Cemetery

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These regulations apply to the Sutton Bridge Cemetery, Fields Farm Road North, Sutton Bridge, PE12 9GT, which is owned and managed by Sutton Bridge Parish Council

Should you have any queries regarding these regulations please contact the Parish Clerk at:

Sutton Bridge Parish Council
The Curlew Centre
Bridge Road
Sutton Bridge
Lincolnshire
PE12 9SA

Email: clerk@suttonbridge-pc.gov.uk

Please note that the Parish Office is part-time. Contact via email is therefore recommended, as emails are monitored each working weekday.

1. General Administration

1.1. Rules & Regulations

i. The Council reserves the right, from time to time, to revise the Rules and Regulations and to deal with any circumstances or contingency not provided for in the regulations as necessary.

ii. The Council will publish a scale of fees and charge annually.

iii. These Rules and Regulations are made in conformity with, and subject to, the Local Authorities Burial Ground Order 1977 and any amendment thereof.

iv. These Rules and Regulations together with the table of fees and payments shall apply to the Sutton Bridge Garden of Rest.

1.2. Payment of Fees

i. All fees must be paid in full to the Council in advance and should be sent to the Clerk, at the address above. Cheques should be made payable to Sutton Bridge Parish Council. Please contact the office for BACS payments.  No receipts for any monies will be valid except those officially issued by the Clerk.

ii. No employee or member of the Council is allowed to take any gratuity, or to undertake paid private work of any kind in connection with the burial ground either in their own time of during their employed hours.

iii. Refunds will not be considered after deeds or certificates have been issued, or after 21 days from receipt of payment, whichever is later.

1.3. Burial

i. The Parish Council will be responsible for the administration of the Garden of Rest and will carry out statutory requirements.

ii. The Garden of Rest is on non-consecrated ground. Individual plots may be blessed at the time of burial, by private arrangement. 

iii. Residents of the Parish of Sutton Bridge may be interred in the Garden of Rest at the fees on the attached list. Prices for non-residents is also detailed on the attached list but is subject to permission being granted by the Clerk.

iv. A resident is defined as somebody who, immediately prior to their death, was a resident of the Parish, or who lived in the Parish for over ten years and moved out of the area less than 24 months before their death.

1.4. Burial Area

i. The Garden of Rest will be maintained as a “lawn” Garden of Rest i.e. there will be no kerbs, statues, vases, mounds or other obstacles to prevent or hamper mechanical mowing and general maintenance. Any such items will be removed by the Council at the expense of the owner and stored for a period of one month before disposed of.

1.5. Cremated Remains

i. The Garden of Rest has set aside areas for either scattering or interment of cremated remains.

ii. The remains may be interred either in a container or not.

iii. Following the scattering of ashes, a plain engraved brass plaque of size 150mm x 100mm may be placed on the Wall of Remembrance in arrangement with the Clerk and following the payment of the appropriate fee.

1.6. Visiting Times

The Garden of Rest is open for visitors every day during the following times:

April to September  09.00 to 20.00 and October to March  09.00 to 16.30

1.7. Admission of Vehicles

i. Vehicles are only allowed admission to enter the Garden of Rest with the permission of the Clerk, and these may not remain on the grounds longer than necessary.

ii. Opening of the parking bollards should be made by arrangement with the Clerk.

iii. Vehicles admitted to the burial ground must not exceed 10mph and must obey any instructions given to them by an officer of the Council. 

iv. Vehicles must stick to the main driveway and avoid parking so as to cause a nuisance, or damage to any graves, or grassed areas. 

v. The Council or any of its employees cannot accept responsibility for the loss or damage to any vehicle or its contents whilst in the burial ground.

vi. If any damage is done to the Council’s land or premises by bringing in of materials, memorials, or from any other cause, the person or persons doing such damage will be held responsible. 

