| INTRODUCTION~
For over 200 years Lodge Brothers has been undertaking
funeral arrangements for the communities in which
we are based. During this time we have built up
an enviable reputation for quality based on a
compassionate and highly professional approach
to handling the arrangements our clients require.
For simple, traditional and sometimes elaborate
funerals, Lodge Brothers prides itself on the
services it is able to offer.
We have constantly re- invested over the last
twenty years to provide our clients with modern
facilities in which to make arrangements and visit
their loved ones. We have introduced our own Memorial
Department, our own Pre-Paid
Funeral Scheme and most recently our own Floral
Department. We believe that we can provide
these services better through our own dedicated
staff than if they are contracted out.
 During
the last 200 years funeral vehicles have changed
from horse-drawn hearses and hand pulled biers
to modern motorised hearses and limousines. Our
‘E’ Class Mercedes-Benz funeral fleet
was coach-built by Coleman Milne to our specification
to meet the needs of our clients. Like our funeral
fleet, our VW Ambulances are maintained and presented
to the highest standards and all our staff are
fully trained to provide the highest levels of
care to both you and your loved one.
 FIRST
STEPS~
What to do when someone
dies
When
someone dies it is very common to telephone the
Funeral Director. Lodge Bros.(Funerals) Ltd. prides
itself on being able to offer a 24 hour service
providing advice on what needs to be done and
by whom. With over 200 years of experience we
have encountered nearly all situations. The following
information is intended to help by guiding you
step by step through a very difficult time.
When death occurs at
home
If
the death was expected, as the deceased had been
ill for some time, it would be normal to contact
their Doctor who would then visit to certify that
death had occurred and determine the cause of
death.
This may not happen immediately as the Doctor
may be in his/ her surgery or death may happen
in the middle of the night in which case you may
decide to wait until morning before calling out
the Doctor.
Later that day or the next, the Doctor will issue
the relatives a form called the Medical Certificate
of Cause of Death. This contains a list of who
can register the death, known as Informants, at
the local Registry Office and what information
the Registrar will require.
If you are uncertain whether someone is dead
then call the Doctor or dial 999 and ask for an
ambulance.
If the cause of death cannot be determined then
the Doctor will refer the death to The Coroner.
When death occurs in
hospital
Unless
present when death occurs, the relatives will
be notified by the nursing staff as soon as possible.
Arrangements can then be made with the Hospital
Administrative staff to deal with the formalities.
These will include collecting the Medical Certificate
of Cause of Death (issued by a Hospital Doctor)
and personal possessions of the deceased. The
Hospital may also issue a 'Release Form', which
needs to signed by the next of kin, releasing
the deceased into the care of the chosen Funeral
Director.
When death occurs elsewhere
If
death occurs away from home then the initial formalities
listed above will be completed by the Doctor or
Hospital staff in that area. If relatives wish
to bring the body home for the funeral then the
arrangements in both areas, including transport,
can be taken care of by Lodge Bros.
Should death occur abroad then our staff can advise
accordingly as to what options are available.
REGISTERING
A DEATH~
Once the Doctor or Hospital has issued the Medical
Certificate, the Informant must register the death
within 5 days at the Registry Office for the sub-district
in which the death occurred. If this is not possible
the Registrar must be informed in writing.
The Medical Certificate and the deceased's Medical
Card (if available) must be given to the Registrar.
The person registering the death will be asked
for the following information about the deceased:
The date and place of death
The full name and usual address (and maiden
name if applicable)
The date and place of birth
The occupation (and name and occupation of her
husband if applicable)
Details of any pension or allowance from public
funds
The date and place of birth of any surviving
spouse
The full name and usual address of the Informant
The qualification of the Informant
A Death Certificate can then be obtained on payment
of the prescribed fee. This will be needed for
obtaining Probate or Letters of Administration,
closing bank accounts and making claims on insurance
policies.
The Registrar will also issue a green Registrar's
Certificate for Burial or Cremation which will
be needed by the Funeral Director, and a white
Certificate of Registration of Death - Form 344/BD8
- which is for Social Security purposes to cancel
the payment of pensions and allowances from public
funds.
