Wooburn Cemetery

WOOBURN CEMETERY

Wooburn & Bourne End Parish Council, Town Lane, Wooburn, Bucks HP10 0PS
Tel: 01628 522827  Fax: 01628 529392  Email: clerk@wooburnparish.gov.uk

Revised cemetery rules and regulations for the new top area only - March 2009

New cemetery extension

Cemetery Opening Times: April to September -  9:00am to 9:00pm
                                      October to March -    9:00am to 5:00pm

Office Opening Times:      Monday to Friday -    9:00am to 1:00pm

1.     Burial in a grave

Specification of a grave space

  1. Grave plots will be 3m by 1.52m
  2. Exclusive Rights are automatically issued for all new plots for a period of 50 years.    The Council reserves the right to re-use the plot after this period.
  3. The location of the grave will be the next available space.
  4. Neighbouring plots may not be joined together.
  5. Advance reservations of plots will not be permitted.
  6. All plots will be double depth.

Memorial Stones

Before ordering memorials, please check with the Clerk who will advise you as to what is acceptable.

We reserve the right to remove non-conforming memorials.

    7.   Formal written permission to install a memorial stone must be sought from the Council. 
          Any memorial must be erected by a properly qualified stone mason once the normal
          12 month period has passed to allow for settlement of the ground.

    8.   Only headstones and flat memorial stones are permitted in natural stone, slate,
          polished granite or marble of the client's choice to the following dimensions:

  • The overall dimensions of the headstone must not exceed 900mm high measured from the ground, by 750mm wide by 75mm deep.
  • The dimensions of the flat memorial stone must not exceed 2000mm in length by 750mm wide by 75mm deep.  ("Flat" means lying recessed in the ground; that is, below the level of the surrounding land.)
  • If you opt for a flat stone you will not be able to incorporate flower tributes - unless built into the headstone

9.  Edging stones, kerb stones and edgings of any sort are not permitted in the Cemetery 
     Extension

10.  The inscription on the memorial may contain the following detail:

  • Name and dates of birth and death
  • A suitable memorial phrase or quotation
  • A picture on material that will survive the elements, for example ceramic, not to exceed 160mm x 210mm

11.  The Responsibility for maintenance and safety of the memorial stone rests with
      the Exclusive Rights owner.  In the unfortunate event that a memorial headstone becomes
      unsafe, the Parish Council reserves the right to lay it flat on the grave.

12.  After initial permission has been granted from the Parish Council, any additional work on
      existing graves, or on new graves at a later date, should be carried out only by a properly
      qualified stone mason

13.  The Council reserves the right to rectify work on graves to ensure that it meets the
       required Regulations.

14.  The Council will be responsible for turfing over all new graves within 1 year of burial

Floral tributes and Other Memorials

  • The Parish Council will provide a vase up to 1 year or until such a time that the grave has settled.
  • The vase will be positioned in the place of a headstone by the Cemetery staff and must not be moved to another position.
  • If a headstone is then installed, the vase, which remains the property of the Parish Council, must be returned to the Cemetery office.
  • No loose flowers are to be placed on the graves.
  • Wreaths are permitted at the time of a special occasion or during the Christmas period.
  • No kerbs, edges, border stones, rails, chains, ornaments or other embellishments will be permitted.
  • Strictly no dressing of the grave will be permitted.

16.  Planting on the grave is restricted as follows:

  • No graves are to be planted with trees, shrubs or flowers.
  • Only small bulbs of a type approved by Council are permitted eg. snowdrops and crocuses.
  • The height of the bulbs when in flower, must not exceed 150mm
  • Items that do not conform will be removed when the grass is cut.

17.  The Council reserves the right to remove any object that impedes maintenance.

18.  Only the grave space can be used for floral tributes (provided there is a vase built into the
       headstone for this purpose) and memorials.  The use of land close to the grave for this
       purpose is strictly forbidden.

19.  No paving stones may be laid around the grave space, and planting of any shrub or 
      inanimate object adjacent to the grave, or beyond the confines of the grave space, is not
      allowed.