2. Grant of Exclusive Right of Burial

i. Grants of Exclusive Right of Burial may be purchased upon request to the Parish Council Clerk. Upon receipt of the current fee the Clerk will issue a Grant of Exclusive Right of Burial to the purchaser. The Grant will be numbered and contain all relevant details of grave space(s) purchased and the name and address of the purchaser(s). 

ii. The Grant will remain the property of the purchaser and his/her successor for a period of 100 years. When the purchased grave space is to be used for a burial then the Grant of Exclusive Right of Burial should be surrendered to the Clerk, to allow for transfer of ownership. 

iii. Purchasers shall not dispose of their rights without the consent of the Council. Exclusive Rights are granted for a period of 100 years, it is the responsibility of the exclusive Rights owner/successor to renew this, and to inform the Parish Clerk of any changes of address.

iv. The Exclusive Right of Burial can only be transferred to another person or persons who are entitled and via the legal process adopted by the council. On the transfer of ownership of an Exclusive Right of Burial in a grave or graves (owing to death or otherwise), such transfer must be registered, and the deed produced for endorsement.

3. Interments

3.1. Notice of Interment

i. At least 5 days’ notice must be given of an interment in every case, exclusive of Sunday. Interments at a shorter notice will, if possible, be arranged in exceptional cases by the Council, but an extra charge may be made in such cases to cover any extra costs incurred.

ii. Following provision of the above notice and at least 48 working hours in advance of the intended date and time of the interment, a completed Notice of Interment must be supplied to the Council Offices. 

3.2. Death Certificate

A Registrar’s Certificate or Coroner’s Order for Burial must be delivered to the Clerk of the Council for preservation prior to the Interment. (Minimum 24 hours prior to burial).

3.3. Public and Private Graves

Every interment shall take place either in a private or public grave.  Private graves are graves to which an Exclusive Right of Burial has been issued. Public graves are graves which remain in the ownership of the Council and to which no specific rights have been granted.

3.4. Excavation of Graves

i. No deviation from the current order of Burials as shown by the plan kept by the Clerk will be allowed.  

ii. The digging of graves and interment of ashes must ONLY be undertaken by the Parish Council’s approved gravedigger, but not at the Parish Councils expense.

iii. All graves in the general burial area will be dug to a double depth.

iv. Following the interment, the Council will level the grave and either re-turf or topsoil and seed it.

3.5. Reopening of Graves

i. If the grave is purchased and is to be reopened for a further interment, the written permission of the registered grave owner must be given, except where the burial is that of the registered grave owner.

ii. It is the responsibility of the person making the funeral arrangements to ensure that any memorial on the grave is removed from it at least 48 working hours prior to the date and time of the funeral and replacement of same within eighteen months. 

iii. The cost of removing must be borne by the owner /executor, and the Council will not be responsible in the event of a monument or stone becoming broken or damaged, lost or destroyed during such work.

3.6. Coffins

i. Coffins and urns for burial must be made from suitable bio-degradable materials such as wood, wicker, cane, bamboo, wool, cardboard etc. The council also permits shroud burial.

ii. The exact size of the coffin, casket or container must be given in writing to the Council as soon as possible after the provisional booking, together with any other pertinent information relating to its size and shape (eg locking bar handles, casket shape, wicker coffin etc). 

3.7. Services

i. Interments will normally only be permitted Monday to Friday 09.30 – 15.00 (excluding Bank or other Public Holidays). It may be possible to arrange funerals outside of these times subject to arrangement of the Clerk and the payment of an additional cost.

ii. The time appointed for an interment must be punctually observed. The Council reserves the right to delay a late arriving funeral if it impacts on another service.

iii. Services in the burial ground must not exceed 30 minutes, unless special arrangements for a longer time have been made with the Clerk for which an additional charge may be payable.

iv. It is the responsibility of the person making the funeral arrangements to organize a Minister or Officiant for the funeral if one is required.

