Milton Cemetery
The village cemetery is on Landbeach Road just beyond the bypass. The original
cemetery was created by All Saints' church in around 1900 when their churchyard
started to run out of space.
In 1984 the parish council extended it to provide considerably more space and new interments now take place in this part of the cemetery.
If, when you visit, the new burial ground looks rather different from how you are used to see it this is because Milton Parish Council is experimenting with a new way of management.
Wild flower meadow
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The plan is to reserve the area to the left of the path for burials and interment of ashes; an area large enough to meet the needs of the village for many years to come. The area to the right of the path will be managed as a meadow where the wild grasses and flowers will be allowed to bloom and seed before mowing. The period of future time available should allow the development of a diverse community of plants and the re-creation of a type of meadow rarely seen nowadays.
It is also intended to complete the enclosure of the area with hedges similar to the one on the south side - mainly hawthorn mixed with other suitable species. This will be a protection from the coldest winds for people and plants alike.
Allowing the plants to grow for several weeks has revealed quite a variety of grasses and flowers already present. It is planned to increase this diversity by adding seeds of locally prevalent plants and to discourage some of the less desirable species. It will take 2-3 years to achieve the desired effect.
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Allowing the meadow and hedges to flower, seed and fruit will encourage insects and birds to move into the area and create a sanctuary for many small creatures. The grass around the graves will be kept neat as at present to allow ease of access. It is hoped that the contrast of order and controlled wildness will create a setting of rural simplicity and human solicitude which will be attractive and consoling.
The cemetery currently costs the village £4,200 a year to maintain,
not including one off charges such as tree surgery, maintenance to the fence
and gate and the path the council recently had laid in the new part of
the cemetery.
The following fees apply for interments in the cemetery.
| Interment of an adult | £200 |
| Interment of a child up to 7 years | No charge |
| Interment of a child from 8 years to 18 years | £80 |
| Interment of ashes (£50.00) and tablet (£35.00) | £85 |
| Headstone not exceeding 76cms x 46cms | £90 |
| Double headstone not exceeding 90cms x 150cms | £200 |
| Headstone for a child up to 7 years | £15 |
| Headstone for a child from 8 years to 18 years | £45 |
| Inscription on any monument added on a later occasion | £25 |
All fees are x4 for non residents, who must demonstrate a Milton connection (to be determined at the Parish Council Chairman and Clerk's discretion).
Note: At the Chairman and Clerk's discretion the x4 fee may be waived for people previously resident in the village.
Purchase of exclusive rights of burial includes the fee for interment.
Shrubs Policy
Any separate container for flowers must be level with, or below, the surface of the ground so that it will not obstruct the passage of a mower. Wreaths and cut flowers must be removed as soon as they appear to be withered or untidy.
No trees and shrubs may be planted on or around a grave. Existing shrubs to be kept within the boundaries of the grave and no higher than the headstone.
Adopted 9 July 2007
Regulations
Anything placed and planted on any grave other than a headstone/tablet becomes the property of the Council and may be removed and disposed of at the Council's discretion without the Council being liable to account for any proceeds of disposal.
No memorial shall be erected in the cemetery without the prior approval of the details by the Council.
(This function to be delegated to the clerk). All applications should be made by a Council approved memorial mason and submitted to the Council together with a drawing showing dimensions, method of construction, proposed inscriptions, method of fixing and description of the type of materials to be used and shall be in accordance with the National Association of Memorial Masons specification for the construction and fixing of memorials.
Vehicles must keep to the hard track.
Double plot headstones to be no taller than 90 cms and no wider than 150 cm.
Adopted July 2008
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