grave ownership

[mandyjf]

Who do gravestones belong to? I was wondering about the stones removed from very old graves and what happened to them. I saw one of an ancestor cast to one side in a graveyard in Grimsby, and thought it would be so sad if it was just 'thrown away'.

[Billyblue]

Why don't you contact whoever administers the graveyard, and ask them?

Dawn M

[Brentor boy]

My first job, over 50 years ago, was working in the offices of the local council and as such I had a marginal involvement in the administration of the town cemetery.

At that time, in that place, it was a condition that the family had to purchase the grave before they could erect any headstone or monument. I have the deeds of the grave of my grandparents in a cemetery elsewhere where this was also a requirement.

However the burial authority does have the right, after due process and notice, to remove headstones and flatten areas of the cemetery that have been unused, and often neglected, for a great number of years. This is usually to facilitate maintenance and generally tidy the place up. Headstones are often repositioned around the periphery.

I have reason to believe that a similar facility exists in respect of churchyards.

[noxas]

Hello Mandyjf,the grave is normally owned by the family,if a memorial stone is leaning or in a state of possible danger to the public it will be laid down,this is in a municipal cemetery,in a church cemetery they are some times moved to the perimeter walls again for the same reason.in a municipal cemetery if none of your family already have ownership, it should be possible for you to take ownership of the grave,this is free of charge as the grave will have been paid for in the past,all you need to do is contact the local authority's.Then it should be possible to have the memorial stone re erected.
Hope this is of some help.
                Regards Diarmuid.

[Guy Etchells]

In churchyards where a memorial becomes dangerous or derelict or if space is required for a new grave a faculty may be applied for to remove (or re-siting) of the memorial. This may be on the grave below frost level to protect the inscription, except of necessity the stone should not be removed from the churchyard.
Before any memorial is removed an attempt should be made to locate the current owner and he/she must be given the opportunity to remove the memorial.
In all cases a recording of the gravestone original location, inscription and method of disposal should be made and sent to the local records office.

This is one reason why family historians are advised to sign the church visitors book and give brief details of ancestors buried in the churchyard.
Cheers
Guy

[madpips]

Hi, I have found the grave of my Great grandparents, but there is no longer a grave stone. I would like to know if i would be able to put a memorial vase on the grave, so that i could leave flowers, or would i need permission first. I have the same problem with my Grandads grave, but that is in a small churchyard. Would they let me put anything on the grave there. Thanks in advance to anyone who can help. Regards Maxine

[wrjones]

You must contact whoever administers the graveyard,maybe the local council.In the case of a churchyard,maybe the person to contact is the vicar of the parish.

Regards
William Russell Jones.

[Nick29]

I think in some places grave plots are leased, not owned.  If we all owned 2 square metres of land in perpetuity, the world would be full of gravestones within 500 years, and there would be no room for the living.  It's so sad to wander round graveyards and see the tombstones that are less than 200 years old, but which are unkempt, unvisited and unknown.

[lainie3961]

Hi all,

If you had an ancestor [in this case my g.g.g.aunt - blood relative] who has been buried in a 'family' grave - alone - is it possible to 'claim' the grave and ask to be buried in the same grave?

Elaine