Ashes burials | allsaintswhitstable

Ashes interments at All Saints Whitstable

Losing a loved one is a painful and distressing experience. Nonetheless, we are privileged at All Saints to have a churchyard where many hundreds, if not thousands, of people come to mourn their loved ones by visiting the plot where their ashes are buried. This can bring great comfort to those who mourn.

Please note - We regularly inter (bury) ashes of loved ones at All Saints. Scattering of ashes on the grass is not permitted in churchyards.

Please also note - Sorry, but we sadly cannot book plots in advance. We can only arrange burials of ashes following the crematorium service or direct crematorium committal. This is because although there is still a lot of space in our churchyard, it is not inexhaustible and needs to be utilised for the present moment and the needs of our parish today.

The Booking Process

When you are ready to arrange an interment, the process is as follows:

Initial Enquiry: Your first point of contact is Virginia Hopson at the church office at office@allsaintswhitstable.com. She will explain the choices available to you and outline the associated fees – though these can also be found below.
Locating a Plot: Virginia will then pass your information to Dave and Helen Parry. They will arrange to meet with your family in the churchyard to help you locate a suitable spot for the ashes.
Pastoral Meeting & Booking: Finally, you will be referred to Rev Jayne Edinboro or another member of the clergy or a Church of England Lay Minister (“Reader”) if Jayne is unavailable. Rev Jayne will hold a pastoral meeting with you and officially book the date with your family for the service, ensuring that Dave and Helen are also available to attend on the day as they are also verger and gravedigger.

There are two options for the interment itself:

ASHES INTERMENT AT ALL SAINTS WHITSTABLE – 2026 GUIDELINES

OPTION 1) GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE

(Situated right down the very far end of the churchyard past all the stone ashes plots)

In the Garden of Remembrance, there is no stone or tablet permitted and ashes have to be buried loose. In other words, only grass is permitted on top of the ashes.

The fees in 2026 are £206 plus £35 for David and Helen Parry for preparing and filling in the plot and being in attendance.

There is an additional £40 Churchyard verger fee which covers the work in advance that David and Helen need to take up looking for a suitable plot in the Garden of Remembrance. They also are there on the day to assist the minister with the service.

Urns and boxes with ashes in are not permitted. The ashes must be buried loose in the Garden of Remembrance. Exact records of the spot where the ashes are buried are not made, though the family can make a photographic record if they wish further relatives to be buried in that area in future. No memorials of any kind are permitted in the Garden of Remembrance.

When ashes are buried in the Garden of Remembrance there is a short service lasting a few minutes, led by the Minister, at the site of the ashes plot. This is free of charge.

OPTION 2) MAIN CHURCHYARD

In the main churchyard, stone flat tablets are allowed for ashes burials, but they have to follow the churchyard regulations - a maximum of 18 inches by 18 inches x 2 inches and only specific stone. Ashes can be buried single or double depth (double depth to make room for a further set of ashes in future to be buried in the same plot).

Application and Approval

An application for a tablet must be made in writing to the Minister at their usual address from a respected local stonemason using the standard "Application under Churchyard Regulations" form.
This application cannot be made until at least one month has passed since the date of the interment.

Size and Form

The memorial must be a tablet that does not exceed 18 x 18 x 2 inches.
Biodegradable containers must be used for the ashes unless they are placed directly into the ground loose. Metal and plastic urns are not permitted.

Materials

Materials for the tablet include unpolished Portland, Purbeck, York or Nabrasena marbles, Celtic limestone, slate, honed pale grey granite, oak, or teak.
Other unpolished stones may be permitted at the Minister's discretion.

Design and Inscriptions

Inscriptions are limited to a maximum of four lines of text, which must include the deceased's name and dates of birth and death.
Up to nine lines of text are allowed in the case of a double interment. All inscribed information must be accurate.
Any words, emblems, badges, or designs must be deemed appropriate by the Minister, and any necessary third-party permissions must be secured.
Photographic reproductions are strictly prohibited.
The lettering must be clearly legible, and the overall layout and design must be suitably arranged, subject to the Minister's opinion.
Infilling for lettering and designs must be either a grey matt finish or an earth colour enamel. This infilling must also be in harmony with the memorial's material, as judged by the Minister.
No craftsman names, trademarks, or any other forms of advertising are permitted on the tablet.

Flower Containers

If a flower container is used with a tablet, it must be incorporated directly into the tablet or buried in the ground within the plot.
The container must not protrude above ground level or extend beyond the plot itself.

The tablet is ordered via the undertakers and is not included in these charges – it obviously costs considerably more than the price of the interment. The stonemason should forward a form to Rev Jayne Edinboro for her to authorise the tablet.

We strongly discourage you from using internet firms. We recommend you use local firms who work regularly with us at All Saints. This is particularly because they will have a duty of care for the tablet in the years that their guarantee is in place.

The charges for the interment are £206 plus a £40 Churchyard verger fee which covers the work in advance that David and Helen need to do to assist the minister and family on the day.

Then there are the fees for actually digging the plot and filling it in afterwards. This has to be done by David and Helen. David and Helen's charges are £35 for a single depth plot or £60 for a double depth plot.

Urns and boxes for ashes are permitted but must be of a small enough size to fit in the plot and they must be made of biodegradable material (so not plastic or metal). Please consult with Rev Jayne Edinboro about these or with David and Helen directly. There is an additional charge later also for the introduction of the tablet which is £96. This is usually paid by the stonemason who passes the charge on to you as part of their invoice.

NB: Headstones (upright stones) are not permitted for ashes – only flat tablets. The placing of the tablet on the plot should be done at least a couple of months after the burial to allow the ground to settle. When ashes are buried in the main churchyard there is a short service lasting a few minutes, led by the Minister, at the site of the ashes plot. This is free of charge.

FOR BOTH OF THE ABOVE

As this is a churchyard, a religious blessing should be carried out by Rev Jayne Edinboro or another member of the clergy authorised by her. The service normally takes no more than 5 to 10 minutes. We always meet the family at the car park, not at the plot, so that we walk up together. Please let your family know that we are meeting at the car park if they are attending. Quite often it is just two or three members of the family who attend the service and there is no expectation that everyone should attend, though some do invite a large number.

Contact:

Church Office (Virginia Hopson) – office@allsaintswhitstable.com

Ashes interments at All Saints

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