Memorial Payment Plans

When you have suffered a bereavement and already had to pay funeral expenses, finding the extra money for a headstone can be difficult. This can be even more of a problem if the death had been unforeseen, as a result of a sudden accident for example.

Even taking into account the six month period of ground settling after burial that is recommended before adding a headstone, you may still need more time. The headstone is a lasting tribute to your loved one, and you may regret it at a later date if you rush to pay for one that you can afford but it may not be your preferred choice

Sarsfield Memorials offer payment terms which allow you to choose your preferred headstone but pay for it at your own pace. We will then fit the headstone when the full balance has been paid, as long as it is within eighteen months of placing the order. We promise that the total price quoted at the beginning will remain the same for that period, with the exception of any Cemetery or Churchyard Fees which generally increase every twelve months.

There are no binding agreements with our payment plans, we simply take a deposit from you and you tell us a rough timescale for making repayments. You can be as flexible as you like with them, paying as much or little as you afford and we accept payment by cash, cheque, or BACS. There is no added interest, all we ask is that the balance is settled within eighteen months. You will then have a memorial that you is really fitting and an eternal tribute to your loved one.

If you are considering purchasing a headstone but have been worried about meeting the cost, please do not hesitate to contact us, we will do what we can to help you, as we understand that part of a families grieving is making the right personal choice for marking a loved ones resting place. We will be pleased to discuss your requirements and payment options, as well as offer a free no obligation quote.

The Qingming Festival

Every April Chinese communities around the world mark Qingming,  or ‘tomb sweeping’ festival, which takes place twice a year in Spring and Autumn. This is when the graves of relatives are visited, swept and tidied. Prayers are offered, as well as tea, wine and joss sticks. In China and Taiwan it is a public holiday on either the 4th or 5th of the month, while foreign Chinese communities tend to carry out their visits on one of the weekends either before or after.

In Liverpool, Anfield and Everton cemeteries have sections specifically for Chinese graves. Chinese graves are traditionally situated on higher ground as they represent better feng shui. The size of the headstone is significant too, with elders having larger ones than younger persons. Prior to the burial, strict funeral customs are observed, with rituals varying according to the deceased’s rank. When an elderly person dies for example, their son must sit next to the coffin during the wake which takes place in the home. For a younger person however, the elders are not expected to show grief and the body remains at the funeral home.

Chinese gravestone

Inscriptions on Chinese headstones usually contain more detail than on Western ones. There are usually at least three columns of characters, with the middle one containing larger writing due to the information being more important. That is where the deceased’s name is inscribed, usually with the family name first followed by the given name. The columns on either side and writing along the top contain information about the date and place of birth, starting with the village and the writing increasing in size as it goes through county, district and province. When it comes to details about death, the date that it occurred and sometimes even the time is inscribed.

Apart from at Qingming, members of the Chinese community are not expected to visit graves on a regular basis. When they do however, it is quite an event. The See Yep association (named after the four counties in the south west of the Guangdong province in China) organise visits to both Anfield and Everton cemeteries, with coaches departing from Chinatown in the city centre.

Members of the association visit to pay respect not just to their own ancestors but all compatriots buried there. At Anfield, the Chinese section is on the left after heading in through the Cherry Lane entrance, while at Everton it is on the right hand side after the road bends to the right once the chapel has been passed. 

Commemorative Base Memorial Plaques

You may often notice in cemeteries that there are areas of plain grass on which  small plaques are sporadically situated. These are the parts of the cemetery where the public graves are situated, in which people have been buried at the local authority’s expense with no headstone.

It is possible at later date hoanfield cemetery memorial plaqueswever for memorials to be placed over a public grave, although there are restrictions. They must be flat and a maximum of eighteen by eighteen inches, and no more than three inches high.

Up until a few years ago Liverpool city council only allowed these memorial bases to be of Yorkstone material and ordered through their cemeteries department. Nowadays they realise it is more economical to allow private masons to do the work and deal with the public. As such, there are now no restrictions on what material is used, with masons adding the £90 cemetery fee to their final invoice when work is completed.  Other local authorities charge roughly the same fees in their cemeteries.

The memorial plaques are affixed to a flagstone which is cemented to the ground to form a foundation. Permission needs to be granted for a public grave to be marked, but not necessarily from a relative. As long as the cemeteries grant permission and the fee is paid then the grave can be marked. In Liverpool’s cemeteries there could be as many as fifteen buried in each public grave, but other families do not need to be contacted to get permission for a marker. They normally only allow four stones on each grave so it is on a first come first served basis.

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There are some exceptions to mass burials in public graves. Stillborn babies for example, are buried in a ‘private public grave’ at the expense of a hospital or charity,  allowing parents to add a memorial plaque later.

Some public graves of notable figures in the history of Liverpool and Everton football clubs have been marked in recent years. William E Barclay, who managed both clubs in the Victorian era and Ned Doig, Liverpool’s goalkeeper when they were promoted in 1904-05, are marked with base plaques in Anfield cemetery.

Sarsfield Memorials can provide commemorative plaques in a range of materials and liase with the cemeteries, having the permit granted and arranging payment of cemetery fees and lettering and fixing. Please contact us here for information and a free no obligation quote.