4. Memorials

4.1. General

i. Nothing shall be erected or placed in the Garden of Rest until the consent of the Parish Council has been obtained in writing. Applications for consent should give a full description of proposed designs, measurements, inscriptions together with the type and finish of stone proposed to be used.

ii. All memorials fixed in the burial ground must comply with British Standard 8415 (Latest version) and the BRAMM Blue Book or the NAMM code of working practice (Latest version).

iii. Only those memorial masons that hold a current BRAMM Fixer Licence or are registered on RQMF (Register of Qualified Memorial Fixers), will be able to work in the burial ground. Fixers who do not hold these qualifications will only be permitted to work under the direct supervision of a mason who holds a BRAMM Fixer Licence or is registered on RQMF.

iv. Prior to any work copies of relevant risk assessments and safe systems of work, and legal indemnity insurance must be provided to the Clerk.  

v. Memorials will only be permitted to be erected on graves to which an Exclusive Right of Burial has been issued.

vi. The memorial mason must inscribe the company name only on the reverse of the stone towards the base in lettering not more than 1” high. No trademark, phone number or other advertising will be allowed. The memorial mason must also inscribe the grave number towards the bottom right hand side of the reverse of the memorial in letters not exceeding 1” high. 

vii. Memorial masons must remove all arisings from the burial ground at the conclusion of their work and must leave the area in a tidy condition. It is not possible for memorials to be stored in the burial ground prior to re-fixing following a burial – all such memorials must be removed from the site by the memorial mason appointed to remove the memorials prior to the grave being excavated.

viii. Memorial masons found to be in contravention, or acting in disregard, of any of the Parish Council’s rules and regulations, may be permanently excluded from undertaking any work at the Sutton Bridge Garden of Rest, or at other Parish Council owned sites.

4.2. Notice of Work

Three days’ notice must be given to the Clerk by masons etc. before erecting any monument, and work of every description must be completed as soon as possible. The current fee for erection of a memorial shall be payable to Sutton Bridge Parish Council through the Clerk 

4.3. Grave Memorials

i. Headstone shall be a maximum of 762mm tall x 610mm wide x 100mm deep, (30” x 24“x 4”). The plinth on which the headstone sits shall be a maximum of 762mm wide x 305mm deep and a maximum of 100mm thick (30” x 12” x 4”). The memorial stone and plinth shall be securely fixed onto a reinforced concrete or granite foundation stone anchored into the ground of dimensions of no more than 914mm wide x 457mm deep x 75mm thick (36” x 18” x 3”). The foundation stone must be recessed into the ground, so that its top is no higher than ground level. The plinth may incorporate low level fixed flower vases. No other vases will be permitted. 

ii. Memorials must be constructed of materials suitable to the environment and period of lease. The Council reserves the right to reject an application for any memorial that it deems unsuitable.

iii. In respect of all graves for which an Exclusive Right of Burial /Memorial Rights has been acquired, a drawing showing dimensions, proposed inscriptions and a description of the stone must be forwarded to the Parish Council for approval.

iv. No kerbing or edging stones are allowed.

v. Memorials that are installed without the appropriate memorial rights, or to a design not specifically approved in writing by the Parish Council, or improperly installed, will be subject to removal at the registered burial plot owner’s cost, with the added fee of £100 to cover administration costs. 

4.4. Cremation Memorials

i. Memorial stones for cremated remains shall be of a standard horizontal size of 460mm square x 50mm deep (18” x 18” x 2”). Memorial stones of a ‘desktop’ design may have a maximum depth of 100mm at the highest point. Memorial stones will be securely fixed to a horizontal concrete foundation stone of standard size 600m square x 50mm deep (24” x 24” x 2”).

ii. Memorials must be constructed of materials suitable to the environment and period of lease. The Council reserves the right to reject an application for any memorial that it deems unsuitable.

iii. In respect of all plots for which Memorial Rights have been acquired, a drawing showing dimensions, proposed inscriptions and a description of the stone must be forwarded to the Parish Council for approval.

iv. Cremation memorials that are installed without the appropriate memorial rights, or to a design not specifically approved in writing by the Parish Council, or improperly installed, will be subject to removal at the registered burial plot owner’s cost, with the added fee of £50 to cover administration costs. 