20.  If an alternative memorial is required, for example a tree or a seat, application should be
      made to the Clerk of the Council.

2.     Burial of Children in Children's area

21.  Grave plots will be 1.5m by 1.52m

22.  Children up to the age of 12 will be buried in the Children's Area.

23.  Memorials in the children's section will be considered on each individual application, for all 
      other rules please refer to Section 1. 

3.     Burial of Ashes

24.  For ashes interred in the Upper Garden of Rememberance, the fee charged by the Parish
      Council includes:

  • The interment of ashes
  • Purchase of the plot and a memorial tablet
  • The first 30 letters of any inscription
  • Exclusive Rights

25.  Memorial tablets must be ordered through the Clerk of the Council, to the following 
      specifications:

  • Must be made of natural stone, granite, slate or marble of the client's choice
  • The dimensions should not exceed 300mm x 300mm x 60mm deep
  • Inscriptions can include the name, dates of birth and death, and a short phrase.  More than 30 letters will incur an additional charge

26.  No container or other object may be placed on the plot or next to it.

27.  Floral tributes must meet the following criteria:

  • Cellophane and other wrappings should be removed
  • Small wreaths are permitted
  • Faded flowers should be removed promptly
  • They should not exceed or overlap the normal grave space
  • Artificial flowers or plants are not allowed
  • Spiked vases are not allowed
  • Planting of shrubs or any other object next to the plot is also not allowed
  • The Council will dispose of faded floral tributes if these are not removed by the client

28.  Advance reservations of plots will not be permitted.

29.  A full grave may be purchased and used for the interment of ashes, provided that it is
      treated in the same way as a normal full interment.  Ashes should be interred at an
      approppriate place, and should be at double depth, if the intention is to allow further
      interments in the same grave at a later date.

30.  Scattering of ashes is not permitted anywhere within the Cemetery.

31.  Ashes should be sealed in a suitable casket of a type approved by a Funeral Director.

4.     Fees

32.  Fees will be charged in accordance with the attached list.

33.  The Council reserves the right to review the fees at any time and to adjust them.

5.     Technical Matters

34.  When advice for a burial is required by a client, we always refer you to a professionally
      qualified Funeral Director.  Funeral Directors have the expertise and technical knowledge
      required to best advise a client how to arrange the burial that they wish to see.

35.  If an interment of a body or ashes in an existing grave requires access through a
      concrete/other hand covering or removal of a headstone, the Council will request that you
      employ a properly qualified stone mason to carry out this work.  The Parish Council will not
      carry out such work.  The Funeral Director must obtain permission from the Parish Council
      before any work is started.

36.  In order to maintain a very high standard of graves, we monitor them every two weeks.  
      If we find unauthorised additions to graves, we will inform you that you have not abided
      by the rules and ask you to remove the items.  If you do not remove the unauthorised
      item, the Parish Council will do so after a month.  Please do not cause us to do this. 
      We are only trying to maintain this Cemetery to a standard which we hope you feel is
      very high.  If you wish to add anything to a grave, please check with the Parish Council
      Office.

37.  If you require any further clarification on any matter, please refer to the Clerk of the
      Council in the first instance.

6.     Forms you will need

A Notice of Interment form and where necessary a Re-Open form - this is to be completed by your Funeral Director and returned by them to the Parish Council office with the appropriate fee, before the interment takes place.

For the Upper Garden of Remembrance, you will also need to complete an order form for the Stone Memorial Tablet.  You need to return this form to the Parish Council office as we place the orders for the memorial stone with the stone mason.  It can take 6 to 8 weeks before the stone is ready.  If you are not ready to order the stone at the time of interment, that is not a problem as we can place the order later.  Many people like to take their time to choose the best words to put on the stone.

To put a memorial on a grave, your stone mason needs to complete a Memorial Application form and return it to the Parish Council office, together with the appropriate fee.  We have to see it and formally give permission for the memorial stone to be placed before work begins.

All work must be carried out only by a qualified stone mason.

At least 12 months must elapse before a memorial is placed on a grave.