Memorials in Churchyards
There is no legal right to place a memorial in a churchyard. Permission must be obtained from the Chancellor of the Diocese, acting on behalf of the Bishop. The normal method of applying for permission for a memorial would be to apply for a Faculty (see Faculty Applications). However, this is rarely necessary, because the Chancellor has given authority to local clergy, through the Diocesan Churchyard Regulations, to allow memorials which fall within the guidelines set out in the Regulations. For cases falling outside the Regulations, there is a simplified procedure for applying to the Chancellor for permission to introduce a memorial into a churchyard.
The Diocese is keen to encourage good quality interesting and imaginative memorials within its churchyards, and those considering memorials are recommended to visit the website of the charity Memorials By Artists for ideas and suggestions about appropriate memorials, and names of individual masons. The members of the National Association of Memorial Masons work to accredited standards, and the Association will provide contact information for memorial masons working within the Diocese.
Diocesan Churchyard Regulations
To view, print or save a copy of the Churchyard Regulations, or an Application form for a new memorial, click the following:
Diocese of Norwich Churchyard Regulations
Anyone wishing to place a memorial in a churchyard should consult the Minister of the church before placing an order with a stonemason. The Churchyard Regulations set out the types of memorial which the Chancellor of the Diocese has authorized the clergy to permit. Where the Regulations are silent, for example on the subject of pictures or etchings on memorials, there is no delegated authority to approve, and a Faculty should be sought.
The Regulations were updated in 2010 to take account of the considerable advances since the previous revision in 2002 in computer aided design techniques, enabling stonemasons to offer a much wider range of memorials, inscriptions and etchings than used to be the case. The revision followed a consultation exercise with local stonemasons and clergy, taking into account modern practice in the safe fixing of new memorials.
For full details of the fees payable, please refer to the current version of the Parochial Fees Order, currently the Parochial Fees Order 2010
Testing of Churchyard Memorials
PCC’s should note that they have a responsibility for ensuring the safety of their churchyards, including any memorials, and should undertake a regular check to identify any potential problems. If a memorial has been identified as presenting a risk to health or safety, advice should be sought from the Diocesan Registrar as to how this should be dealt with.
Guidance on the safety of memorials is available at Guidance on Safety of Memorials
Memorials inside Churches
As a general rule, the erection of memorials inside churches is not normally permitted. Anyone wishing to erect a memorial inside a church must apply for a Faculty, and must satisfy the Chancellor that a departure from the normal rule is justifiable, for example, because the person to be commemorated was a major benefactor of the church, or made some major contribution to the church or parish, or was an important local or national figure, etc.
