RESERVATION OF BURIAL PLOTS
-At All Saints’ Church Dogmersfield-
Dear Resident,
If you live within the parish boundary of Dogmersfield, or if you are on the All Saints’ Church Electoral Roll, you have a legal right to be interred in the church yard, whether or not you attend church services.
The Parochial Church Council ( PCC) has recently received a directive from the Archdeacon’s office in the Winchester diocese, stating that specific plots within the churchyard cannot be reserved without their prior permission ( the technical term is a “full Faculty Permission from the Diocesan Registry Office”). Such permission includes the requirement for the payment of a fee.
Until now, informal requests have been recorded on the PCC’s churchyard plan and the Vicar and the PCC have been happy to comply with these requests when needed. Unfortunately, because of the directive, these plots can no longer be regarded as “officially” reserved.
If you think you have ‘reserved’ a plot and would definitely like to secure it, we would be happy to help you obtain the necessary permission. Regrettably however, we would need to charge the full fees of £291.40 (which are payable to the Diocese, not All Saints’ Church). The fee meets the Diocese’s costs of undertaking the relevant legal process and preparing the necessary documentation. This would provide you with a statutory right to be interred in your specified plot.
Please note that in the majority of cases, the current PCC are perfectly happy and able to accommodate requests for burials or interments of ashes wherever the bereaved family wish to place them. However, a new PCC or new incumbent would be under no obligation to do so and it could not be guaranteed that a preferred plot would be available.
As a consequence of the directive, the PCC is proposing two options to residents and to those on the Electoral Role wishing to request a specific site:
- Retain the informal nature of requests with a site noted on the churchyard map and a record kept with this plan ( no fee would be payable, although a donation towards the upkeep of the churchyard would be very much appreciated).
- Apply for the appropriate permission, with payment of the accompanying fee.
(The PCC would be happy to assist you with the application process).
If you would like to pursue option 2 and apply for permission, please contact Christine Lowe ( PCC secretary) or Amanda Ross ( Church warden).
Christine Lowe : 01252 811218; christine.lowe.trh@gmail.com
Amanda Ross : 01252617391; amandaross57@hotmail.co.uk