The Council recognises that the placing of memorials on grave spaces in memory of loved ones who have passed away is important to families.
The placing of memorials is organised by the family with their chosen stonemason or through their Funeral Director. Only stonemasons who are NAMM or BRAMM registered are permitted to work in Dunstable Cemetery. The timing of the placing of a memorial is dependent on the type of burial that has taken place. Coffin burials taking place in the Cemetery Extension area, allow the placing of a memorial immediately after burial. This is possible because the memorial will be placed on undisturbed ground. The placing of a memorial in all other coffin burial areas can only take place after a period of 12 months, once the grave space earth has sufficiently settled.
The placing of memorials on cremated remains burial spaces can take place after 6 months again once the earth has settled.
Only the registered holder of the Exclusive Right of Burial Grant can apply to the Council for a Memorial Grant, for the right to place and maintain or to add an inscription to an existing memorial. No permanent memorial may be placed on a grave where the Exclusive Right of Burial Grant has not been purchased. Your chosen stonemason or Funeral Director holds all the necessary paperwork to make an application to the Council, on the Exclusive Right holder’s behalf, to place a memorial. Once you have chosen the memorial that you wish to place, your stonemason or Funeral Director will submit the application to the Council and once this has been approved a memorial permit will be issued in the applicant’s name (Exclusive Right Holder). Once the permit has been issued your stonemason or Funeral Director will organise the placing of your memorial.
The fees and charges associated with the different types and sizes of memorial permitted can be found in our fees and charges (PDF).
Once a memorial has been erected, the grant holder will be responsible for the ongoing maintenance and safety of that memorial and any associated costs.
The Council will routinely test memorials for stability and any failure will be notified to the grant holder, giving that person the opportunity to repair and make safe the memorial. If this is not undertaken within the notified timescale the Council reserve the right to lay down or dismantle the memorial to make it safe.
It is strongly recommended that appropriate ‘all risks’ insurance cover is obtained by the grant holder.
In addition to traditional grave memorials the Council has created a memorial plaque garden area for friends and families to place a plaque in the memory of a loved one. Memorial plaques with inscriptions are placed on a memorial plinth around the edge of a flower border and also provide an opportunity for the placing of flowers. The plaques are 8’’ x 5’’ in size and can incorporate a photograph or motif and can be placed for a period of 25 or 35 years. The options and associated costs can be found in our fees and charges.
Memorial benches can be placed at various locations around the Cemetery subject to discussion with the Cemetery Manager.
The Book of Remembrance
The Book of Remembrance which is a permanent memorial to the memory of loved ones, is on display in an illuminated window cabinet in the wall of the chapel. The book is inscribed on handmade paper in two leather-bound volumes each covering six months of the year.
A page is allocated to each day of the year, and the page is opened on the corresponding date, allowing the memorial entries to be viewed.
The page is turned daily to show the inscription for that day. Those wishing to remember loved ones in this way can choose to commemorate births and wedding anniversaries or other notable dates including the date of death. A leaflet giving details of the Book of Remembrance and the fees is available separately from the Cemetery Office.