5. Children’s Area

Children’s Section – This area is specifically provided for the interment of children who are less than 16 years of age at the time of death. There are also traditional grave spaces provided at the discretion of the Parish Council for one or two interments per grave space. In practice, the burial is governed by the maximum size of a coffin which the grave can accommodate. This is 4 feet 6 inches in length, coffins which exceed these dimensions will be interred in the General Burial Area.

6. Maintenance

6.1. Responsibility

It is the grave owner’s responsibility to maintain the memorial.

6.2. Damage to Memorials

i. The Council will not be responsible for any damage to monuments, memorials, flower vases or plaques occasioned by storms, wind, lightning, subsidence, vandalism, or howsoever caused.

ii. If a memorial is found to be unsafe and dangerous it may be made safe by the Parish Council. The Grave owner will then be contacted to see if they would like to have the memorial re-fixed, if this is possible.  The Grave owner will be responsible for any charges to have the memorial re-fixed or repaired.

iii. The Council will undertake routine safety checks on all memorials and will notify the grave owner at the last registered address of any necessary works to make the memorial safe. The grave owner will be given a period of 6 months from the date of the letter to effect the necessary repairs. The Council reserves the right to temporarily make safe any memorials that pose a threat until such works are completed. If the grave owner does not arrange for the repairs to be made, the Council may repair or remove the memorial at the owner’s expense.

7. Floral Tributes

i. Floral tributes may be laid upon a grave and cut flowers arranged in metal or stone vases incorporated into the stone plinth. Any flowers, wreaths or other material not on the stone plinth may be removed at the discretion of the Council. Glass, ceramic and plastic containers are not permitted and will be removed.

ii. All funeral wreaths and flowers may be left on a grave for a period of not more than six weeks. After the six-week period has elapsed, or if they appear withered, dead, or unsightly, the wreaths and flowers may be removed by the Parish Council, if this has not already been done by the family of the deceased.

iii. Christmas wreaths or floral tributes must be removed by 31st January following.

iv. All floral tributes are for temporary ornamentation only and may be removed if considered, at the Clerk’s discretion, to be unsightly or inappropriate.

v. All litter and dead floral tributes must be removed from the Garden of Rest.

8. Plants/Shrubs and Memorials

i. The placing of plants or shrubs (or any other miscellaneous objects) will not be allowed 

ii. The Council reserves the right to remove any unauthorised or miscellaneous items from the grave.

iii. Please ensure all tributes (except in the children’s area) are kept on the stone plinth.

9. Visitors and Dogs

i. The burial ground is a place of peace and quiet reflection. It is also a workplace. Visitors to the site are welcome, but the special nature of the site, the needs of other users, and safety factors should be respected. No games, sports, riding of bicycles, skateboards, roller blades or similar are allowed in the burial grounds. 

ii. No food or drink may be consumed on the premises.

iii. No consumption of alcohol or drugs may take place, anybody deemed to be under the effects of such substances will not be admitted and may be ejected from the premises.

iv. Any person creating a nuisance or a disturbance, such as interfering with a funeral, grave, headstone, flowers, trees etc, will be required to leave the burial ground immediately and may be the subject of subsequent legal action.

v. No dogs are permitted in the Garden of Rest with the exception of Guide Dogs or other recognized assistance dogs. Any fouling to be removed from the premises by the owner.

vi. Children are welcome but must be supervised by a responsible adult. It is particularly important that children are not allowed to climb on any monuments within the Garden of Rest.

vii. Visitors with disabilities or other special requirements should contact the Clerk who will be pleased to assist.

viii. No person shall canvass or solicit business in the burial grounds.

ix. The burial ground is a No Smoking site.