Hadlow Cemetery Rules - Hadlow Parish Council

Rules for the management of Hadlow Cemetery

Selection and Ownership of Graves
1. Every interment shall take place in a private grave (also known as purchased graves).
2. People wishing to purchase a private grave via an Exclusive Rights of Burial Certificate (or Grant Deed) should contact the Parish Office.
3. A private grave will not be opened without the owner’s consent in writing.
4. The owner of a private grave may transfer the right of burial, subject to consultation with the Parish Office and payment of the appropriate fee.
5. Any person claiming to be the owner of a private grave will be given a certificate of ownership on production of satisfactory evidence of title and payment of the appropriate fee.
6. Where no interment has taken place in a purchased grave, the Parish Council may agree to re-purchase the burial rights at the original purchase price.
Types of Graves
1. General & Children’s Graves
  Exclusive rights of burial in a grave shall be leased for a period of 99 years. This includes the right to erect a headstone, kerb or monument memorial. Planting with annual bedding plants may take place.
2. The Interment and Disposal of Cremated Remains
  It may be possible to inter cremated remains in some graves provided the person making the request is the rightful owner of the grant deed. For further information contact the Parish Office. [New graves cannot normally be purchased for the interment of single cremated remains].
3. Garden of Rest
  Plots in the Garden of Rest are for single depth interment of cremated remains; however a second plot may be reserved next to the first on prepayment of the appropriate fee.
  Memorials incorporating flower holders are permitted, for example:
  However no other vases or ornaments are allowed
Character of Coffins
1. Only bio-degradable coffins shall normally be used for interments in any grave.
2. In the case of a person dying from an infectious disease, the body must be enclosed in a properly waterproofed coffin and taken direct to the grave.
3. The Council supports environmentally sound practices including burials in cardboard coffins or shrouds.
Regulations Regarding Interments
1. Written notice of any intended interment must be delivered to the Parish Office 48 hours in advance of the burial.
2. A notice of interment must contain the following particulars as requested on the Hadlow Cemetery Application for Interment form (available from the Parish office):
  - The Forename(s) and surname, last place of residence, age, date and place of death of person to be interred.
  - Grave or Garden of Rest plot number (as advised by Parish Office).
  - The day and hour of the intended interment.
  - The name of the Minister (if any) who is to officiate.
3. Fees and charges will be applied as agreed by the Parish Council. Please note that charges do not include digging of grave which should be arranged through the funeral director.
4. Where the interment is to take place in a purchased grave, the Parish Office will require the exclusive right of burial grant deed in advance and, if necessary the written consent of the owner or owner’s representative.
  Where the deceased to be buried is the owner of the exclusive right, the nearest relatives should contact the Parish Office after the funeral to arrange a transfer of ownership. A transfer of ownership will be required before any future burials or work to the memorial is carried out.
5. All telephone instructions should be followed up in writing by post or e-mail, otherwise the Parish Council cannot accept any responsibility.
Certificate for Burial or Cremation
1. The certificate given by the Registrar of Births and Deaths (commonly known as the Green Form) or an order of the Coroner (Form 101), certificate of stillbirth or certificate of non-liability to register or a (Form 18) MUST be delivered to the Parish Office before the burial will be allowed to take place.
  In the case of cremated remains the crematorium will issue a certificate stating that the death has been registered and that all forms and certificates relating to the cremation are held at the crematorium.
Time of Funerals
1. Funerals will normally only be permitted Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 3.00pm.
Regulations regarding Memorials
1. Memorials can only be erected on grave spaces where the exclusive rights of burial have been purchased. It is your responsibility to maintain a memorial upon a grave during the period of grave rights granted to you. All memorials must meet the Parish Council’s regulations regarding memorials. The Parish Council reserves the right to remove anything that appears detrimental to the overall appearance of the cemetery.
2. Before any memorials can be installed or works undertaken to an existing memorial, an application from the memorial mason must be submitted for approval on the appropriate form provided by the memorial mason and submitted to the Parish Office. Written authority of the grave owner is also required. Where the grave owner is deceased a transfer of ownership will be required prior to any memorial works being carried out.
  - Any application from the memorial mason for a new headstone memorial must be accompanied by:
    Name and address of the applicant (normally the owner of the right of burial)
  - Name and address of memorial mason
  - Grave details (section, plot number)
  - A drawing of the proposed memorial giving detailed dimensions of memorial, footings and bases to be used, diameter and types of dowels and details of any ground anchor to be used. All memorial work carried out must be in accordance with the relevant Code of Working Practice of The National Association of Memorial Masons/ BRAMM Blue Book and BS8415.
