Memorials
There is no legal right to place a memorial in a churchyard. Permission must be obtained from the Chancellor of the Diocese, acting on behalf of the Bishop. The normal method of applying for permission for a memorial would be to apply for a Faculty (see Faculty Applications). However, this is rarely necessary, because the Chancellor has given authority to local clergy, through the Diocesan Churchyard Regulations, to allow memorials which fall within the guidelines set out in the Regulations. For cases falling outside the Regulations, there is a simplified procedure for applying to the Chancellor for permission to introduce a memorial into a churchyard.
The Diocese is keen to encourage good quality interesting and imaginative memorials within its churchyards, and those considering memorials are recommended to visit the website of the charity Memorials By Artists for ideas and suggestions about appropriate memorials, and names of individual masons. The members of the National Association of Memorial Masons work to accredited standards, and the Association will provide contact information for memorial masons working within the Diocese.
Diocesan Churchyard Regulations
The Churchyard Regulations can be found on the following page, or an Application form for a new memorial is below:
Testing of Churchyard Memorials
PCC's should note that they have a responsibility for ensuring the safety of their churchyards, including any memorials, and should undertake a regular check to identify any potential problems. If a memorial has been identified as presenting a risk to health or safety, advice should be sought from the Diocesan Registrar as to how this should be dealt with.
Memorials inside Churches
As a general rule, the erection of memorials inside churches is not normally permitted. Anyone wishing to erect a memorial inside a church must apply for a Faculty, and must satisfy the Chancellor that a departure from the normal rule is justifiable, for example, because the person to be commemorated was a major benefactor of the church, or made some major contribution to the church or parish, or was an important local or national figure, etc.
Cremated Remains and Plaques
Published on: 26/07/2011
New and updated across the site: