Memorial headstone safety
Lairholders are responsible for the maintenance and repair of their lairs, including memorials and headstones. Dumfries and Galloway Council is responsible for the safety of members of the public, visitors and our team members within our cemeteries.
Dumfries and Galloway Council is a burial authority. Burial authorities have a legal obligation under the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974 and the Occupiers Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 to ensure that, as far as is reasonably practicable, cemeteries are maintained in a safe condition. A programme of memorial and headstone safety inspections is a permanent responsibility of all burial authorities.
Any work done in our cemeteries must be completed in a sensitive and respectful manner. This has always been, and will continue to be, a priority for council officers and our contractors.
Following the very sad death of an eight-year-old boy in Glasgow in 2015, as a result of being hit by a falling headstone, Dumfries and Galloway Council, like other local authorities, started a programme of works in our cemeteries to inspect and make memorials and headstones safe, in line with national guidance.
The Scottish Government's Burial ground memorial safety: local authority guidance and The Ministry of Justice's Managing the safety of burial ground memorials: practical advice for dealing with unstable memorials are the primary focus of our headstone and memorial safety inspection regime and progressing the project within Dumfries and Galloway.
We have management rules in relation to the management of public burial grounds in Dumfries and Galloway which state:
- the lairholder must keep tombs, monuments and other erections in good order and repair
- where a memorial is found to be in an unsafe condition, the council reserves the right to make safe and charge the lair holder for any works carried out; the council may refuse further interments in these lairs until costs incurred have been paid in full
Read the latest memorial and headstone safety project committee report update.
Communication
We recognise that when we are working within our cemeteries, this is an extremely emotive subject which requires to be progressed sensitively. We are keen to ensure we can provide our communities with as much information as possible as it is important that we can keep you informed.
We will try and contact our communities and lair holders through various channels which will include the following:
- signage will be displayed throughout cemeteries (at entrances, water points, benches, etc) to confirm that work is due to commence, this will include details of work and contact details for further information; this will be at least 28 days in advance of any work commencing
- we will write to lair holders who we have details for to provide information on the issues found with their memorial/headstone; there is no guarantee of accurate lair ownership details being held due to the age of the some of the memorials/headstones; to mitigate these other options should be considered as detailed below
- if records of lair owners or descendants are not known, contact will be made with local funeral directors and stone masons to determine if they have up to date contacts of lairholders
- where it is safe to do so, add a sign to headstones confirming the date of inspection, that it is unsafe and contact details of our council to discuss options; a timescale for contact will be included but this will be dependent on the risk associated with the headstone/memorial; if headstones and memorials are deemed very unsafe and a risk to public safety, they will be made safe
- use as many digital channels as possible to raise awareness of the project, including social media
Record information
A key part of the process of assessment and making safe is the accurate record keeping of individual memorials and headstones. Information recorded includes, date of inspection, memorial and headstone information, type of memorial, condition, the outcome of the inspection, photographic evidence and actions taken.
Listed building consent
We will check statutory designations within a burial ground and/or an individual memorial and apply for listed building consent or scheduled prior to works commencing. We will also discuss with Historic Environment Scotland (HES) if applicable.
Further information
Contact us if you have any enquiries or would like to discuss the headstone safety project:
- telephone: 030 33 33 3000
- email: headstonesafety@dumgal.gov.uk
Completed work
Work has been completed at the following cemeteries:
- Dryfesdale, Lockerbie
- Moffat Old Cemetery
- Dumfries High Cemetery
- Dumfries St Mary's Greyfriars
- Dumfries St Michael's Old Cemetery
- Dumfries, Troqueer Church yard
- Annan Old Church
- Dryfesdale Churchyard, Lockerbie
- Moffat Cemetery Old Cemetery
- Dumfries St Michael's
- Dumfries Troqueer, Old Cemetery
- Kirkconnel Churchyard
- Morton, Thornhill
- Kirk Wynd, Langholm Church yard
- Ecclefechan Churchyard
- Stranraer, Glebe
- Stranraer, Sheuchan
- Stranraer, St Andrews
- Portpatrick Old Cemetery
- Portpatrick St Andrews
- Newton Stewart Old Cemetery
- Whithorn, St Ninians
- Minnigaff Churchyard
- Whithorn Cemetery
- Wigtown, St Machutus
- Wednesday 21 September
- Kirkcudbright Cemetery
- Castle Douglas Cemetery
- Sanquhar Cemetery
- Dalbeattie Cemetery
- New Abbey Cemetery
Work to be done
The following cemeteries are in progress:
- Newton Stewart, St Couans
- Leswalt Old Churchyard
- Stoneykirk Old Churchyard
- Stranraer, Church Street
- Kirkcolm Churchyard
- Leswalt Old Cemetery
- Creetown, Kirkmabreck Churchyard
- Glenluce Old Luce Churchyard, and Old Cemetery Church Street
- Kirkinner Churchyard, (St Kennera Churchyard)
- Mochrum Churchyard
- Sorbie Old Kirk Churchyard
- Wigtown Top Cemetery
- Kirkcowan Cemetery
- Kirkinner Cemetery
- Balmaclellan Churchyard
- Dalry Churchyard
- Girthon Cemetery, Old Gatehouse
- Kells Churchyard, New Galloway
- Twynholm Churchyard
- Carsphairn Churchyard and Cemetery
- Girthon Old Churchyard, Sandgreen Road
- Tongland Churchyard
- Terregles Churchyard
- Crossmichael Churchyard
- Kirkgunzeon Churchyard
- Kirkpatrick Durham Churchyard
- Corsock Churchyard
- Kirkbean Churchyard
- Dunscore Churchyard
- Glencairn Churchyard and Cemetery, near Moniaive
- Penpont Churchyard and Cemetery
- Keir Churchyard, Keir Mill
- St Conal's Cemetery, Kirkconnel
- Wanlockhead Old Churchyard
- Kirkmahoe Churchyard and Cemetery, Kirkton
- Tinwald Churchyard
- Torthorwald Churchyard
- Dumfries, St Andrews Cemetery
- Annan Old Cemetery, Annan
- Annan Cemetery
- Dalton Churchyard
- Dornock Cemetery, near Eastriggs
- Dornock Churchyard
- Johnstonebridge Cemetery
- Lochmaben Cemetery
- Lochmaben Old Cemetery, Lochmaben
- Brydekirk Churchyard
- Hutton and Corrie Churchyard, Boreland
- Tundergarth Churchyard
- Applegarth Churchyard
- Kirkmichael Churchyard, near Parkgate
- Canonbie Old and New Cemetery
- Kirkpatrick Fleming Churchyard
- Langholm Cemetery Old Cemetery
- Rigg Cemetery, Gretna
- Carruthers Churchyard and Cemetery, Waterbeck