  - The inscription to be inserted on the memorial, showing the arrangement and style of lettering.
    General grave headstone memorials should not exceed 2ft in width and 4ft in height except in the case of a double grave when a width of 4ft will be permitted. No kerb surround will exceed 3ft in width and the overall length of the Memorial and kerb surround shall not exceed 7ft (900mm x 2100mm) and will be made of the same type of material as the head stone. The following are strictly NOT allowed: Railings, footstones, kerb, border stones, chains or other structures inclosing grave or parts of graves. A kerb should be no more than 6 inches in height.
3. A tablet memorial (for interred ashes) should not exceed 12 x 12 x 2 inches.
4. Memorials should be sound and normally of natural stone.
5. No advertisement or trademark may appear on the memorial except the name of the memorial mason who supplied it should only be on the side or on the reverse in lettering not more than 1inch high. The grave letter(s) and number must be positioned and inscribed in this manner on each memorial including vases to be installed in the Cemetery. On kerbstones the grave letter(s) and numbers must be positioned on the right hand side of the foot kerbstone.
6. All memorial inscriptions must have prior approval from the Parish Office.
7. Any amendments to any memorial require permission of the Parish Office.
8. All memorial masons must have full accreditation of the British Register of Accredited Memorial Masons (BRAMM) and use BRAMM licensed memorial fixers before they are permitted to carry out work at Hadlow Cemetery.
9. The method of fixing on site, ground support fixing for memorials and construction and the quality of materials of every memorial should comply with the relevant Code of Working Practice of the National Association of Memorial Masons’ minimum standards.
10. Memorials should be placed on the grave space with the memorial in line with the centre head position.
11. The Parish Council may remove any memorial where work has not been authorised. This may be at the owners’ expense.
12. Memorial masons should satisfy themselves as to the stability of the soil or footings and its ability to support a memorial before the memorial is erected.
13. Any works to any memorial must include the removal of spare soil or other material and leave the ground in good condition.
14. Any contractor working in the cemetery must maintain a policy of public liability insurance minimum of £5 million against all claims and actions.
15. All contractors must use the main paths in the cemetery; any damage which is caused must be repaired at the contractors’ expense.
16. All memorials erected are the sole responsibility of the owner and the Parish Council shall not be held responsible for any damage to or caused by the memorial.
17. All memorials are the responsibility of the registered owner including damage by vandalism, theft of memorials or vases, cracking or subsidence of footings. The Parish Council reserves the right to repair or make safe any memorial which is allowed to fall into disrepair or become unsightly or dangerous and recover expenses from the registered owner or the owner’s beneficiaries. Where there is no beneficiary and no money provided in the estate of a deceased person to maintain their grave and it becomes necessary to carry out repairs to their memorial, their next of kin (if known) would be asked to pay for the repairs. If no next of kin can be identified or is willing to accept responsibility then the Parish Council will decide whether to carry out any necessary repairs or if a memorial is in a dangerous condition to arrange for it to be made safe (memorials can only be removed at the end of the period of the rights).
18. If any memorial becomes unsafe, the Parish Council may write to the registered owner (or representative), advising that works are required. Subject to the condition of the memorial, the registered owner will be given 6 months (maximum) to affect the necessary repairs. After this time the Parish Council may repair or make safe the memorial at the owner’s expense. In case of immediate danger or risk arising from an unsafe memorial, the Parish Council may take remedial action at the owners’ expense.
19. A temporary wooden cross may be erected until ground conditions permit the erection of a permanent memorial. The Parish Office will be pleased to advice on appropriate styles.
Care of Graves
1. Grave spaces must be kept in a neat and tidy condition and any litter should be
  removed from the site. Any person causing damage by bringing in of any
  materials or monuments will be required to meet the cost of any repairs.
2. Any flower holders must be of non-breakable material and are left at the owners’
  risk. The Parish Council may remove any articles from any grave if they are likely
  to cause risk, damage or offence to other visitors to the cemetery.
3. The Parish Council reserves the right to remove any planting or other items from
  graves which may be dangerous or unsightly in any way.
4. Graves may contain a mixture of memorials such as headstones, full kerbs or
  monument memorials. The owner of the burial rights may plant annual bedding
  over the whole grave or it may be grassed over, but must not include tree
  planting. The ground maintenance is the responsibility of the owner of the burial
  rights and the grave space is not therefore maintained by the Parish Council. The
  Parish Council maintains the paths between graves. On very old or neglected
  graves, the Parish Council will strim the grass on the grave.

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