Fees for Funerals and the Burial of Ashes

It is usual for the Funeral Directors who are conducting your loved one's funeral to engage the services of the church and pay our fees directly.  However, it may be helpful to outline what the statutory fees set by the Church of England are.

*These fees are the amended fees for March 2023 as revised by the General Synod of the Church of England

 

Service in Church

• Funeral service in church, whether taking place before or after burial or cremation: £ 217
• Burial of body in churchyard immediately preceding or following on from service in church:  £348
• Burial of ashes in churchyard immediately preceding or folloing on from service in church: £151

 

Additional local Fees charged by the Parish

• If a service is held in church there is an additional fee for a verger to prepare the worship space and clear away, to address any situations that arise with the guests and to take care of any recorded music played : £40
• There may be a charge for heating, but this is seasonal: £30

 

No service in Church

• Funeral service (including burial of body) at graveside in churchyard: £450
• Funeral service (including burial of ashes) as graveside in churchyard: £253

 

Burial of ashes in churchyard on a separate occasion from the funeral service: £182

 

Service at a Crematorium only, or funeral service (including burial of body or burial of ashes) in cemetery: £217

 

Burial of body, or burial of ashes in cemetery (committal only): £32

 

Live-streaming fee and copy fees

Occasionally we are asked to live-stream a funeral service at the church for mourners who could not gather for the service.  There is also an option to receive a copy of the service.

• Live-Streaming fee: £100 (This composes of £40 for the operator and £60 to cover licences and equipment maintenance)
• Copy of the service: £30

 

If a funeral service requires the minister to travel to a Crematorium, Cemetery, or to a church that is not local, a small charge will be made for travelling expenses.  This is currently set at £20 and the Funeral Directors include it within their fees.

 

*Please note all of the above fees are for 2023.  Each year there is a small increase set by the Church of England.  Please check with the Vicar what the current charges are.

 

**Ashes are not permitted to be scattered in a churchyard.  They are poured into a small grave plot in the Garden of Remembrance in our Glebe Road Churchyard.  Please do not bring them in a casket as the Bishops' Guidelines require us to pour them in loose.

The Churchyard

Churchyards are special places. They are spaces which exist for both the living and those who have died.  If a person has been living in the parish of Weald, has died in the parish, or is on the electoral roll of the Church, they have the right to be buried or to have their ashes interred here.  If the person was not a resident at the time of their death they do not have this automatic right.  However, if there is a strong Weald connection, then as long as there is space, the Vicar may be able to use her discretion to enable the burial to go ahead.

 

If a member of the family has previously been buried in a full-size grave plot, as long as there is sufficient depth, it is likely that  other relatives will be permitted to be buried in the same plot, or have their ashes interred there. 

 

As consecrated ground - made sacred by a bishop - churchyards are placed under the care and protection of the Church, giving them a special status in law. This doesn’t mean churchyards are just for people who are members of the church – it is for the whole community.  

 

It is however important to recognise that there are particular differences between a burial in a public cemetery and a consecrated churchyard.   These differences should be understood before a burial takes place in order that there is no misunderstanding or offence caused later on.

 

Churches have a duty of care to all those who use these shared spaces and to maintain them as a places of peace and beauty, and reflecting the Christian context of the churchyard, now and for future generations. To help do this, there are a set of diocesan regulations which churches are legally obliged to follow.   
 

The Churchyard Regulations

The Churchyard Regulations govern what is allowed within the churchyard including:

• the types of memorials that can be installed;
• the materials and inscriptions that can used; and
• even the types of graveyard gifts that can be left.

 

These regulations are drawn up by the Chancellor of the Diocese.

 

Every diocese has its own Churchyard Regulations, and while many points are the same throughout the country, there may be differences from diocese to diocese.

 

The vicar is allowed to authorise memorials, provided they comply with the Churchyard Regulations.

 

Click here to read a copy of The Churchyard Regulations.

 

Types of memorials

Many people are not aware that there are guidelines in place for headstones, to help to ensure that the churchyard remains an appropriate setting for many years to come. It can be quite upsetting for people to choose a certain headstone only to find it cannot be approved.  

 

There is no automatic right to a churchyard memorial. All memorials have to be approved before they are installed. If in doubt, please contact the Vicar to discuss it.

If somone wishes to have a memorial that does not comply with the Regulations, they will need to apply to the Chancellor of the Diocese for permission (a faculty), for which there is a fee. The Diocesan Registry is able to send out an application form for this and give details of the current fees.

 

Your Funeral Director or Monumental Mason will fill out a CR1 form at your request.  This is a  headstones request form which will need the Vicar's written approval before the stonemasons are commissioned to do the work.

 

Monuments in Churchyards

There are fees for introducing various monuments to a churchyard and for additional inscriptions to an existing monument.

 

• Small cross of wood: £52
• Small vase not exceeding (12"x8"x8") or tablet, plaque or other maker commemorating a person's ashes: £84
• Any other monument: £158
• Additional inscription on existing monument: £33