Bereavement is a universal experience which everyone will go through in their own unique way and for over 112 year Douglas Borough Council have offered the bereaved and their families a professional and caring service when it is needed most. 

Douglas Borough cemetery was opened in 1899 with the first burial taking place on the 1st June 1899.  The provision of a crematorium was first considered in 1939 but with the outbreak of WWII no further progress was made until 1958, then, on the 12th December 1961 the Isle of Man's first cremation was carried out after the original Borough chapel had undergone the necessary changes to allow for cremations. 

In late 2014 the crematorium and cemetery underwent a major refurbishment of both the chapel and cemetery paths, with the work being completed in 2016.

 Services Information

Cremation services are held on Wednesdays, Thursday and Fridays at the tollowing times:-

10.00am, 10.45am, 11.30am, 1.15pm and 2.00pm.

Burials can be held during the week between the hours of:-

Monday to Thursday: 10.00am to 3.00pm 

Friday:  10.00am to 2.30pm

Saturday:  9.00am to 11.00am

Burials at the Borough Cemetery are now limited to those with existing graves, all new graves are now situated at the Lawn Cemetery on Johnny Watterson's lane

Services can be held at either of the Borough Chapels, whether you want a religious service, humanist service or no service at all, staff will be happy to help with your request. The main chapel can seat 89 people with the overflow room seating up to 45 and both are wheelchair friendly. The Lawn chapel can accommodate up to 80 seated and is wheelchair accessible.  An organ is available for use and we have a sound system complete with iTunes, we can also play any  music that you may have on CD/memory stick, additionally singers or bands can be accommodated.

Cremated Remains Plots

Spaces for the interment of cremated remains are available at both the Borough Cemetery and the Lawn Cemetery situated on Johnny Watterson's lane, although spaces are now limited at the Borough Cemetery.  Each plot is suitable for two interments.

Book of Remembrance

The Book of Remembrance provides a simple and lasting memorial and is on display 365 days a year in the book of remembrance froom located at the front ot the Borough Cemetery chapel, opening times are from:-

8.00am until 15.50pm

The book is leather bound with the pages being made form vellum.  There are two pages for each day of the year and the pages are turned daily by staff.  If you are unable to make it on the day your entry appears, our staff are more than happy to turn the book for you.  Please note that the book is in three volumes each holding a quarter of the year, thus if the January to April book is in situ for viewing then the May to August volume will be away for inscribing and therefore not available for viewing.

Entries into the book are based on the date the deceased passed away, application forms are available at the Bereavement Services office and Town Hall or alternatively you can apply by using the menu on the right.

Example of page entry   Zoomed entry

Bronze Plaques/Memorial Roses

You may purchase a bronze plaque to be situated in the gardens of remembrance at the Borough Cemetery.

Each plaque contains a maximum of 60 characters which you can use to commemorate your loved one.  Bronze plaques can take up to 6 months from the date of ordering until they are installed on the wall and each plaque goes in rotation so it is not possilbe to request a specific spot, you can however choose to replace an old plaque with a newer plaque if you so wish and in this instance we ask that you contact the Cemetery office in order that the original location can be verified.

Application forms are available from the Bereavement Services office and Town Hall or from the menu on the right.

You can also choose to purchase a rose and plaque to be planted in the garden of remembrance, these are quaranteed for a period of 10 years.

Application forms are availalbe form the Bereavement Services office.

We hope that you have found this information useful but if you have any questions or require any advice please don't hesitate to contact the Bereavement Services office on the number showm on the right hand menu.

The Borough Cemeteries are open every day form 8.00am to 16.00pm.

Office hours are:-

Monday to Thursday: 8.00am to 4.00pm

Friday:  8.00am to 3.30pm

The price list for Crematorium services can be viewed by downloading the price list on the right-hand side of this page.