The commonly accepted method of commemoration with a West Dunbartonshire Council cemetery is the erection of a headstone at the burial lair. Full information on the conditions which apply to the erection of headstones can be found in the Rules and Regulations for the Management of West Dunbartonshire Cemeteries.
The purchase of a headstone is an arrangement which takes place between the lairholder and their chosen monumental sculptor. The sculptor must advise clients that the maximum headstone height permitted in West Dunbartonshire Council cemeteries is three feet and six inches, this including the base of the headstone.
Once a headstone is selected, the sculptor will submit a written application to the Council for permission for the erection of a headstone. Provided that the headstone and it’s intended commemorative text complies with the applicable conditions, permission to erect the headstone will be granted. The Council will prepare the headstone foundation. Only the person holding the title of the burial lair can apply to have a headstone erected.
The Council’s cemeteries are lawned, therefore to preserve the standard of the cemetery and to maintain health and safety standards for staff and visitors alike, the erection of monuments other than described above is prohibited. The following extracts from the management rules of the Council’s cemeteries provides clear guidance on what is permitted and what is not in referring to the maintenance of burial lairs and the erection of monuments at burial lairs.
Maintenance of Lairs
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The lairholder shall keep his lair in a neat and proper condition of which the Director of Development and Environmental Services of the Council shall be the sole judge: In particular, and without prejudice to the foregoing, the lairholder shall ensure that the lair including the surface of the ground thereof is kept free from weeds and is not otherwise unsightly in appearance.
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The turf of a lair, shall not be cut for the purpose of forming a flowerbed or border or for any other purpose, nor shall anything whatsoever be placed in or upon such turn except wreaths or flowers. Without prejudice to the foregoing, an unturfed space, approximately 3 feet x 1 foot shall be left at the head of each lair for the erection thereon of monuments and the planting therein of flowers; declaring that nothing other than flowers shall be planted on a lair without written consent of Director of Development and Environmental Services.
Erection of Monuments
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The Director of Development and Environmental Services or his representatives may, on the written application of a lairholder, allow him to erect a monument on the lair in which he has a right of burial and to have said monument inscribed. Such application must detail the type of monument intended to be erected and materials to be used, all other information which the Director may from time to time require and shall in all events include detailed drawings of the proposed monuments. Such application shall also include a specific written Statement of the inscription proposed. Such permission as may be granted shall be without prejudice to the duty of the lairholder to comply with and obtain all requisite statutory and other consent and permissions. Without prejudice to the foregoing, said permission may be granted subject to such conditions of which the Director of Development and Environmental Services in his sole opinion shall consider appropriate. In respect of monumental inscriptions, permission granted shall be subject to the requirements that the inscriptions are both decent and proper of which the Director shall be sole judge.
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The erection of railings, fence, kerbs, or other structures enclosing lairs is prohibited, and West Dunbartonshire Council reserve the right to remove any such structures in circumstances where such structures pose a hazard or are unsightly or for any other reason which the Director of Development and Environmental Services may deem appropriate.
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Further, West Dunbartonshire Council reserve the right to remove and dispose of any wreaths of natural or artificial flowers whenever said wreaths shall, in the opinion of the Director, have become unsightly, all at the expense of the lairholder or his representative.
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No monument, etc. is to protrude in any way over that part of the lair to be opened for burial or over any adjacent lair. All excavation for the foundation of monuments and all other earthwork connected with the erection and maintenance of monuments, shall be done only by authorised servants of West Dunbartonshire Council or such contractors as West Dunbartonshire Council may appoint and at the expense of the person ordering the work.
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The lairholder is liable for all risks or any damage by or to all adjoining lands and monuments erected thereon, in respect of any damage caused by any monument erected or planned, situated on or within his lair.
Maintenance of Monuments, etc
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A lairholder must maintain in a neat and proper condition, of which the Director of Development and Environmental Services shall be the sole judge, any monument erected by him on the lair on which he has a right of burial.
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If any such monument falls into disrepair, West Dunbartonshire Council after giving one month’s notice to the lairholder or his representatives at the address of West Dunbartonshire Council as contained within the Register may themselves have the monument repaired or have removed the monument from the lair and dispose of the materials as they think fit, all at the expense of the lairholder or his representative.
