceased person out of England or Wales
- Exhuming a deceased body
Exhumations are generally rare and tend to be traumatic for the family involved. They can take a long time to arrange and are usually expensive. For these reasons, it is always best to consult with all the relatives before proceeding.
