Grant of Private Grave in perpetuity - how to bring it to an end

[Sallythedog]

I've looked online, but with limited success, and I'm hoping there's somebody here who can help me. I have the documentation for a Grant of Private Grave in perpetuity dated 1942. It belonged to family friends (all now deceased) and my mother was noted as joint owner in 1955. My mother died in 1994, my father in 1995, and I was the sole legatee.

I wanted to give the document to the relevant local studies library, but because the grant is in perpetuity, they are unable to accept it. There are no surviving members of the original family. I have discovered that perpetuity in this context generally means 100 years, but can be 75 if no burial has taken place in that time. I'm assuming that the last burial was in fact in 1955 when my mother was made joint owner, in order to enable the last member of the original family to be interred. In fact, she wasn't, by her own wish, she was cremated elsewhere.

Is there anybody able to advise me how I can, in effect, bring perpetuity to an end? The document is very pretty, and in the original envelope, and I don't want to just put it in the bin.

My grandfather bought one in about 1900 for his family. I have the original deed and it lasts 500 years (not perpetual). I am keeping it safely here but have scanned it for the family to keep.

If both parties to an agreement agree you can vary by deed most agreements. So if it is a deed granted by the council to your family then a deed could vary that or bring it to an end although it may require you to keep up the grave and tidy it and be liable of a stone falls on someone then they may not want you to terminate the deed actually so they would not necessarily agree.

Not to take away from the OP's dilemma, but this

Is there anybody able to advise me how I can, in effect, bring perpetuity to an end?

deserves a special place in the list of problems MN has been asked to solve over the last 15 years.