Rules ??????????

[GRACELAND]

Hello ,
      Rules on Gravestones ?
                         How long can you own a grave and stone ?
              Can the family carry on tending a grave for hundreds of years ?
               If the council want to clear the cem have they got to inform the
                                           Familys ??   even after yrs have past ?
                         Do any one know the answer to these questions ?
 
       

[geniedi]

Don't know all the answers but I believe it can be anything from 25 - 75 years on a grave.  My mother in law put my father in laws ashes in with her brothers grave(!) She renewed the "lease" , not sure what you call it, as it was almost 25 years old.

At the city of london when we last visited there was an area of graves that had yellow triangle sugns on them. These basically said the graves were being cleared, if you knew anyone connected to them to inform them. Some weren't very old really.

A bit of a worry.

But I don't believe anybody upkeeps them.

Mind you I suppose like anything else other places would be different.

Diane

[GRACELAND]

  Thanks for that a shame when you think of the money spent on these graves by famils who loved them 

[Boongie Pam]

I think it depends on the terms & conditions as set by the council or guardian of the cemetery.  I have the deeds for our family grave in a council run graveyard, it was taken out for I think 8 shillings by my g grandmother in 1947 and it is for 99 years.

P

[GRACELAND]

  Pam , can that be renewed by the family after 99 years though 

[Boongie Pam]

It's something I'm trying to find out, as the grave is now considered full the council couldn't answer my question.

[GRACELAND]

This could be interesting 

[criggy]

About twenty five years ago I visited my great grandparents grave in Redmile, Leicestershire. It had quite a large stone and was readable and included the deaths of a number of children who died in infancy. Unfortunately I didn't take a note of it or take a photograph at the time or if I did I have lost the information.

My sister found herself in the area this year and decided to pay a visit and I told her it's position as I remembered it (just to the left when you entered the gate). However it now appears to be missing. I doubt it would have crumbled so it must have been removed for some reason. Seems a great shame when there are still family members who wish to pay their respects.

criggy

[mickgall]

Hi all

I used to be invovled in cemeteries when I worked in Horticultre (now on the railways). I've worked for the Common Wealth War Graves Commission in France and was manager of Sevenoaks (Greatness Cem) and Grvesend/Northfleet. As far as I can remember
 The grave deeds: can last from 25 to 100yrs, it depends on the Councils regulations etc.
In France this is usually for 50 years, then the local municipality will try to contact the grave holders by letter and placing notices on the graves. Then after a given period, I can remember how long exactly, the remains are removed and the grave reused. I think this used to happen more in large city/town cems.
I think there was talk a while ago of having a similar system over here as land for cemeteries is getting scarce.
 Missing headstones:the two main reasons for this are either vandalisim or they have been broken by machinery during cem maintenance (grass cutting etc) or digging nearby graves. Most cemeteries try to contact the grave deed holders to inform them of the the problem but usually the address they have is well out of date so headstones are either laid face up on the grave if poss or moved to a wall, face out. Unfortunately they are sometimes disposed of.
In recent years health and safety has become an issue. Councils/insurers are wary of being sued if an accident happens to a member of the public, so if a headstone/memorial looks at all dangerous, even slightly, then the standard advice by the insurers, after attempts to contact the owners had failed was to lay the headstone flat. (after one H/S survey at one of my cems, in just a very small corner nearly 2000 headstones were declared unsafe).
Another problem is subsidence and is mainly a problem with common/paupers graves. These used to be huge graves, upto 25ft deep and could contain 75 bodies. The bodies were place one on the other alternatley and covered with quick lime. Over the years the lime did its job until the remains had gone, however, this left a deep empty space with a few feet of soil on top and again over the years the effects of rain percolating down ment the graves collapsed. After one particuarly heavy storm I had 350 graves subside, (as quick as we filled one, another would go). Sometimes if there was a headstone (not usually allowed on common graves) it would end up down the grave under tons of soil and couldnt be recovered.
I also know of some councils where the policy was to remove headstones from churchyards, needless to say public outcry soon put a stop to it but the damage was done.

Hoped this has helped explain a bit and hasnt been too long winded.

Mick