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Burials and Cemeteries 

A Guide to Burials and Cemeteries within the District

Bereavement is a time when relatives and friends require support and assistance. The desire that a loved one should be laid to rest in pleasant surroundings in a well tended plot is one that the Council recognises, and the contents of this page are intended to give guidance and supply answers to those most common questions that arise at these difficult times.

Understandably, the guide does not cover all the regulations. Should these be required, they are available in booklet form from the following address:-

Dover District Council
Burials section
White Cliffs Business Park
Dover
Kent CT16 3PJ
Telephone No. (01304) 872458
E-mail: burials@dover.gov.uk

General Information

Where are the Burial Records, and Whom Should I Contact?
The Registers of Burials, and other records, are held for safe keeping with the Property Services Division. No records are kept at the cemeteries, and therefore queries should be directed to the staff at the Whitfield Offices.  (E-mail: burials@dover.gov.uk or telephone (01304) 872458).

Your Funeral Director or Monumental Mason will be working closely with Property Services staff in arranging burials and erecting memorials and so will be experienced in the do's and don'ts of the regulations. In most cases they will prepare and complete all the paperwork on your behalf, and pay any fees required including those of the Council, and submit them in their final account.

Who Manages the Cemeteries?
Enquiries and applications should be made through the Property Services office. All funerals, burials or disposal of ashes, and erection of memorials, are under the control of the Head of Property,Leisure and Waste Management. Any works must be carried out to the satisfaction of the Council, and anything placed or planted on any grave, other than an approved memorial, becomes the property of the Council, and may be removed should it be considered necessary.

Can I Ask Cemetery Staff to do Works on My Behalf?
Although the Council's staff are willing to advise in any way they can, they are not allowed to be privately employed to carry out any works within the Council's Cemeteries.

Obtaining a Grave Space

Although a grave space can be allocated without purchase, the large majority of new graves today are purchased by the family or next of kin of the deceased. Purchased graves are still subject to the cemetery regulations, but the owner of the Exclusive Right of Burial has the right to erect a headstone by way of memorial.

Who Chooses the Position of the Grave?
The selection of grave space is at the discretion of the Council and allocations are made by the Property Services staff.

Where are the Children's Gardens 

There are children's Gardens at St. Mary's Cemetery Dover, Hamilton Road Cemetery Deal and at Aylesham Cemetery.

These are laid out with headstone borders for your memorials and tributes. The remainder of the area is grassed for ease of maintenance.

How are the Graves Arranged?
The sections currently in use are laid out as lawn plots to enable the maintenance of the area to be carried out more efficiently. The sections are set out with headstone borders, two feet in width, with provision for a rose bush to be planted between each plot.  To avoid maintenance problems and to preserve a pleasant uniformity, the headstone borders should not be altered in any way, nor should any border edging of any kind be placed on a grave.  The grassed areas are kept flat and unplanted.

Should I Purchase a Grave Plot?
The purchase of a grave space gives the purchaser certain rights and privileges. For instance, purchased graves may be dug deep enough to allow for up to three burials. This allows members of the same family to be buried in the same plot at later dates, if they so wish. No purchased grave may be re-opened for another burial without satisfactory proof that the owner, or his or her successor in title, has given consent. The registered owner also has the right to erect and maintain one memorial on the grave. The owner also has the right to transfer the Right of Burial to any relative in which case the Deed of Grant should be sent, with a covering letter, to the Head of Property, Leisure and Waste Management for endorsement, and for the records to be changed.

How Do I Purchase a Grave?
Plots in the Council's cemetery are generally purchased at the time of the first burial, and the Funeral Director can make the application on your behalf. Plots may, however, be purchased in advance at certain cemeteries by applying to the Head of Property, Leisure and Waste Management through the Whitfield Offices.

Please click here for an application form. A purchased plot carries with it a Deed of Grant for Exclusive Right of Burial for one hundred years and is proof of purchase. It is an important document and should be kept in a safe place.

What About Unpurchased Graves?
Unpurchased graves are prepared for one or two burials only, and no headstone or memorial vase is permitted. However, a removable flower vase less than twelve inches in height may be placed on the grave.

How are the Fees Paid?
Any fee for a purchase arranged by a Funeral Director will be included in his account. If, however, you are purchasing a plot in advance, please complete our application form and return to us together with the fee.

New Graves

New graves are provided in the areas of cemeteries specially designed for ease of maintenance. This keeps costs down and ensures that a higher standard of upkeep is more readily achieved - see the section on obtaining a grave space.

Can I Erect a Headstone or Memorial Vase?
A memorial can only be erected on a purchased grave. Your Monumental Mason will be fully aware of the Council's requirements concerning the size, materials and methods of fixing the memorial and will be pleased to advise you on the procedures to be followed before the memorial can be erected.

How do I Obtain Permission for a Headstone?
An application for approval signed by the owner of the Deed of Grant of the grave is sent to the Property Services Office by the Monumental Mason at least fourteen days before the monument is to be erected. Once approval to the application is received in writing from the Head of Property, Leisure and Waste Management, the erection of the memorial can take place.

Can I Have More Than One Memorial?
The registered owner of a purchased plot has the right to erect and maintain one memorial on the grave. This can either be a headstone or a memorial vase and must be placed at the head of the grave. Inscriptions on memorial vases are restricted to the name, initials and age and date of death.

Are Kerbstones and Enclosures Allowed?
The Council is anxious to maintain a high level of maintenance throughout all its cemeteries and to ensure a high standard of care for all the plots within its control. Any kerbstones or other enclosures on any grave would present difficulties in this area and are therefore not permitted except where they already exist in the older parts of the cemeteries.

What are My Responsibilities for the Memorial?
Memorials are the responsibility of the owner of the grave. Although the Council is not responsible for maintaining a memorial nor for any damage caused to it, owners are advised of any damage and will be given time to arrange for its repair or removal.  A memorial erected without permission may be removed without notice, although the next of kin will normally be contacted beforehand to be given the opportunity to apply to purchase the Deed of Grant.

What Floral Tributes Can I Place Upon the Grave?
Floral decorations can be placed on any grave. In order to keep cemeteries in a neat and tidy condition floral tributes will be taken from the grave and disposed of as soon as they are seen to be decaying. This is usually 7-21 days after the interment. If relatives wish to retain the bases to the floral tributes the District Council will need to be advised of this fact at the time of the interment.

Older Graves

Some older parts of cemeteries are mainly used for the re-opening of family graves. These sections may contain fully kerbed as well as unkerbed graves. 

What Happens if a Grave becomes overgrown and untidy?
Graves are sometimes difficult to maintain in which case they may be turfed over at the owner's request, free of charge, by contacting the Head of Property, Leisure and Waste Management by telephone or in writing.

Planting of Graves in the older sections
The Council maintains headstone borders and graves without charge to the owners.  Small shrubs, roses etc. may be planted within the graves in the older kerbed sections of the cemeteries although the Council reserves the right to remove any plant which becomes overgrown or untidy.

Can the Council Maintain a Grave For Me?
The Property Services office will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements for any grave to be maintained or planted/maintained by the Council.  Invoices for these services are generally sent out in December each year and new requests for either of these services must be received by the first week in March to be included in that current year's maintenance programme. Any request received after that date will be added to the programme as soon as possible.  Please contact the Council for the current cost of this service.

See also Commemorative Benches and Commemorative Plaques

Contact

Telephone No. (01304) 872458
E-mail: burials@dover.gov.uk

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