Brampton Cemetery is owned and managed by Brampton Parish Council as the public cemetery for the benefit of those living in the parish of Brampton. As the cemetery operates at a deficit, each parishioner contributes to the losses through the Parish rate. In view of this, non-parishioners may be accepted for burial, but are required to pay a supplement to the burial fees.
All graves and burials are registered, the records being kept in perpetuity. They are available for inspection at the Council offices by arrangement.
The Cemetery is located about a mile down Old Church Lane, just past William Howard School on Longtown Road and is permanently open for visits.
The exclusive right of burial (EROB) in a grave space or a cremation plot can be purchased at the time of interment. At the moment, the Parish Council has put a temporary stop to the advance purchase of EROB until the extension has been completed. Should you wish to place a memorial or arrange a burial, please contact the Parish Clerk or your undertaker. Details of fees and payments and burial information are shown below.
Burials or interment of ashes cannot take place without the authorisation of Brampton Parish Council. Ashes may not be scattered anywhere in the Cemetery.
The Parish Council is also responsible for the maintenance of St. Martin’s Churchyard and partly for the maintenance of the churchyard at The Old Church. Although both these burial grounds are now closed, the burial of cremated remains in a family plot is still permitted in the churchyard at The Old Church.
BURIAL INFORMATION
Regulations for the management of the burial ground for the burial area of the civil parish of Brampton:
Guidance Notes
These notes are intended as a guidance as to the rules governing graves and their purchase, what may and what may not be placed on or planted in grave spaces and the permitted size of gravestones. They are not a definitive statement of the Regulations, a copy of which may be obtained from the Clerk to the Parish Council.
Gravestones, memorials etc
The Parish Council’s prior written permission is required for:-
• The placing or erection of gravestones, memorials, flower planters, etc. If permission is not obtained the Parish Council will instruct its employees to remove the object or materials.
• Inscriptions on any gravestones, memorials or other objects
• Any work, including repairs to gravestones, etc. which is to be undertaken in the cemetery
The maximum size for a gravestone, including the plinth, on an ordinary grave is:
• 3 feet 6 inches high (1070 mm) measured from the ground
• 2 feet 6 inches (760 mm) wide; and
• 12 inches (300 mm) deep.
The maximum size is the same for a grave in which cremated remains are buried. Horizontal gravestones will not normally be permitted, if they exceed the above dimensions.
Normally memorials will be of stone but other materials may be permitted at the discretion of the Parish Council. There are no rules as to the shape or form of the gravestone or memorial and consent will normally only be refused if the gravestone is larger than the permitted size, or if its form or the inscription is likely, in the opinion of the Parish Council, to cause offence.
You, or the sculptor who is to make the gravestone on your behalf, should ensure that it and the inscription are acceptable before commencing any work on the gravestone. Permission will not be given for the erection of gravestones which do not comply with the Parish Council’s requirements and gravestones which have been erected without prior written consent will be removed. All gravestones and memorials must be kept in good order and repair by the owner of the grave space or relatives of the deceased(s). Where the owners have not done so after having been given notice by the Council, the Council may repair gravestones and hold the owners and/or relatives liable for the cost. No repairs or alterations to gravestones or memorials may be carried out without the permission of the Parish Council.
Plants
Any flowers must be placed in a container on the gravestone, not on the grave. No trees, shrubs, flowers, or plants may be planted on or in the grave. This includes plants in containers, pots, troughs, etc. An exception may be made for the planting of spring bulbs which will have died back before grass cutting work begins. The consent of the Parish Council is required for the planting of bulbs.
Grave Spaces
The enclosure of graves with kerbs, fences, or walls, etc. is not permitted. The cemetery is a lawn cemetery and free access for grass cutting machinery must be preserved at all times. Free access is also required for burials in adjoining graves and nothing, other than wreaths, should be placed on top of a grave. The Parish Council’s staff will remove any unauthorised urns, planters, etc. and other materials.
Fees and Payments
Fees, Payments and Sums fixed and settled under Section 34 of the Burial Act 1852, Local Government Act 1972 – Schedule 26 and the Cemeteries Orders Act 1977 The fees, payments and sums set out below apply where the person is to be interred or in respect of whom the right is granted is, or immediately before his death was, an inhabitant or parishioner of the Parish of Brampton or, in the case of a still-born child, where the parents (or one of them) are, or at the time of the interment were, such inhabitants or parishioners. The Parish Council shall however, have discretion to waive this restriction where considered appropriate.
Please note that the interment fees apply only where the interment is made between the hours of 10.00 am and 6:00 pm on a weekday or on the certificate of a coroner or registered medical practitioner that immediate interment is necessary. Weekend and bank holiday interments are not permitted unless previously agreed with the Clerk and cemetery groundsman and will incur a further charge.
The cemetery is managed by Brampton Parish Council, Unit 2, Old Brewery Yard, Craw Hall, Brampton, Cumbria, CA8 1TR
For all enquiries, please contact the Clerk