Churchyards are a valuable heritage and reflect the sure and certain hope that those buried therein await the return of Jesus Christ and the life that is to come. Because churchyards are consecrated they fall under the jurisdiction of the Bishop, exercised through the Chancellor of the Diocese who is the ecclesiastical Judge in the Diocese and ultimately responsible for decisions affecting churchyards.
The Chancellor has issued Churchyard Regulations which can be seen at the Diocesan website www.manchester.anglican.org to ensure that churchyards are kept in decent order so as to show respect for those who have died and so far as is possible to comfort those whose loved ones are buried there.
We have produced this short document which attempts to assist in the understanding of such Regulations. Click below to view it online or to download a copy.
Guidance for the Bereaved & Churchyard Regulations