A churchyard is a place in which we remember those we have loved and who have died: it is sometimes known as God's Acre.  

As a part of that, it is possible, with the appropriate permission, to have a memorial placed in the churchyard to commemorate someone who has died and whose mortal remains, either after burial or cremation, are in the churchyard.  

This has to be done in accordance with the Churchyard Memorial Regulations, issued from time to time by the Diocese of Lichfield, which regulate the conditions under which permission can be granted: these include matters  around the size, material, inscription, finish and colour of the proposed memorial.  

A statutory fee is payable for each memorial introduced or into the churchyard. This is set by the Church of England each year. This is in addition to the cost of the memorial  itself and any fee for setting it in place.

The most up to date regulations (2026) applying to memorials in St Mark's Churchyard can be downloaded from this page. 

Application must be made on the standard Memorial Application Form (which can also be downloaded from this page), to Fr Geoffrey.