- The Burial Board reserve the right to authorise interment and/or the purchase of exclusive right of burial to the parishioners of the Parish of Sopley.
- A parishioner is a person who was born in the Parish (ie their parental home was in the Parish at the time of their birth), or whose permanent address is, or was, within the boundaries of the Parish of Sopley. In the case of a still-born child, the right to be interred in the Parish Cemetery shall apply where one of the parents is or was a Parishioner at the time of the confinement.
- Selected sites for interment must be subject to the approval of the Burial Board and all graves must be dug initially to a depth of at least seven feet.
- If the right of burial for a period of 75 years is not purchased within fourteen years of interment, the Burial Board may bury another person not being a relative in the same grave after fourteen years.
- When the right of burial lapses at the end of 75 years it may be re-purchased under such terms and conditions as may apply at that time.
- No grave shall be opened within fourteen years after the burial of a person unless to bury another member of the same family.
- The Council have authority to level mounds after a period of three months following an interment, and to make good the grass over the grave.
- A memorial may only be placed over any purchased grave or cremation site.
- All applications for permission to erect a memorial shall be submitted to the Burial Board, for their consent. It is requested that the memorial have the number of the grave space or cremation site cut clearly but discreetly thereon at the expense of the person/persons erecting the same. The Council reserves the right to remove any memorials it considers to be inappropriate.
- The council reserves the right to remove from any grave space (and dispose of), wreaths, flowers, plants, floral tributes or other memorial items which have deteriorated or become unsightly.
- A portion of the cemetery has been set aside for the interment of cremated remains. Each plot measuring 2’ x 2’ may have a memorial on it which may not exceed that size and must not be raised above turf level to allow for easy mowing.
- Any person/persons engaged in work on any grave or memorial in the cemetery shall upon completion immediately clean up and remove any surplus rubbish or material.
- Any damage to walls, paths, or other parts of the cemetery which occurs during the digging of a grave or the erection of a memorial must be repaired immediately to the satisfaction of the Burial Board by the person/ persons responsible for the damage.
Cllr K Brake. Chairman, Sopley Parish Burial Board.
June 2022
For enquiries Tel : 01425 674833 / 07935 448 405
or by post to
Cllr K Brake, Sopley Burial Board, Sopley Parish Hall, Priest Lane, Sopley BH23 7BA
Email: cemetery@sopley.gov.uk
