The Council owns and manages St Columb Major Cemetery, located in Trekenning Road.
To request a burial you need to request a Burial Notification form from the Town Clerk prior to the interment. You can view a list of charges below (also attached to the Burial Notification form). There is also a newly created Garden of Remembrance for the interment of ashes.
Details of designs, materials and dimensions can be found in the Burial Ground Policy.
Trekenning Road Cemetery
Policy
Funeral Arrangements
The Town Council will engage a Sexton (grave digger) for each burial. Notification by Funeral Directors must be made to the Town Clerk at the earliest opportunity and a completed application form with full payment must be sent to the Town Council before arrangements can be confirmed.
Plots taken out of rotation are not allowed.
Reserved plots next to family members may be made.
Headstones, Base and Foundation Slab
Dimensions
Height : not more than 2’6” measured from the surface of the ground
Width : not more than 2’
Thickness : not more than 4” nor less than 3”
Lawn Memorials (Laid Back) no more than 2’ x 2’ x 2’
• To be secured with ‘stainless steel peg and tube anchor system’ (NAMM approved) at
sufficient depth to ensure stability.
• On an integral base not more than 3’ wide nor projecting more than 4” in any direction,
nor more than 9” high
• On a vase base not more than 3’ wide, nor projecting more than 4” on either side, nor
projecting more than 7” in front of the headstone, no more than 4” high. The base must
be no more than 15” front to back.
Materials
The following is permitted:-
Granite : Silver grey quarried in Cornwall and Devon. Red (Terracotta), Black and Dark Grey
Slate : Cornish, Welsh Blue and Grey, Lakeland Green and Grey
Marble : Black and White
Designs
Headstones need not be restricted to a true rectangular shape. Curved tops are acceptable as are Celtic Crosses however memorials in the shape of a heart, bears or others are not permitted. A design carved into the face of the stone is permissible provided that it is of high quality, relevant and reverent.
Photographs or porcelain or other portraits or pictures are not permitted.
Kerbs, railings, chains, chippings or glass shards are not permitted.
A book or bible design is acceptable but should be mounted on a thick rest or a second base
and the overall height to not exceed 2’.
A temporary wooden cross to mark a recent burial with a brass plaque bearing the name and dates of the deceased affixed to the cross is permitted. Such cross must be removed upon the erection of a stone memorial or after a period of 18 months whichever is the sooner.
Finish
A smooth finish is preferred which shall not be more polished than a non-reflective or honed finish. A rough finish is acceptable. Where desired, the inscribed face but no other part of the stone may be polished to a reflective finish.
Inscriptions must be reverent and may include literary quotations. Inscriptions must be incised in the surface or carved in relief and may be painted in black, white or gold/goldleaf. Lead lettering may be used. Plastic or other inlaid lettering is not permitted.
Additions may be made to an inscription at a later date following a subsequent interment in the same grave or for another suitable reason. However any such addition must be separately approved by the Town Council and the lettering, layout and wording must be consistent with the original inscription.
References to the bereaved family in the inscription should be restricted to parent/child or partner relationships. The inclusion of siblings’ or other relatives’ names in addition to those of parents/children of the deceased is not normally permitted. Brothers or sisters may be referred to as the only bereaved or of course where they are interred in the same grave.
For the avoidance of doubt, the following are not permitted:
1. Kerbs, railings, fencing or chippings as these create difficulty or danger when mowing
2. Memorials incorporating photographs or portraits
3. Mementos, windmills, toys or animals
4. Plants, shrubs etc in the ground
Memorial Tablets in the Garden of Rest
Dimensions : 15” wide x 12” long x 2” thick to incorporate a vase if desired
Materials : as for Headstones
Set flush with the ground and placed horizontally
There should be no additional vases, floral tributes or ornaments of any sort in the Garden of Rest.
Maintenance of Graves and Memorials
The land (Cemetery) remains in the ownership of the Town Council. There are no Agreements under Article 10(7) of the Local Authorities Cemeteries Order 1977 for the maintenance of graves and memorials outside of the Town Council.
The Town Councils maintains the right to remove any object/ornament/headstone/ slate/tablet/vase which does not comply with the regulations
Exercise of Burial and Other Rights
The Requirements of Part 1 Schedule 2 to The Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977 must be observed when coffined burial and other rights are exercised.
1. No burial shall take place, no cremated human remains shall be scattered and no tombstone or other memorial shall be placed in a cemetery and no additional inscription shall be made on a tombstone or other material without the permission of the officer appointed for that purpose by the burial authority.
2. No body shall be buried in a grave in such a manner that any part of the coffin is less than three feet below the level of any ground adjoining the grave:
Provided that the Town Council may, where it is considered the soil to be of a suitable character, permit a coffin made of presentable materials to be placed not less than two feet below the level of any ground adjoining the grave.
3. No body shall be buried in a grave unless the coffin is effectively separated from any coffin interred in the grave on a previous occasion by means of a layer of earth not less than six inches thick.
4. When any grave is reopened for the purpose of making another burial therein, no person shall disturb any human remains interred therein or remove therefrom any soil which is offensive.
5. Every walled grave or vault shall be properly constructed of suitable materials
6. Within 24 hours of any burial in a walled grave or vault the coffin shall be –
a. Embedded in concrete and covered with a layer of concrete not less than six inches thick ; or
b. Enclosed in a separate cell or compartment of brick slate, stone flagging or precast concrete slabs of a 1:2:4 mix, in any case not less than two inches thick, in such a manner as to prevent as far as is possible the escape of any noxious gas from the interior of the cell or compartment.
