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Memorials are a lasting monument and tribute to a person's life, perhaps the final gift to someone dearly loved. It is therefore important to choose the monument carefully and Bereavement Services can provide advice on the options available to you.
Please download and complete the appropriate Word or PDF version of the application form first from the options below. Once done, submit your completed application form and other relevant documentation using the online form.
The installation of new memorials, renovation of existing memorials and added inscriptions to memorials, is carefully controlled by Dudley Council to ensure that:
work is only carried out with the authority of the registered owner/s of the Rights of Burial,
that all memorials comply with Dudley Council regulations applicable to the erection
and maintenance of memorials and work is carried out in a manner that will ensure that all Health and Safety regulations are adhered to.
Memorial and surrounds may not be erected over any grave in which the exclusive Right of Burial has not been purchased.
Applications for memorial work together with the relevant fee must be submitted to the Manager for approval. This application must be made on the form “Memorial Application Form”. This form should include the name and address of the memorial mason who will carry out the work, the material and measurements of the memorial, what you want to inscribe and a diagram of the proposed memorial. The application form must also
contain the full names of the registered grave owner/s and their signatures to give permission for the work to be done. We are flexible regarding the shape and design of a memorial as long as they do not exceed the sizes given, please note memorials overall height must include the height of its base.
It is possible to apply online for all of our memorials. There are many types of the memorial that you can choose from, therefore please refer to the specific web pages on the type of memorial that you would like for further details of how to apply.
The Stonemason has a duty of care to manufacture and erect a memorial in accordance with regulations set out by Dudley Council on behalf of the grave owner.
Only memorial masons who appear on the Black Country Memorial Register of approved Masons or any future replacement scheme such as BRAMM (British Registration of Accredited Memorial Masons) are permitted to carry out work here on memorials, to ensure the installation of memorials is carried out in a safe manner to National Standards. Application for acceptance onto the register must be made in writing using the appropriate form. The Council has the right on demand for the memorial mason to dismantle a memorial to demonstrate the correct fixings methods have been used at the memorial mason's cost. Contravention of the regulations may result in removal from the register.
A list ofLocal Stone Masonsis available on this site; however please note that the Council does not accept any responsibility in relation to these companies and the services that they supply.
Memorials are subject to restrictions on size and materials. Individual sections at different cemeteries have a variation in memorial regulations. Your funeral director or the cemetery office staff will be able to advise you fully before any interment takes place, as to the size and type of memorial allowed on the section you have chosen.
Once any memorial has been erected, the grave owner or their executor or personal representative will be held to be responsible for the future maintenance and safety of that memorial. Any memorial deemed to be unsafe by the manager will be rendered safe and must without delay, either be removed from the cemetery or repaired by an approved memorial mason. The costs of rendering the memorial safe shall be recoverable from the owner.
It is strongly recommended that appropriate insurance cover is obtained for the memorial by the grave owner against all risks.
Please note that:
The manager has the right to decline any memorial/inscription that they deem inappropriate for the cemetery.
All memorials must be quarried stone. The manager may allow wooden memorials (not crosses).
A vase bearing an inscription shall be regarded as a memorial and be subject to the appropriate fee. Grave owners are advised to have the grave number inscribed on any vases and to make sure this number can be seen.
The Council may remove any memorials from private graves when the period of the Right of Burial has expired (Local Authorities Cemetery Order 1977).
The Council as part of its Memorial Management Scheme will routinely inspect memorials and work will be required on memorials which are in a dangerous or dilapidated state. Details on any aspect of this scheme are available on request.
The Council reserves the right, after reasonable notice to the person concerned and failure to take the necessary action, to remove or change any memorial, which infringes these regulations or, in the opinion of the council is in a state of disrepair.
