Although burial principally occurs in purpose designed cemeteries and churchyards, there are some exceptions. Families with large estates have routinely built a mausoleum or similar building on their land, for the burial of family members. Some individuals have been buried in farmland and others in gardens, without this becoming generally known. More recently, this form of burial has obtained media coverage and numbers have significantly increased.

There are several advantages to this form of burial. It allows you to organise a very personal funeral, in which you maintain total control, and you are able to reduce costs significantly by avoiding the need to purchase a cemetery grave.

The difficulties are also significant, although these vary according to the location. Most locations fall into two categories, on farmland and in a garden (See next sections).