St Mary’s Churchyard, Records, and Memorials

Registers

If you require a certified copy of a recent entry in the Baptism registers at St Mary’s church, please email [email protected] There will be a fee to pay for this service and you will need to provide proof of identity before any documents are released. Copies of entries in the marriage registers must be requested from the Register Office Plymouth Register Office | PLYMOUTH.GOV.UK

St Mary’s church has a large churchyard with many burial and cremation plots. We can assist with a short search of our database for burial details, however some of the records are incomplete due to the size and age of the churchyard, and the presence and condition of gravestones and memorial tablets. Please note, a fee may be levied for searches in the parish records.

Once our registers are complete, they are sent to the Plymouth and West Devon Records Office for archiving and storage.

Records of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials at Plympton St Mary from 1603 onwards are kept at The Box Plymouth. Their website is https://www.theboxplymouth.com/

We have a number of Commonwealth War Graves in the churchyard, further details can be found at https://www.cwgc.org

St Mary’s church has a number of memorials registered with the Imperial War Museum, further details can be found at https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials

Please see below for information about Churchyard tributes and memorials:

St Mary’s Churchyard is used and appreciated by many people. For some it is a place to find peace and stillness; for others a place to enjoy the beauty of the trees and wildlife; most importantly, it is somewhere for people to remember their loved ones.

We have a small team of dedicated volunteers who strive to maintain the churchyard for the benefit of all. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain the Churchyard because of the large number of unauthorised vases, ornaments, and artificial flowers. These are leading to a growing number of complaints from the volunteers who maintain the Churchyard and from other Churchyard users.

Please follow the Diocesan regulations, especially concerning flowers and ornaments. These are intended to ensure that the churchyard remains a pleasant environment for all users. Compliance with the Churchyard Regulations is a legal requirement.

REGULATIONS APPLYING TO THE WHOLE CHURCHYARD

No artificial flowers may be placed in the Churchyard. The exceptions are remembrance poppies/crosses which must be removed by 1st December and Christmas Wreathes which must be removed by 6th January. No ornaments, except a vase (where authorised) may be placed in the churchyard. All dead and wilted flowers must be removed from any grave you are tending. No glass vases or jam jars may be used as these present a safety hazard.

REGULATIONS APPLYING TO CREMATION PLOT 4

This area is on the West side of the church between the drive and Market Road. The Diocese of Exeter introduced additional regulations when authorising this area.

No vases, containers or ornaments of any kind are permitted in this area. Natural flowers may be laid upon the memorial tablets. These should be removed from any cellophane or other plastic wrapping. A wreath or arrangement of flowers may be placed upon the memorial plaque to commemorate birthdays and at Christmas. These must be removed after two weeks.

We regret that any objects which fall outside the regulations will be removed. They may be collected from the bank adjacent to the machinery store. Unclaimed objects will be disposed of after one month.

Thank you for your help and cooperation.