Memorial Planning and Purchasing Guide

Memorial Planning and Purchasing Guidance

Burials

Cemeteries and Churchyards have regulations governing the types of memorials, including the sizes and materials they will allow.

These may vary, so it is sensible to check what is allowed in the burial ground where the memorial is to be placed before choosing a design. Your NAMM memorial mason will advise you on the regulations and guide you towards materials and designs that will be accepted.

Cremation

In some cemeteries or Churchyards, there may be special areas for the burial of cremated remains, and there will be regulations on the size and style of memorial permitted. Your memorial mason will advise you on the regulations and show you the designs and materials that are acceptable.

Obtaining permissions

Before a memorial may be erected in a cemetery or churchyard, written permission must be obtained from its management, and their required fee paid. Your mason will tell you what fees are required and complete the necessary forms for you.

The first step

When you have chosen a memorial, it is important to obtain a written estimate clearly setting out the full details. This should include:

• The memorial design
• The size
• The material
• The finish of the material (i.e., part polished, all polished, honed, or eggshell finish, if it is granite, fine rubbed if it is a limestone.)
• The finish to the edges of the headstone and base, whether they are to be rustic (natural and pitched) or the same finish as the face of the headstone.
• The inscription and the style and finish of the lettering.
• Whether you require space to remain for a further inscription at a later date.
• Any ornamentation and the finish or carving.
• The installation of the memorial on the proper foundation.
• The VAT and the burial authority fee.

Please note that lettering and ornamentation can be hand-carved, sandblasted, or machine-carved. These options and the different types of stone available all vary in price. If you obtain estimates from more than one company, do check carefully to make sure you really are comparing like with like.

When you are ready to place an order

When you place your order, you may be asked to pay a deposit, with the balance of the agreed price payable later.

Before signing to confirm your instructions, it is important to check the inscription to ensure the spelling of names, the dates, and the setting out of the text you have chosen are all correct. Any alterations should be confirmed with you in writing.

The inscription is the most important part of a memorial. It is your personal tribute that tells future generations about the person you are lovingly commemorating.

The name is inscribed in the largest size letters, and that size will be determined by the available width of the memorial. The dates, and any heading you choose, are then inscribed in a proportionate smaller size.

Inscriptions

The text is possibly the most difficult for you to choose, so careful thought about what you want to include and talking with relatives and friends may help. You may wish to describe their character, their interests, hobbies, their work, or add a decorative design or emblem, etc.

This would leave more personal information for future generations to see. You may wish to say how they were perceived by all who knew them, or you may simply wish to record their name and dates.

The inscription you choose will complete the memorial, and its appearance will be enhanced by taking advice on the style of lettering to be used and the finish applied to define the letters. Your memorial mason should be able to show you a printed example of how the inscription will be set out on the memorial.

Please note that, unless you give specific and written instructions about how you would like the inscription to be set out, this will be left to the letter carver.

It is important to bear in mind that the availability of the chosen material, the complexity of the design, and the ground conditions will affect the time the memorial will take to complete and install. If you have a particular date in mind that you want the memorial in place for, you should let your mason know this at the start to ensure your requirements can be met.

It is important that you are aware that it is you, and not the management of the cemetery or churchyard, who is responsible for the maintenance of the memorial. It is, therefore, wise to ensure it is checked regularly and to consider memorial insurance

For your peace of mind

All Full Retail members of NAMM are highly skilled professional memorial masons who meet minimum standards of competency and guarantee to work to the NAMM Code of Business Practice and NAMM Code of Ethics.

Memorials are erected by members to “The NAMM Code of Working Practice” in accordance with BS8415, which is the accepted industry standard used by the majority of burial authorities in their regulations. All work for the erection of a memorial will be supported by a Certificate of Compliance, which assures you that the memorial was erected to the best practice, as detailed in the NAMM Code of Working Practice and BS8415 current at the time of erection.

In the event of a dispute, you can call on the NAMM Arbitration and Conciliation Service. Please contact NAMM Head Office on 01788542264 or by email at enquiries@namm.org.uk.