In an extraordinary but perfectly legal arrangement the deeds for Eleanor Rigby's grave are up for sale, which means you could be buried beside the woman who inspired The Beatles' hit song of the same name.
According to The Guardian, the deeds for the grave go on sale at an auction next month.
Eleanor Rigby was buried in St Peter’s churchyard in Woolton, Liverpool, where Paul McCartney first met John Lennon at a church fete.
A certificate of purchase and a receipt for the grave space will be for sale in a lot with a miniature bible, dated 1899, with the name Eleanor Rigby written inside. They are expected to sell for between £2,000 (€2,193) and £4,000 (€4,386).
Also up for auction is the original handwritten score for the song, which appeared on The Beatles 1966 album Revolver, is expected to fetch £20,000 (€21,934.)
"Each item is fantastic, unique and of significant historical importance in itself so to have both to come up for auction at the same time is an incredible coincidence and it will be exciting to see how they perform," said Paul Fairweather from Omega Auctions.
"I expect there to be fierce bidding from across the globe."
Eleanor Rigby’s name became iconic in the song which reputedly celebrated her life and was originally released as the B-side of the single Yellow Submarine in 1966.
McCartney reportedly said at one point that it was simply a name that came to him. But it later emerged that it was inscribed on a headstone in the graveyard which he and Lennon used to regularly use as a shortcut.
The deeds for the grave space, bought in October 1915 by Eleanor’s grandmother Frances, were recently discovered by a relative when the estate of two of Eleanor’s half-sisters was left to the family.
She is buried in the same grave as various family members, including her grandparents, whom she lived with until she died on October 10, 1939, aged 44.
When someone buys a grave space in England they are usually granted an "exclusive right of burial" for 99 years.
Once the rights have expired, no further burials can take place until the grave is purchased again. The law allows the disturbance of human remains after 75 years from the date of the last full burial in the grave. The last person to be buried in Eleanor Rigby’s family grave was laid to rest in 1949, 68 years ago.
In theory, the individual who buys the deeds could be buried alongside the Rigby family in seven years’ time.
