Burials
North Ayrshire Council has 38 cemeteries, 10 of which are in regular use, and our records start from around 1855 onwards, when the primary legislation was introduced.
Our cemeteries offer a variety of services including:
Full burial(FB)
Memorial gardens for cremated remains(CR)
Memorial gardens for babies(B)
Woodland or meadow burial (W/M)
Full Burial Lair (FB) : A full burial is available in each one of our operational cemeteries and provides interment or burial, of up to three full size adult coffins. This is described as a new lair or grave and these are normally selected by cemetery staff. Sometimes the capacity of the lair can be limited this may be because of rock or drainage or other reasons, the owner of the lair will be advised of any such limitations, through the funeral director, before any burial takes place. Once the lair has reached it's capacity there is normally sufficient space for ashes or Cremated Remains and a lair will have capacity for up to six eight caskets of cremated remains.
Cremated Remains Lair: A cremated remains lair carries the same Exclusive Rights of Burial as a full burial lair but with the exception that interments are restricted to cremated remains. As with a full burial lair the right to erect a memorial is also provided for a cremated remains lair.
Gardens of Remembrance (CR) : are for the burial of cremated remains and are available in Largs, Millport, Knadgerhill and Ardrossan. These are areas set aside for ashes and each grave allows the burial of up to six caskets.
Memorial Gardens for Babies (B): We have special areas for Baby Burials in Largs Brisbane Glen, Ardrossan, Kilbirnie and Knadgerhill. There are 2 options available - a private baby lair or a shared baby lair. The private lair allows you to erect a small memorial and will usually accommodate 2 baby interments and up to 4 cremation caskets. There is no fee for the interment of your baby or their cremated remains but there is a fee for the purchase of the lair as well as the cost of any memorial and subsequent burial of cremated remains. The shared lair is provided in a dedicated area where you are able to have your baby buried in a lair shared with other babies. In this setting there is no opportunity to include the cremated remains of other adult family members at a later date. This area is maintained as an open lawn area so there is no option of a memorial here however if you wish your baby's name recorded on a central memorial, this can be arranged.
Woodland or Meadow Burial (W/M): This is a grave opened for one burial after which a tree is planted on the grave. No memorial is permitted on these lairs however wild flowers may be planted on the lair. A wide choice of coffin is available for burial in general however, for woodland burials, these can be made of wicker, willow, cardboard or even recycled paper.
Scattering of Cremated Remains is allowed on a previously bought lair and is normally carried out by cemetery staff.
Some of our cemeteries are full and cannot accept new lairs. These are marked C on the list below.
List of cemeteries
Ardrossan Cemetery Sorbie Road, Ardrossan (FB,CR,B, W/M)
Beith Cemetery Kings Road, Beith (FB)
Dalry Cemetery West Kilbride Road, Dalry(FB)
Dreghorn Cemetery Station Brae, Dreghorn (FB)
Hawkhill Cemetery Kilwinning Road, Stevenston (FB)
Kilbirnie Cemetery Kirkland Road, Kilbirnie (FB, B)
Kilwinning Cemetery Glasgow Road, Kilwinning (FB)
Knadgerhill Cemetery Stanecastle, Irvine (FB, CR, B)
Largs Cemetery Dalry Road, Largs (FB, CR, C)
Brisbane Glen Cemetery Brisbane Glen Rd, Largs (FB, CR, B W/M)
West Kilbride Cemetery Drummilling Rd, West Kilbride (FB)
Shewalton Cemetery Ayr Rd, Irvine Irvine (FB)
Old Parish Churchyard Townhead, Irvine (FB,C)
Kilbirnie Barony Churchyard Kirkland Road, Kilbirnie (C)
West Kilbride Barony Churchyard Main St, West Kilbride (C)
Dalry St Margaret's Churchyard The Cross, Dalry (C)
Beith Auld Kirk Main St, Beith (C)
Millport New Cemetery Golf Road, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae (FB, CR)
Millport Old Cemetery Golf Road, Millport, Isle of Cumbrae (FB,C)
Kilwinning Abbey Churchyard Main St, Kilwinning (C)
Largs Skelmorlie Aisle Main St, Largs (C)
Stevenston High Kirk Caledonia Road, Stevenston (C)
Beith High Kirk Beith (C)
Stevenston New Street New St, Stevenston (FB)
Saltcoats Museum Saltcoats (C)
Old Head St Churchyard Beith (C)
Brodick New Cemetery Brodick, Isle of Arran (FB)
Brodick Old Cemetery Brodick Isle of Arran (C)
Kilbride Churchyard Lamlash, Isle of Arran (C)
Lamlash New Cemetery Lamlash, Isle of Arran (FB)
Lamlash Old Cemetery Lamlash, Isle of Arran (FB)
Shiskine New Cemetery Shiskine, Isle of Arran (FB)
Shiskine Old Cemetery Shiskine, Isle of Arran (FB)
Sannox Cemetery Sannox Isle of Arran (FB)
Lochranza Churchyard Lochranza, Isle of Arran (FB)
Kilmory Churchyard Kilmory, Isle of Arran (FB)
Whitefarland Cemetery Isle of Arran (FB)
Thundergay Cemetery Isle of Arran (C)