A person who has been living or has died in Sanderstead Parish has the right to be buried there or to have their ashes interred. After a burial, many people wish to have a headstone or memorial to commemorate the person who has died. The minimum time between burial and installing a headstone or memorial is six months but before you finalise your plans for a headstone, it is a good idea to talk to the Rector about what you have planned.
Many people are not aware that there are guidelines in place for headstones, to help to ensure that the churchyard remains an appropriate setting for many years to come. It can be quite upsetting for people to choose a certain headstone only to find it cannot be approved. There is no automatic right to a churchyard memorial. All memorials have to be approved before they are installed.
The guidelines are contained in the Churchyard Regulations, which are drawn up by the Chancellor of the Diocese. Every diocese will have its own Churchyard Regulations and, while many points are the same throughout the country, there may be differences from diocese to diocese. The Rector is allowed to authorise memorials, provided they comply with the Churchyard Regulations.
If you wish to have a memorial that does not comply with the Regulations, you will need to apply to the Chancellor of the Diocese for permission (a faculty), for which there is a fee. The Diocesan Registry will be able to send you the application form for this, and give you details of the current fee. The Churchyard Regulations can be found here, but the main points can be summarised below:
A headstone must be in natural stone or hardwood. The permitted stones are sandstone, limestone, Nabresina, slate or granite not darker than Dove grey. The stone must have a matt finish
There are maximum and minimum sizes for headstones. Simple headstones should not be more than 1.2m (4ft) high and 90cm (3ft) wide, or less than 50cm (1ft 8in) high and 15cm (6in) wide. The stone must be no thicker than 1.5cm (6in), or less than 75mm (3in) in thickness.
The form of the memorial may be a vertical headstone, a vertical headstone on a horizontal stone base, a horizontal stone slab or a simple timber cross.
Any inscription should include the name of the deceased, together with dates (or years) of birth and death. The lettering must be incised into the stone and, if painted, no more than one colour may be used
Work in churchyards falls under faculty jurisdiction including repair works to boundary walls and lychgates, the creation of new paths, the introduction of benches, repairs to memorials, and tree work. If you are in any doubt or have any questions whatsoever, it is easiest if you speak directly with the Rector.
