Sedgefield Town Council
Butterwick Road Cemetery
Sedgefield
Rules and Regulations
Revised January 2005
By LawsSedgefield
Rules and Regulations
Revised January 2005
Made by the Sedgefield Joint Burial Board, and amended by the Sedgefield Town Council January 2005.
1. All bodies buried in the Cemetery must now be in a grave and vaults will no longer be allowed.
2. All coffins must be buried at least 3 feet below the surface of the ground.
3. A maximum of two bodies can be interred in each grave.
4. Every person who buries a body in a grave, in respect of which an exclusive right has been granted, shall after 6 months which is a reasonable time to allow for natural subsidence of the earth, be allowed to erect a headstone.
5. A person shall not, in the Cemetery by any violent or indecent behaviour prevent, interrupt, or delay the decent and solemn burial of any body.
Rules and Regulations
1. Applications for burials should be made to the Sedgefield Town Council at the Council Offices between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Thursday, and 9 am - 12 noon Friday. Applications for Headstones etc should also be made in writing to the Town Council using the Town Council's Application for Headstones form.
2. A minimum of forty-eight hours notice for an interment should be given. Interments on Sunday are only allowed in case of emergency, and on notice of a medical certificate that it is necessary to do so. Interment forms should be filled in and submitted to the Council Offices at least 24 hours beforehand. No application should be received on Sunday unless by special order, or on the production of a medical certificate stating that early interment is desirable. Special arrangements may be made in the case of ethnic minorities through the Town Clerk.
3. No burial will take place until the Town Council have received the Registrar's Certificate of the Death.
4. All persons ordering graves are required to give proper notice to the minister or other person intended to conduct the funeral, of the time at which the funeral will take place. The Town Council is not responsible in any way for contacting the Minister or other person intended to conduct the funeral or interment.
5. Afternoon funerals will take place no later than 4 pm, except in cases of emergency, when the time has been previously arranged with the Town Clerk.
6. It is desirable that the time of the interment is fixed and should be punctually observed.
7. No mounds over graves are allowed in the Cemetery.
8. No monument, headstone or other shall be put up until a description and drawing has been approved by the Town Council, nor shall any inscription be epithet be put on without the same authorization. No curbstones are allowed. The number of the grave corresponding with the graves register must be placed on each monument or headstone.
9. All Headstones/Memorials must comply with the Recommended Code of Practice as issued by the National Association of Memorial Masons.
10. No Headstone to exceed 1 metre in height.
11. No footstones or curbs are permitted.
12. Glass/breakable containers are not allowed on graves.
13. Every grave must be kept in repair and good order, by the owners, who are responsible for the maintenance. The committee reserves the right to take the necessary action on any grave which has been neglected or does not comply with these regulations.
14. Flowers only will be allowed to be placed on the graves.
15. Dogs, with the exception of Blind Persons Dogs, are not allowed to enter the Cemetery.
16. The purchase of the Exclusive Right of Burial in any grave will be furnished with a certificate and the particulars will be entered in the Registry Book.
17. In all cases of burial in purchased ground, the notice of interment shall be signed by the purchaser or owner, thereof, for the time being, signifying his or her consent to such burial, provided that no consent shall be required for the burial of the spouse or unmarried children of the purchaser or owner of the grave, in the event of absence out of the Country of the said purchaser or owner.
18. The Town Council shall be the sole judges of the sufficiency of the evidence of such absence, and on such burial taking place, no liability shall be attached to the Town Council. Such exclusive right of burial in purchased ground cannot be transferred except by Will, descent or marriage, and notice of this must be given to the Town Clerk in order that it may be registered in the Registry Book.
19. The Cemetery will be open to the public from 9 am - 8 pm on week days and noon to 6 pm on Sundays during the summer months and 9 am - 6 pm during the winter months. Children under the age of 12 years must be accompanied by a responsible person. It is requested that all persons keep to the walks and refrain from touching plants and shrubs.
20. The Register of all Burials is kept at the Town Council Officer, where, by appointment, Searches may be made, or extracts taken.
21. The Town Council reserve the right to make any alterations to these Regulations and By Laws with respect to the management of the Cemetery.
These Rules and Regulations are deposited with the Funeral Undertakers using the Cemetery and are also available at the Cemetery and the Town Council Office, and on the Council web-site at sedgefield.net
L K Swinbank
Town Clerk
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