Cemetery Regulations
1. General Regulations
a. The burial ground is a lawned cemetery and is open daily to the public at all times. Groups of youths are not permitted in the cemetery. All visitors must observe perfect decorum at all times. Dogs are permitted on leads and under control, all dog foul mess must be removed by the owner.
b. Memorials may not be erected on any grave without the permission of the Parish Council. An application on the prescribed forms with drawings showing all dimensions and inscriptions must be submitted to the Parish Council as per stated regulations.
c. The Parish Council Clerk will allocate grave spaces on behalf of Tetney Parish Council.
d. The scattering of ashes within the cemetery is not permitted, because of the damage this causes to the ground.
e. Levelling of plots will be carried out twice yearly in March/April and September/October subject to weater conditions.
2. Right of Interment
a. All correspondence regarding the grave and/or memorial will be communicated to and received from all executors.
b. The right of interment, erection of memorials and the reservation of grave spaces are exclusive to residents of Tetney upon payment as set out in the scale of fees. Persons residing in residential care homes, nursing homes and hospitals outside of Tetney who were, prior to their removal thereto, inhabitants of Tetney, which is provable, will be classed as residents within 5 years of their removal thereto. Residents at The Fountains Care Home MUST have been on the electoral register for Tetney for 5 years prior to death to be classed as a resident or have a proven and traceable residential address within Tetney electoral area within 5 years of death occuring.
c. Non-residents will NOT be permitted to purchase any burial or cremation plot for their own or others use unless it is on behalf of a deceased residents.
3. Notice of Interment
a. Permission for interment, erection of memorials, reservation of plots and scale of fees form part of these regulations and are available from the Parish Clerk.
b. The applicant will receive a copy of the regulations, once an application for permission has been received and approved.
4. Coffins
The deceased must be placed in a properly constructed coffin or eco-friendly coffin as agreed by the relevant undertaker before burial will be allowed to take place.
5. Digging and Re-instatement of Graves
a. It will be the responsibility of the relevant funeral director, on behalf of the Parish Council, to arrange the digging of the graves and cremation plots. A reputable and established gravedigger must be used.
6. Re-opening of Graves and Cremation plots
a. Permission must be received from Tetney Parish Council before a grave is re-opened.
b. There shall be no disturbance of any previous burial.
7. Reservation of Graves and Cremation plots
a. The purchase of a grave prior to death is permitted. Plots may be reserved, subject to Tetney Parish Council receiving the correct fee, after which the applicant will receive the completed Exclusive Right of Burial Certificate.
b. Reserved graves and plots will only be marked on the cemetery plan, held by the Parish Clerk. There will be no physical marker in the cemetery of a reserved plot.
8. Flowers
a. Vases, flowers or containerised plants must be part of the memorial. These may be placed on the grave during the first six months following interment and pending the erection of a permanent memorial or re-instatement. Glass, china, plastic, jars or bottles are not allowed. Any such item may be removed at the discretion of the Parish Council.
b. Once a permanent memorial is erected or after the grave is re-instated no flowers, saplings or shrubs may be planted in a grave space, the cremation area or around the memorial plaques unless within 30cm of the headstone as all plots will be grassed and therefore must not be dug out.
c. Flowers, wreaths and arrangements will be allowed; however the family of the deceased is responsible for removal of said flowers once dead. Tetney Parish Council retains the right to remove such arrangements should the family fail to do so, within an adequate time.
d. Loose chippings/gravel or edging strips/fencing must not be placed on the grave site as these create a health and safety issue during maintenance.
e. No responsibility can be accepted by the Parish Council for the removal of flowers or containers by any unauthorised person.
9. Headstones, crosses and plaques
a. Memorials will be expected to blend in with our village cemetery. The erecting of headstones or memorials will not be permitted until a minimum of six months, preferably 9 months, following interment to allow settling of the ground and the installation may only go ahead if the Council agreed the ground has settled satisfactorily.
b. Iron crosses, enclosed floral tributes, wire or plastic fencing, railings or edging stones around or on top of the grave is not permitted.
c. No headstone or any other memorial shall be placed in the cemetery and no additional inscriptions shall be made on any stone or other memorial without obtaining consent from the Parish Council and upon payment of the appropriate fee. Such consent will only be given if the proposed memorial and inscription complies with the requirements of the regulations and is acceptable to the Parish Council. Any unauthorised memorial will be removed. The Parish Council will not be responsible for the costs incurred; these will be charged back to the family, undertaker or stone mason responsible.
d. A memorial may be in the form of a headstone or a cross and must be placed at the head of the grave. The plot number must be engraved at the foot of the reverse side the memorial.
e. Plaque memorials will be permitted in place of but not as well as headstones.
f. Lettering on headstones and cremation plaques must be black, dark brown, leaded; white, silver or gold.
g. Every headstone must be firmly doweled to a foundation suited to the ground conditions that must be wholly below ground level and of sufficient strength to support the headstone without movement. All memorials shall be installed under non-firm ground conditions and only by monumental masons. Full details of fittings shall be provided to Tetney Parish Council before approval is given.
h. A memorial shall be constructed of granite, marble, wood and natural stone but not of reconstituted stone, brick, plaster, bath or other soft stone or of any metal.
i. The Parish Council reserves the right to approve all applications. Full details of memorials, measurements and inscriptions must be submitted at the time of application. Tree plaques are not permitted.
j. The Parish Council Clerk must be informed and the work approved before any memorial or cremation plaque is removed from the cemetery for modification or additional inscription.
k. The applicant or family is responsible for the care of the memorial. The Parish Council cannot accept liability for any damage unless it is caused by its employees carrying out maintenance work.
l. A memorial headstone in the cremation section shall be no more than two foot (24 inches) high and two foot length (across front) and 18inches depth. Memorials in the Burial section shall be no more than three foot (3’) high with at least a further 12” – 15” inches below ground level, two foot (24 inches) in length and 18 inches in depth. Monoliths and Lawn types are accepted within the designated sizes. A ground anchor must be used for all memorials for safety reasons.
m. An appointment to confirm time and date is to be made with the Parish Council Clerk before any installation of any memorial takes place.
10. Seats and trees
a. Seats or benches will not be permitted within the cemetery unless provided by the Parish Council.
b. There shall be no cultivation of any description or the placing of upstanding or other plaques, vases or potted plants around trees.
c. Any plaque for a memorial bench must comply with regulations 9 (b) and (e) with regards to inscription and construction.
11. Lamps, Lanterns and Wind Chimes
a. The installation of lamps, lights, lanterns, wind chimes, windmills or any decorative toy is not permitted anywhere within the cemetery.
12. Deteriorating memorials
a. Where a memorial has deteriorated the Parish Council will attempt to contact the applicant or surviving family in order that repairs can be carried out. Should this not be possible or the relatives fail to act in a reasonable time (six months) then the Parish Council may remove any such memorials without further notice.
13. Vehicles
a. Vehicle access to the cemetery is restricted to authorised vehicles only and on the condition that they remain on the roadway. Under no circumstances may vehicles be driven onto other parts of the cemetery.
14. Health and safety
a. It is the responsibility of all employees, visitors and contractors attending the cemetery to take reasonable care of their own and other people’s safety, and to co-operate with the Parish Council, as Burial Authority on safety matters.
15. Revision of rules
a. A revision of the regulations, services and charges will be made when necessary and the revisions made public.
PLease click on the following link to read the Cemetery Fees.