Every penny we spend on the Churchyard has to come from fundraising: we receive no money from the local council, government or the central church. If you would like to help us, please see our Finance pages under the "More" heading in the menu bar, above.
Public Notices for Faculty Applications
The Chancellor of the Diocese of Rochester has determined that during the period of time in which all public worship in the Church of England has been suspended, different arrangements should be instituted for the requirements to display a public notice of all faculty applications relating to churchyards.
Accordingly, the Parish of St Mary the Virgin, Swanley hereby gives notice that public notices for the faculty applications with regard to:
Theresa Ann Cheney, on the application of Angela Cheney, public notice available here;
Jeanne Adrienne Land, on the application of Peter Land, public notice available here;
Albert & Irene Young, on the application of Martin Young, public notice available here
are all published on this website on Sunday 26 April 2020 with the requirement to return any comments on them by 24 May 2020 in accordance with the instructions contained within the notices.
Funerals at St Mary's
Please see below for Churchyard information
The first step when booking is a funeral is usually to consult a Funeral Director.
If you would like a funeral in St Mary's then they will contact us to arrange a suitable time.
We offer funerals to everyone who lived in our parish at the time they died, or else those who died in our parish.
Ashes
We bury ashes in the churchyard. We don't scatter: ashes are buried either loose or in a biodegradable container either in an existing grave or in a new ashes plot. We allow an ashes tablet of 12" x 12" in a mid-grey colour. To find out more about the interment of ashes, or to book a service, you need to come along on a Sunday after the 10am Mass.
You need to apply for permission to bury ashes:
We pray each day for those who have died,
do let us know if you would like us
to pray for someone, which we will do
whether or not their funeral will be at St Mary's.
The Churchyard
St Mary's has the only burial ground in Swanley. We accept for burial anyone who lived in the Church of England parish of Swanley at the time of their death, was a member of St Mary's electoral roll (that's not the same roll used for voting) or who died in the Church of England parish of Swanley. We do not accept for burial, nor is it possible to reserve a plot in the churchyard for, anyone who does not meet these criteria.
