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Ecclesiastical Case Reports
Re Christ Church, Harwood
(Manchester Consistory Court: Holden, Ch, March 2002)
Headstone - portrait
The petitioners sought a confirmatory faculty for a memorial incorporating an engraved photographic image of their daughter who had died tragically at a young age. It was held, granting the confirmatory faculty, that no one had an automatic right to place a memorial on a grave; those memorials which were allowed should not be repugnant to Christian belief and teaching or to the law of the land, but did not have to be positively Christian in character; that there was no doctrinal objection to portraits except where the specific depiction in a portrait for some reason raised a matter of doctrine; that although porcelain portraits were not permitted, portraits engraved in stone which were essentially monochrome in character and of a subdued hue could be allowed. Furthermore the chancellor also had to be satisfied that (i) the impact of the monument on its surroundings was acceptable and that it was not in competition with other memorials (ii) the PCC would be able to look after the memorial and that the engraved portrait was durable (iii) the memorial did not pose a health and safety hazard; and (iv) the petitioner had shown that the presence of the engraved portrait on the gravestone was important for them to be able to grieve effectively
[This case note was kindly supplied by Jessica Giles, solicitor, BA, LLM.]
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