MEMORIALS
Memorials in Churchyards
Memorial Application Forms
Diocesan Churchyards Regulations
Testing Memorials in Churchyards
Memorials Inside Churches
Stonemasons and Funeral Directors
Memorials in Churchyards
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 Jurisdiction). However, this is rarely necessary, because (a) the Chancellor has given authority to the clergy, through the Diocesan Churchyards Regulations, to allow memorials which fall within the guidelines set out in the Regulations, and (b) for cases falling outside the Regulations, there has for many years been in the Diocese of Peterborough an informal procedure for applying to the Chancellor for permission to introduce a memorial into a churchyard.
Memorial Application Forms
The informal procedure for applying for approval of a memorial involves the completion of a special memorial application form. These forms were until November 2004 only available to clergy, and not to stonemasons and funeral directors, so as to encourage applicants to visit their clergy and obtain the forms, which would give the clergy an opportunity of explaining which kinds of memorials can be approved by clergy under the Regulations. However, there has been an increasing trend for stonemasons to send details of proposed memorials on their headed notepaper direct to the Diocesan Registry, without using the proper form, which has resulted in unnecessary correspondence and delay when not all the information required by the prescribed form has been given. Therefore, the Chancellor has decided that the application form should be freely available to clergy, stonemasons and applicants, so that all the relevant information can be entered on the form. The attached form is a revised version of the forms which have been supplied to clergy. Clergy may still use existing stocks of the unrevised form, but are encouraged to print and use the revised form.
Memorial Application
Form in Acrobat format
Memorial Application Form in Word format
Upon receipt of an application form, the Registrar will normally send a copy of the form to the Archdeacon and request his advice to the Chancellor, before submitting the application to the Chancellor for consideration. In due course the Chancellor’s decision will be communicated to the applicant or the stonemason.
Applicants are advised to consult their local Minister before visiting the stonemason and choosing a memorial, so that the Minister can advise as to which types of memorial are appropriate to a particular churchyard, and which can be authorised by the Minister. The Minister can also advise on inscriptions.
Diocesan Churchyards Regulations
To view, print or save a copy of the Churchyards Regulations, click one of the following:
Full copy of the Churchyards Regulations
Summary of the Churchyards Regulations
As the Summary fits on to a single side of A4 paper, Parochial Church Councils may like to consider displaying a copy of the Summary in the church porch or on the church notice board. The Registrar will be pleased to supply laminated copies of the Summary for display outside.
Anyone wishing to place a memorial in a churchyard should consult the Minister of the church before placing an order with a stonemason. The Churchyards Regulations set out the types of memorial which the Chancellor of the Diocese has authorised the clergy to permit. The minister can advise as to which types of memorial are normally allowed.
All parish clergy should have a supply of memorial application forms, which are supplied by Peterborough Diocesan Board of Finance. The forms are not supplied to stonemasons and so anyone wishing to introduce a memorial into a churchyard is advised to consult the Minister in the first instance, so that he or she can advise on what types of memorial the clergy can permit on the Chancellor’s behalf, and which types need to be the subject of an application to the Chancellor for approval. Where an application to the Chancellor is necessary, the Minister can supply the application form to the applicant.
No fees are payable to the Diocesan Registry when an application for approval of a memorial is made using the memorial application form supplied to the clergy. Fees will only be payable if the Chancellor decides in a particular case that the appropriate method of application should be by way of Petition for a Faculty, for example, in a case where the design of a proposed memorial is such that the Chancellor feels that he needs the advice of the Diocesan Advisory Committee, or if the proposed design is likely to be contentious.
Testing of Churchyard Memorials
Attached are some Notes for Guidance for PCCs wishing to topple-test and repair memorials which appear to be unsafe.
For a discussion of the issues involved in and procedure required for the testing of memorials, see the transcript of a talk entitled Churchyard Monuments and Health and Safety, given by Raymond Hemingray, Registrar of the Diocese of Peterborough, to the Eastern Region Meeting for Diocesan Secretaries held at the Diocesan Office, Ely, Cambridgeshire, on Wednesday 16 November 2005. (Please note that this document is in Acrobat format. If you do not have the Acrobat Reader installed on your computer, you can download a copy by going to the Home Page and clicking on the Acrobat icon near the bottom left of the page.)
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.
Stonemasons and Funeral Directors
Attached is a list of stonemasons and funeral directors who work in the Diocese. The list was prepared some years ago, and so some of the information may be out of date. Any stonemason or funeral director whose details have changed, or who is not on the list and wishes to be added, should send details to the postal or email address on the Contact Us page. We will be happy to amend and republish the list.