St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Yealand Conyers
St Mary of the Angels Catholic Cemetery, Bolton-le-Sands
CEMETERY REGULATIONS
St Mary’s Catholic Cemetery, Yealand and St Mary of the Angels Catholic Cemetery, Bolton-le-Sands (hereafter: “our Cemeteries”) are both sacred places and are privately owned by the Catholic Parishes of St Mary, Yealand and St Mary of the Angels, Bolton-le-Sands, but members of the public are welcome to visit.
Section A: Eligibility
The following may be buried in our Cemeteries:
1. Those persons who are already buried or whose ashes are already buried in our cemeteries prior to the date of these rules;
2. A Catholic Parishioner, this is someone, who, in the judgement of the Parish Priest, has regularly attended Mass at St Mary’s Church, Yealand, or at St Mary of the Angels Church, Bolton-le-Sands, or at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Carnforth, may purchase a Permission to be Buried or a Permission for Ashes to be Buried (including those Catholics who did once attend Mass at St Mary’s Church, Yealand, or at St Mary of the Angels Church, Bolton-le-Sands, or at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Carnforth, until illness or infirmity prevented them from doing so);
3. A Catholic parishioner’s spouse, child, or family member or other authorised person (who may not be a Catholic) where they/their ashes are to be interred in an existing grave plot or an existing ashes plot;
4. An individual who might be a Catholic or otherwise, but is not living within the boundaries of the Parishes of St Mary’s, Yealand, or St Mary of the Angels, Bolton-le-Sands or Our Lady of Lourdes, Carnforth and has not regularly attended Mass in these parish churches, but nonetheless had a Catholic funeral liturgy;
5. A non-parishioner’s spouse, child, or family member or other authorised person where they/their ashes are to be interred in an existing grave plot or an existing ashes plot.
Section B: Types of Plot
1. There are two types of burial arrangement within our Cemeteries and these are as follows:
a. Permission to be Buried, requiring a grave plot with the capacity for two adult burials only (the typical depth of a grave is approximately 6 feet and allows for two adult coffins only) and the subsequent interment of caskets of ashes only; and
b. Permission for Ashes to be Buried, requiring an ashes plot.
2. Grave digging duties in our Cemeteries can only be carried out by the grave digger approved by the Parish Priest.
Section C: Charges (When a grave is "purchased," the plot of land is not sold. What is purchased is the right for two people to be buried in that plot of land).
The charges in our Cemeteries are as follows:
1. The current cost for a Catholic parishioner to purchase a new Permission to be Buried in either of our Cemeteries is £600 and £1200 for a person who is not a Catholic parishioner.
2. The current cost of a new Permission for Ashes to be Buried in either of our Cemeteries is £100 for a Catholic Parishioner and £200 for others.
3. At Bolton-le-Sands, the Burial of Ashes takes place exclusively in the Old Cemetery.
4. The subsequent re-opening charge for all of a grave plot is £200 and the charge for the second and subsequent interments of ashes in an ashes plot is £50. (These charges are exclusive of the cost of preparation and closure of the first burial or the first interment of ashes by the authorised grave digger).
5. These charges will, periodically, be reviewed and will inevitably increase incrementally over time.
Section D: Memorial Headstones
1. The cost of memorial headstone placement/erection/subsequent alterations for grave plots and ashes plots, in either of our Cemeteries, must be agreed between the commissioned stonemason and the family/personal representative(s) of the deceased themselves. In all cases the details of the inscription, material, and colour of the stone and the size, however, are all to be presented, in writing and in advance, to the Parish Priest for his approval by the commissioned stonemason.
2. In general, and as far as is possible, new memorial headstones need to harmonise with existing headstones, in layout, size and colour. They should be made of natural materials e.g. slate, granite.
3. The size of all new memorial headstones would not normally exceed 0.765 metres high and 0.610 metres wide.
4. The wording on the memorial headstone should be of Christian sentiment and should be brief and refer to the deceased and close relatives.
5. A small stone plaque, which harmonises with existing plaques, may be used to mark the place of burial. The wording on the plaque should refer to the deceased. All details must be submitted in writing and in advance, for approval by the Parish Priest.
Section E: Other Regulations
Families members and all visitors are asked to observe the following rules:
1. All should keep a sober and prayerful atmosphere in our Cemeteries at all times.
2. Partaking of food and drink is not permitted in our Cemeteries.
3. No railings or surrounds outlining a grave plot or an ashes plot are permitted so as to maintain the grass area;
4. No permanent shrubs/bushes/plant pots are to be planted or placed in front of the headstone or memorial placement or on the grave plot area or the ashes plot area. Any such shrubs/bushes/plant pots will be removed;
5. Floral tributes, memorials and artificial commemorative wreaths are to be removed in a timely fashion (as advised from time to time, by the Parish Priest);
6. All flower holders must be part of the mount of the headstone or memorial placement and not additional to, or separate from, the headstone;
7. No plastic or glass bottles or other containers are to be left at the grave headstone or memorial placement or the area surrounding it.
8. Maintenance of the surface level of a grave plot or an ashes plot is the responsibility of the family/ personal representatives of the deceased.
9. Given that the individual/family owns the memorial headstone they are entirely responsible for its ongoing care and maintenance; however, the parish retains ownership of the land.
10. No-one is permitted to take cuttings of shrubs and trees around the grounds of our Cemeteries.
11. The Parish Priest determines all matters relating to our Cemeteries.
Section F: Health and Safety
1. All individuals who use or visit our Cemeteries do so at their own risk and must take care to be responsible for their own conduct and safety in the grounds of our Cemeteries.
2. Care is required when walking in our Cemeteries, (care is needed to avoid natural obstacles likes trees and their roots, memorial headstones and muddy areas underfoot) particularly, but not exclusively, in poor weather. In snow, icy or slippery conditions, it is not recommended to visit our Cemeteries.
3. Resting or leaning against any of the memorial headstones in our Cemeteries is not permitted.
4. Climbing on or resting on trees in or around our Cemeteries is not permitted.
5. Ball games or recreational gatherings are not permitted in our Cemeteries.
6. Young children are to be correctly supervised in our Cemeteries at all times.
7. All dogs are to be kept on a lead in our Cemeteries at all times.
8. Any dog fouling in our Cemeteries is to be picked up immediately and removed by the dog-owner.
9. It is recommended that all visitors to our Cemeteries advise someone that they are visiting our Cemeteries beforehand.
10. Should a grave be being prepared in our Cemeteries, no one should approach the opening without authorised supervision.
Section G: Contact
1. The contact regarding our Cemeteries is the Parish Priest.
Date: 29th May 2023
Fr R Billing
Parish Priest
