United Benefice of Thornhill & Whitley Lower
Serving our local communities
Churchyard Regulations
All churchyards are covered by Diocesan Regulations
see them here. These new local regulations came into force on the 23 February 2017 and everyone is legally obliged to
follow them.
There are some changes to the previous ones -
1. that ONLY Yorkshire sandstone may be used for graves and cremated remains.
2 When we reach the end of the current row of cremated remains the size of slabs that may be used reduces to 18" square from 24" to allow for more remains to be buried and extend the life of the churchyard.
3. It is now allowed that a small inscription , in addition to names and dates, may be engraved on cremated remains slabs subject to permission from the Rector.
4. There are still detailed rules about what is and is not allowed to placed in the churchyard- for example gravel, windmills, solar lights,glass of any kind, kerb stones, railings are NOT ALLOWED ( please see Section 11 of the rules). The Rector is not allowed by law to allow any of these.
Please help us maintain a beautiful space for everyone by adhering to these regulations.
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Guidelines for work on Trees Click on the word Trees
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An interesting and informative study
by Marjorie Middleton- one of our members- provides a snapshot of the
wildlife that may be seen.
To view this document please click here
Churchyard Teacher's Information Pack click here
Churchyard Geology Trail click here
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Arboricultural reports December 2022
Read here the latest report on the state of trees in the churchyard.
Tree Location Plan see here 2022
Tree Schedule see here 2022