7. Any person to whose order a body is buried in a grave in respect of which an exclusive right of burial has been granted shall, as soon as conveniently may be after the subsidence of the earth has been completed, cause the surface of the grave to be covered with any tombstone or other memorial in respect of which a right has been granted by the burial authority or any predecessor of theirs, or with flowers or fresh turf, or, where the burial authority permits with such flowers and other plants or in such other manner as may be permitted.
Every person who contravenes any of the above provisions is liable under Article 19 of Local Authorities’ Cemeteries Order 1977, on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding LEVEL 3 on the standard scale and in the case of a continuing offence, to a fine not exceeding £10 for each day during which offence continues after conviction therefor.
Cremated Remains
The plot will be prepared by the Sexton. Caskets to be of a perishable material.
Fees and Payments
As per the Fees and Charges sheet which may from time to time be reviewed. All payments to be made at the time arrangements are made with the Town Clerk. Funeral Directors and Stone Masons to check with the Town Clerk with regard to grave/plot number to ensure reserved Plots are not taken in error.
Policy adopted by the Town Council - Minute Number 128/11(ii) March 2012
TREKENNING ROAD CEMETERY FEES
The fees set out below apply where the person to be interred is, or immediately before his/her death was an inhabitant or Parishioner of the Parish of St Columb Major or in the case of a stillborn child, where the parents (or one of them) are or at the time of interment were, such inhabitants or PARISHIONERS. In all other cases, the fees will be doubled, except in those set out in Parts 4 and 5 or where the person to be interred, having been resident in the Parish for more than 5 years and has had to leave through force of circumstance ie removal to a Care Home or similar dwelling or hospital (long stay) through age or infirmity, shall at the Council’s discretion, be treated as a ‘Parishioner or inhabitant’ and the fees not doubled.
Fees
Part 1 : Exclusive Right of Burial in Earthen Graves (for plots taken after 1.4.12)
1. For the Exclusive Right of Burial in an earthen grave measuring 7 feet 6 inches by 3 feet 6 inches - £250.00
(i) In a plot taken in rotation
(ii) Plots out of rotation are not allowed
(iii) Reserved Plots may only be made next to family members
and must be paid for in full at the time arrangements are made
Part 2 : Grave Re-Opened in the ‘old’ section - £60.00
Grave re-opened in New Section (originally taken pre 1.4.12) - £60.00
No re-opening fee for plots taken after 1.4.12
Part 3: Headstones, Tablets and Inscriptions.
For the right to erect : Flat Stone - £25.00
Headstone - £25.00
Vase - £25.00
Additional Inscription - £25.00
Part 4 : Memorial Garden (Cremated Remains)
(i) For the cost of a plot - £50.00
(ii) To place a memorial stone - £25.00
(iii) Second or additional inscription - £10.00
Part 5 : Use of Chapel of Rest
For the use of the Chapel of Rest - Per coffin per day - £20.00
For two days or more £32.50
In the event of a coffin exceeding the sizes referred to in the Schedule of Fees all fees shall be increased by 50%.
The Town Council will make arrangements with the Sexton for plots to be excavated, Funeral Directors will be advised of the cost at the time arrangements are made with the Town Clerk.
All fees to be paid at the time arrangements are made with the Town Clerk
Fees apply from 1 April 2012 and cancel all previous charges (Amended 16.8.12)
The Town Council appreciates this is a difficult time for the bereaved and so you are requested to keep this card safe until such time you visit the Cemetery and/or make arrangements for a memorial stone.
Your Funeral Director or Stone Mason will advise you on the type of memorial allowed in the Cemetery, its design and material.
A temporary wooden cross to mark the grave is allowed but must be removed upon the erection of a stone memorial or after a period of 18 months whichever is the sooner.
The following items are not allowed either in the Burial Section or Garden of Rest:-‐
- Kerbs, railings, fencing or chippings
- Memorials incorporating photographs or portraits
- Mementos, windmills, toys or animals
- Plants or shrubs etc
There should be no additional vases, floral tributes or ornaments of any sort in the Garden of Rest. The maintenance of graves is the responsibility of the Town Council.
Please do not breach any of the above provisions; help us to keep the Cemetery as a place of sensitivity.
Thank you.
CLOSED CHURCHYARD FEES AND CONDITIONS
The fees set out below apply where the person to be interred is, or immediately before his/her death was an inhabitant or Parishioner of the Parish of St Columb Major or in the case of a stillborn child, where the parents (or one of them) are such inhabitants or Parishioners. In all other cases, the fees at Nos 1 and 3 below will be doubled, except in special circumstances, ie long-stay hospitalisation or OAP Home, when at their discretion, the Council may treat them as Parishioners.
a. The Parish Council in its absolute discretion reserves the right to refuse permission for the interment if the deceased is a non-parishioner.
b. Cremated remains must be contained within a bio-degradable (wooden) casket. Plastic or other indestructible materials MUST NOT be used.
The scattering of cremated remains is NOT permitted.
c. Only MINISTERS of religion may officiate at an interment
d. Certificate of Disposal must be presented to the Clerk to the Town Council before an interment can be arranged.
e. The permitted Memorial is a 9” square Slate Tablet set on a granite plinth 12” x 12” on a total plot of 18” x 18”.
NO OTHER MEMORIAL (ie rose bush, plants, cut/artificial flowers) is permitted.
Fees For :
1. Exclusive right of interment for 75 years - £90.00
2. A memorial tablet with one inscription (payable to Truro Diocesan Board of Finance) - £20.00
3. Additional inscription (payable to Truro Diocesan Board of Finance) - £20.00
These fees apply from 1 April 2003 and cancel all previous charges.