Without a Cause of Death the Registrar cannot
allow the death to be registered.
THE
CORONER~
The main duties of the Coroner are to investigate
all sudden and unexpected deaths and to give permission
to remove bodies out of England and Wales.
Once a death has been reported to the Coroner
he/she will decide what action is necessary following
initial investigations of the facts surrounding
the death by his/her officers. This may include
a post-mortem examination to establish the cause
of death and there may be a delay in making the
funeral arrangements.
In the case of unnatural, unexplained, violent,
or workplace deaths the Coroner will hold an inquest
after a post-mortem. This will be open to the
public and is to ascertain who the deceased was,
how, when and where they died and the particulars
legally needed to register the death. Sometimes
an inquest can be opened and adjourned to allow
the funeral to take place.
Further details on the roles and responsibilities
of the Coroner are available in a pamphlet published
by the Home Office entitled 'The work of the Coroner',
a copy of which can be obtained from us.
ARRANGING
A FUNERAL~
A funeral is the last chance to say goodbye to
a loved one and will be a very emotional time.
It is of paramount importance that the arrangements
are carefully considered as they can only be carried
out once.
Most funerals are either Burials or Cremations.
Burial at sea is a rare alternative. The majority
of arrangements are made around what is termed
a 'traditional' funeral. This is where the funeral
procession, normally a hearse which carries the
coffin and a limousine which transports the relatives,
arrives at the home of the deceased. The relatives
are collected and the procession moves on to a
local church for the main part of the funeral
service and then on to a cemetery or crematorium
for the committal service. After the committal
the relatives are returned to the deceased's home
or another local address where refreshments are
served to the mourners. Alternatively the whole
funeral service can take place in the crematorium
chapel or cemetery chapel, if available, followed
by the committal at the grave.
A simplified version of the above arrangements,
where the hearse travels directly to the crematorium
or cemetery and meets the relatives there, is
also available. Naturally the relatives provide
their own transport to and from the crematorium
or cemetery. As most people have cars this is
no longer the problem that it once was.
Unfortunately there are too many variations on
the 'traditional' or 'simple' funeral to list
here. Our staff will be pleased to discuss your
requirements and offer advice accordingly. Within
reason and the existing law of the land, most
requests can be catered for and arrangements made.
There is no set pattern which has to be followed.
The arrangements can be tailored to suit the family
arranging the funeral. You can now view
our range of coffins and caskets from this
website. Individual costings can be discussed
by contacting one of our offices.
Religion plays a major part in the way many funeral
services are conducted. We can make arrangements
for any religious belief. The majority of people
in the UK are Christians but we also carry out
arrangements for non-Christian religions including
Judaism, Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism and Buddhism.
Non-religious services can be provided for those
who have no religious beliefs and these can take
place anywhere.
There is no legal requirement to use the services
of a Funeral Director. We are here to help by
offering advice and experienced staff. Should
you wish to take care of the arrangements yourself
and use us just for the supply of a coffin, for
example, then we will be happy to oblige.
CREMATION
AND BURIAL INFORMATION~
Cremation
There are two types of Crematoria in the UK, those
that are owned by Local Authorities and those
that are privately owned. The first Crematorium
was founded in Woking, Surrey in 1879, with the
first cremation taking place on 26th March 1885.
Woking Crematorium is still in use today.
When a cremation is chosen as the preferred type
of funeral, the Funeral Director will arrange
for the necessary forms to be completed. There
are two which need the nearest relative's signature.
- Form 'A' The Application for Cremation is
normally signed by an executor or the nearest
relative and contains personal information about
the deceased.
- Cremated Remains Instruction form is also
signed by the above and authorises whether the
Cremated Remains should be placed in the Garden
of Remembrance or removed for disposal elsewhere.
Other forms need to be completed by Doctors.
This will be arranged and the appropriate fees
paid out by the Funeral Director.
Form 'B' -Certificate of Medical Attendant
signed by a Registered Medical Practitioner
who attended the deceased during his/her last
illness.
Form 'C' - Confirmatory Medical Certificate
signed by a different Registered Medical Practitioner
of at least five years standing who is of no
relation to the deceased nor a relative or partner
of the Doctor signing Form 'B'.
