News by email Donate

Suggestions

Jenna-Darnley-grave-main_article_image.jpg
www.change.org
UK News

Church in grave dispute

A petition with almost 3,000 signatures has been put together on behalf of Angela Darnley. Her daughter Jenna died back in 2008 and was buried in St Michael's church yard in Grimsargh, Lancashire.

The church, which follows specific regulations put forward by the Church of England, says the flowers and memorial need to be toned down in order to ensure fairness for everyone who uses the grave yard.

It also says a number of complaints have been made.

Speaking about the case, Archdeacon Michael Everitt from the Diocese of Blackburn said: "I sympathise with Mrs Darnley but the Diocese of Blackburn, of which St Michael's is a part, in common with all other Church of England Dioceses has very specific regulations about what can and can't be placed in our churchyards and which people who bury loved ones in our churchyards are made aware of.

"So the Vicar and churchwardens have a legal responsibility to preserve the churchyard as a well-ordered place for every family whose loved ones are buried in the churchyard.

"The regulations exist to ensure fairness for everyone and to prevent unrestrained growth of memorials on and around graves."

Since the petition was launched online the vicar and churchwarden at St Michael's met with Mrs Darnley to propose a comprise and is awaiting a response from her.

A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference

In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.

Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.

For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.

Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.

Support Us
Continue the conversation on our Facebook page

Related Articles

Sign up to our newsletter to stay informed with news from a Christian perspective.

News by email

Connect

Donate

Donate