Bereavement Services - burial and cremation

If there is no known family of the deceased, contact should be made with the Ultimus Haeres Unit at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. This unit will make preliminary enquiries to trace any family and investigate details of any potential estate relating to the deceased. They can be contacted at:

The National Ultimus Haeres Unit
Procurator Fiscal Office
Cameronian House
4/5 Almada Street
Hamilton
ML3 0HG

Phone: 0300 020 4196 or 0141 420 8804

Email: _nationalultimushaeresunit@copfs.gov.uk

No family or no one is willing or able to make funeral arrangements?

When there is no known family (after Ultimus Haeres Unit has completed their enquiries) or no one willing or able to arrange a funeral, we will provide a council-organised funeral. These services are only arranged by us when:

• the deceased died within South Lanarkshire local authority area
• or the deceased was receiving assistance from us but was within another local authority area.

When planning for a council-organised funeral we will consider and discuss with family or friends the religion or belief of the deceased and any wishes they may have held regarding burial or cremation. If there is no information to indicate the deceased wished to be buried, the service will be arranged as a cremation.

Should they wish, family and friends can attend the funeral. When a cremation service is being arranged, music can be chosen by the family or friends, and, following cremation, the ashes can be collected by a named individual.

In general any burial taking place will be in common ground (this is the term for ground within a cemetery where the right of burial is not held by an individual but by the local authority). However, if the deceased themself has the right of burial or a registered lair owner is willing to authorise an interment, the burial can take place in a named lair.

Contact information

The burial and cremation services for the council are operated and managed by the Bereavement Services team. They can be contacted on 0303 123 1016 or by email at bereavement.services@southlanarkshire.gov.uk