However, Forms 'B' and 'C' are not required when
the Coroner has held a post-mortem examination
as he/she will issue Form 'E' in place of them.
Likewise the Registrar's Certificate for Burial
or Cremation will not be issued when Form 'E'
has been. There is no fee payable to the Coroner
for Form 'E'.
Burial
A
body can normally be buried in a Local Authority
or Privately owned Cemetery (for example a Jewish
Cemetery, or burial ground on a family estate)
or in a Churchyard although most of these in urban
areas are now full.
The family may already have a grave which can
be re-opened, for example where a husband and
wife wish to be buried together. Often a new grave
is dug with space to allow for one, two or three
further interments. This needs to be stipulated
at the time of purchase. Alternatively the deceased
can be buried in a Common grave.
All Local Authority and Commercially managed
cemeteries require an Interment form signed by
the nearest relative giving details about the
deceased and of the grave to be dug. The Registrar's
Certificate for Burial or Coroner's Order for
Burial, must also be delivered to the relevant
Authority. After burial a grave deed will be issued
or in the case of re-opening an existing grave,
amended and returned.
CEMETERY
AND CHURCHYARD INFORMATION~
Local Authority Cemeteries
Anyone
can be buried in a Local Authority cemetery, which
will sometimes be divided into sections for different
faiths and those of no faith. Local Authorities
allow the purchase of the Exclusive Right of Burial
in a grave, normally for a period of between 25
and 100 years.
Local Authorities fix their own schedule of fees.
There is one for the purchase of the grave, called
the Exclusive Right of Burial, and one for the
interment. This is often trebled in the case of
anyone who did not live in the borough. If a Common
grave is required there is no fee for Exclusive
Right of Burial. The Local Authority can open
these graves at any time for burial of an unrelated
person and normally no form of memorial can be
erected.
Most are divided into sections in which different
types and sizes of memorials are permitted:
Lawn Section
- a headstone and base, or headstone only design
is allowed. Kerb stone memorials are not permitted.
Traditional Section
- full memorials or kerb set designs are permitted.
This does not prevent a client having a smaller
memorial such as a vase, tablet or headstone
& base design. It allows a lot more flexibility
than a lawn section and leads to a greater expression
of memorial design.
Children's Section
- memorials are often scaled down versions of
larger designs.
Cremated Remains Section
- these are becoming more widely available and
give families a place in which to remember their
loved ones - a focus for their grief.
Most Cemeteries have rules regarding the erection
of memorials. Before any memorial work can proceed
the Registered owner of the grave must usually
sign an application form showing the material,
dimensions, design and inscription desired. So
long as these conform to the regulations we would
be issued with a permit to carry out the work.
We would organise the necessary paperwork on your
behalf. There is normally a fee payable to the
Authority for granting permission.
Return to the top
Churchyards
Burial
in a Churchyard is open to all members of the
parish who have been baptised, but in most urban
areas there is no space left for new burials.
Although fees are charged, no grave deed is issued
as ownership of the grave remains with the Church
Authorities.
Although memorials are governed by strict guidelines
laid down by the Diocese it is normally left to
the Incumbent (Minister) of the Churchyard to
decide what is acceptable and interpretation of
these guidelines differs widely. For this reason
we suggest that you check with us as to what will
and will not be allowed before you make a decision.
Most Churchyards will allow 'Natural' stones
- Slate, Portland, York, Nabresina, Hopton Wood
and grey Granites with eggshell, rubbed, sawn
or rustic finishes. They will usually not allow
Marble, polished Granite, ceramic photo-plaques,
heart-shaped or book shaped headstones and carved
figures.
Some Churchyards have specific Cremated Remains
plots and Lawn sections. Before proceeding with
any memorial work we always write to the Minister
for permission. There is normally a fee payable
to the Church for this.
Privately Owned Cemeteries
Those
run commercially normally operate in much the
same way as those run by Local Authorities. The
fees are generally higher but distinctions for
non-residents seldom apply.
Burial grounds for specific religions or denominations
usually occur only in larger urban areas.
Private burial grounds are normally found within
large family owned country estates.
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