Legal procedures  

By law all deaths occurring in England and Wales must be registered. A death should be registered as soon as possible to allow funeral arrangements to go ahead.

When someone dies and the doctor had attended that person during their illness the cause of death will be clear and the doctor will issue a medical certificate that states the cause of death. This will be in a sealed envelope addressed to the registrar. The doctor will also provide a formal notice which states that the doctor has signed the medical certificate and tells you how to get the death registered.

If the body is to be cremated, the doctor will arrange for the signature of a second doctor, which is required to complete the cremation certificate.

If the death was sudden, violent or accidental then it is probable that it will be referred to the coroner by the doctor or by the police.

When registering a death with the Registrar, you will amongst other things receive a Green Form. Once you have this, or the Coroner's Order for Burial a funeral director can organise your choice of arrangements, or you can make arrangements yourself. In either case, the Green Form or the Coroner's Order for Burial has to be sent to us so that we can return the relevant part of the form to the Registrar following the burial. Native Woodland keeps an independent record of the burial and the location of the grave for reference.