Churchyard regulations

The churchyard regulations we work to are those of the Chester Diocese of the Church of England (see here). They are intended to ensure that our churchyards are kept in a fitting state, and to make the work of keeping them like that as easy as possible. The regulations should also ensure that safe access to individual graves is maintained, and that individual headstones, etc., are in a safe condition.

The basic rules (in summary form) are as follows:

• You must have the vicar's written permission before
· introducing any new memorial (gravestone, vase, etc.);
· altering or replacing an existing one;
· having any repairs carried out.
This may be obtained usually via the stonemasons or the funeral directors, all of whom are very knowledgeable about the regulations governing our churchyards.

• Memorials must be constructed and installed in accordance with the Recommended Code of Working Practice issued by the National Association of Memorial Masons and with British Standard BS8415.

• Headstones must be made from natural stone in keeping with the rest of the churchyard and not exceed 4' in height from ground level (or less as per local guidelines).

• Horizontal memorials, or stone tablets or vases marking cremated remains, are permitted in some churchyards and must be flush with the ground such that mowers may pass over them without damaging either.

• All inscriptions must be simple and reverent and receive the prior written approval of the minister.

• Photographs or any other representations of the deceased are not permitted.

• Statuary and other sculptures are not permitted under the Regulations.

• Enclosures such as Kerbs, fences, railings, posts or chains are not permitted.

• Stone Chippings, gravel, artificial turf or similar are not permitted.

• Trees, shrubs and plants are not permitted. Good quality artificial flowers are, but may be removed if faded.

• Vases (stone or metal only) should be placed on the memorial plinth or cremated remains tablet.

• The surface of a newly-dug grave will be levelled after six months.

• Wreaths and floral tributes may be laid on the grave and cut flowers placed in metal or stone vases.

• Repairs to gravestones must be undertaken by a qualified memorial mason. The graves in our churchyards are inspected periodically. A notice is placed on them if any movement is found to be outside the prescribed tolerances. If nothing is done within the given timeframe, we may have to lay any upright stone flat on health and safety grounds. If you find such a notice attached to a grave you tend, please get in touch with a memorial mason to discuss its repair. (NB: A memorial may be found sufficiently unstable that the risk of it falling on someone warrants immediate action. In this case we will do our best to contact family if we have any details.)

Cremated remains

Cremated remains are usually interred at a later date after the funeral service, whether this was held at a church or at a crematorium. Cremated remains may be interred in an existing grave, or in a garden of rest or similar plot. However, they must not simply be scattered on the surface of the ground, but must be interred, either by a minister or an undertaker. Arrangements for such an interment may only be made after consultation with the minister responsible for the given churchyard, via one of the local undertakers.

A burial of ashes is recorded just as a normal burial is. That record is available in the burial and grave registers for future posterity or, indeed, to locate graves or cremation plots for further interments.

Memorial masons

We are pleased to work with our local memorial masons, and recommend them equally. They know the churchyard regulations and so can advise you of what is permissible, whether you wish to install or repair a memorial, or add an inscription to one.

There will be an application for any kind of work, to be approved and signed by the Rector. The memorial mason will advise you and also handle any church fees (detailed under a separate sub-menu item).

Moorside Memorials Unit 8-14 Albion Mill Havannah Street Buglawton Congleton Cheshire CW12 2AQ 01260 295435

Congleton Memorials Vale View, Banky Fields Congleton Cheshire CW12 4BZ 07595 919638

Finding a grave

Family history is important to many people, and locating graves of past generations can be an absorbing hobby. We are happy to assist with such enquiries as and when time allows. The need to locate a grave for an imminent interment would tend to take priority, for example! There is actually a fee for this service, currently £ for a 'straightforward' search, reflecting the time that such searches take. Searching records on a computer can be quicker, and so we invite a donation to the Parish.

Starting point for any search, apart from a name, is an exact as possible date of burial. There are two steps to locating a grave. Firstly, an entry must be found in the burial registers, which are in date order. Knowing the year is a start, but after that you are searching for the name. Hence it can take a while. With each entry in the burial register should be a grave reference. This can then be looked up in the relevant grave register. These are registers of graves, so list all the people whose remains were buried in any particular grave. Each entry should have a cross-reference back to the relevant burial register entry. (There are registers for burial plots (graves) and cremation plots or Garden of Rest (tablet or vase).)

In the case of St Peter's, our burial registers go back to 1913, though the 1913-36 register unfortunately does not have the cross-reference to the grave registers. The latter go back to the 1895 cemetery extension. Prior to that, the burial registers have been deposited with the Cheshire Record Office. Of the oldest graves round the church, we have some written information that local family history society and other volunteers have put together over the years. The family history society catalogued the graves round St Stephen's church in 2001.

Where such information has made it as far as a computer, searching for names becomes much easier. It is our hope that in time (probably a very long time), the information we have can be made available online to search. In the meantime, please direct any enquiries to us by email, with as much information (names, dates, which churchyard) as possible. The Parish administrator or a volunteer will undertake or arrange a search to be made at the individual church in question as soon as time allows. (NB: This email is only for finding the location of a grave. If you have any other churchyard queries or wish to let us know about a problem, please use this email, including which churchyard with your query.)

The following links may be of interest (open in a new window):
Cheshire Archives Office
- St John's Buglawton
- St Stephen's
- St Peter's
- Holy Trinity Mossley
UK & Ireland Genealogy
ancestry.co.uk
findmypast.co.uk
familysearch.org
Cheshire Archives family history links

Churchyard fees

The application fees relating to any kind of memorial work in the churchyard are laid down by the Church of England. In part, they reflect the time spent by the incumbent and others in checking that applications fall within the prescribed guidelines, approving and returning copies of the application forms, etc. This part of the fee goes to the diocese towards the incumbent's stipend. The remaining fee goes to the church council towards the upkeep of the churchyard.

Fees concerning memorial and other applications are as set out below. In most cases, we receive our fees via the memorial stonemasons.

Current churchyard fees:	£
Small cross of wood
Small vase not exceeding 305mm x 203mm x 203mm (12" x 8" x 8")
Tablet, plaque or other marker commemorating a person whose remains have been cremated
Any other monument
Additional inscription on an existing memorial