Online Obituaries & Death Notices in the UK (2024)

FAQs

How to find an obituary for someone in the UK? ›

Most commonly you can find death notices (or obituaries) in UK newspapers, both printed copies and online. Local newspapers will often contain notices for those who've passed away in the local area but national newspapers, such as The Times and The Telegraph, also run obituaries.

Death records in the UK are public, and you can access information online through platforms like GOV.UK, publicrecordsearch.co.uk, and deceasedonline.com. Here at Union Wills, we are developing our own free death record search tool, enhancing the resources available to you.

Some funeral directors list recent and upcoming funerals (for example, Co-operative Funeralcare). If you know where the deceased lived and died, you can also contact local funeral homes for information. Otherwise, you may be able to find details of a funeral online at sites such as: Funeral Notices.

“Our beloved [full name] tragically left us on [date of death]. Loved and missed by [list of family members]. [First name]'s passion for [hobbies/interests] touched all who knew them. Contributions to [charity], a cause close to their heart, are appreciated.”

The GRO provides a public index that lists basic details of every death recorded in England and Wales since 1837.

Is placing a deceased estates notice essential? It's not a legal requirement to place a deceased estates notice, but it is advisable, and most solicitors place them as a matter of course (in a 2016 Gazette survey, 80 per cent of probate professionals always placed one if acting as professional executor).

Under UK legislation, death certificates are designated as 'public records', and as such anyone can request a duplicate certificate to be produced.

How long after death does a funeral typically take place? In the UK, a funeral is typically held around one or two weeks after the death, although the actual time may depend on many factors including personal preference, religion and the Funeral Director or crematoria's availability.

How can I find out where someone is buried UK for free? ›

Deceased Online is the only national database dedicated to statutory burial and cremation records. Millions of burial and cremation records are available to search for free on www.deceasedonline.com, supplied directly from local authorities and private cemeteries and crematoria from all over the UK.

It is illegal to linger after a funeral – UK law states

Perhaps the harshest and saddest UK law that states you are not allowed to linger after a funeral. This comes after 2015 when a man stayed an extra 20 minutes at his wife's funeral and was charged a harsh £160 just so gravediggers could continue with their work.

www.funeral-notices.co.uk has thousands of death notices open to the public, and it's as easy as typing a name into the search. Sites such as www.ancestry.co.uk can be useful when searching for details of someone who died a long time ago.

When writing an obituary, leave out details that could be used for identity theft, such as the deceased's date and place of birth, middle name, maiden name and mother's maiden name. And don't include the deceased's home address.

General collection information

This Newspapers.com™ index contains newspaper obituaries published in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland from the 1800s until now. Some are simply published versions of tombstones, with names, birthdates, and death dates.

If someone dies at home unexpectedly

Call 999 immediately and explain what's happened. If the cause of death is unclear or unnatural, for example as the result of an accident, or the person hadn't been seen by a doctor during their last illness, the death will need to be reported to a coroner.

Deceased Online is the only national database dedicated to statutory burial and cremation records. Millions of burial and cremation records are available to search for free on www.deceasedonline.com, supplied directly from local authorities and private cemeteries and crematoria from all over the UK.