The Chancellor of the Diocese has issued Regulations concerning churchyards and Gardens of Remembrance, which include detailed guidance on: –
1. Memorials which may be authorised by incumbents without a faculty under delegated powers from the Chancellor
2. Memorials for which a faculty is required
3. Designs and features not permitted
4. Flowers
5. Gardens of Remembrance: –
-
Creation
-
Memorial plaques
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Re-use
For DCC/PCCs wishing to write their own Churchyard Regulations, the Diocesan Regulations are available and have the necessary guidance in the appendix.
The Chancellor has also issued a note about memorials which can be read here
PCCs can apply for a Faculty for a localised set of Churchyard REgulations using this Application Form.
A. Installing a memorial in a churchyard
If you wish to apply to install a memorial that is: -
Entirely consistent with the Regulations, you should complete the Memorial Application Form and then send it to the local priest of the churchyard concerned.
If you believe it could be inconsistent in any way with the Regulations, you should complete the Faculty Petition form and send it, accompanied by the fee of £327.40 (as at 1 January 2024) {cheques payable to Stone King LLP} to: – Mr L Coley c/o Stone King LLP Boundary House 91 Charterhouse Street London EC1M 6HR T: 0207 796 1007 E: leecoley@stoneking.co.uk
To assist those asking about a memorial, the Registry has produced a guidance note.
B. Burial of Ashes and Installing a memorial in a churchyard
You should complete the Faculty Petition form and send it, accompanied by the fee of £327.40 (as at 1 January 2024) {cheques payable to Stone King LLP} to: – Mr L Coley c/o Stone King LLP Boundary House 91 Charterhouse Street London EC1M 6HR T: 0207 796 1007 E: leecoley@stoneking.co.uk
To assist those asking about a memorial, the Registry has produced a guidance note.
C. Reservation of Gravespaces (for burial)
If you wish to reserve a gravespace in a churchyard please complete the Gravespace Application Form and send it to the Diocesan Registrar together with a cheque for the fee (currently £327.40 {as at 1 January 2024} and cheques should be made payable to “Stone King LLP”). The Gravespace Public Notice will also need to be displayed for 28 days – guidance of where to display it is included within the Notice.
N.B. All applications to reserve a grave space will be subject to the condition that a single payment of £200 must be paid to the PCC (as a contribution towards the maintenance of the Churchyard) and the faculty will not be issued until a receipt from the PCC confirming that it has been paid is submitted to the Diocesan Registrar (see address above).
To assist those enquiring about reserving a greve space, the Registry has produced a guidance note.
C. Gardens of Remembrance
Any PCC wishing to create or extend a Garden of Remembrance should read the relevant section in the Churchyard Regulations and then make an application for a Notification of Advice from the DAC via the Online Faculty System (OFS). Details of how to do this can be found on the Faculties page of the website.
The DAC will want to know: –
- Where the Garden of Remembrance will be located (or extended to)
- What that part of the churchyard looks like (photographs are really helpful)
- How it will be demarked Details of the Book of Remembrance that will be in the church (and where it will go and its display case)
- Whether there will be a central marker stone (and, if so, details of its type, size, location and inscription)
- Whether individual memorial plaques will be permitted and, if so, what the template for these will be.
- Where the Garden of Remembrance will be located (or extended to)
- What that part of the churchyard looks like (photographs are really helpful)
- How it will be demarked Details of the Book of Remembrance that will be in the church (and where it will go and its display case)
- Whether there will be a central marker stone (and, if so, details of its type, size, location and inscription)
- Whether individual memorial plaques will be permitted and, if so, what the template for these will be.
D. Churchyards Maintenance and Safety
The Diocesan Chancellor has issued guidance on: –
- Churchyards Maintenance
- Safety Memorial safety in churchyards and public cemeteries following recent developments
- Churchyards Maintenance
- Safety Memorial safety in churchyards and public cemeteries following recent developments