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Choose your own memorial

“A smile for all and a heart of gold, one of the best this world could hold.  Never selfish, always kind, a beautiful memory she left behind.”

Your headstone or memorial plaque is your final statement, your last chance to tell the world who you were, so don’t leave the stress and worry of choosing the perfect memorial to your loved ones. 

1.Choosing the style and shape of your headstone.  Most of us have some idea of what we would like to happen after we pass.  Whether it is cremation or burial, there is a headstone or cremation plaque to suit you.  Made from granite, marble or natural stone these permanents reminders come in every shape, colour and size so you will find one to that is perfect for you.

2.Choosing a fitting inscription. “I am ready to meet my maker.  Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter.”  Epitaph on the grave of Winston Churchill.  There are hundreds of standard inscription verses available, just take a walk through your local churchyard and you will see a few of them, no doubt repeated over and over, but why not write your own?  This is your final statement after all, a permanent reminder of your life for all to see, so why not make it personal and unique.

3.Choosing your motif.  This is your final resting place, so why not decorate it?  An engraving of your favourite pet, a wreath of roses or a picture of your favourite moment can all be added to your headstone or cremation plaque to finish off the design and give your memorial that extra personal touch.

Choose your memorial now with Granite-memorials.co.uk and we will talk you through the style, shape and colour.  We will help you write an epitaph that suits you perfectly and find a motif to finish the design.  Our experienced designers will produce a proof of your final design and hold all your information in our special pre-paid memorial scheme as well as providing you will all the information you need to include in your will.  Let Granite Memorials take the hassle and pain out of designing your perfect memorial and be reassured that when you pass you will be remembered as you want to be.

Choosing a Memorial

A memorial is a heartfelt and everlasting tribute to your loved one.  Choosing the perfect memorial takes time and consideration, but at Granite Memorials we can help you with every step of the way.

Regulations on the type of memorial you can choose

As a general rule cemeteries will allow any shape and colour of headstone and plaques, but may have restrictions on the height and wording permitted.  Churchyards are more restrictive and regulations will vary depending on the area that the churchyard is in, but a general rule is only grey granite or natural stone headstones under 2’6” in overall height are allowed, with silver letters and a small motif that reflects the deceased’s hobbies or life style.  At Granite Memorials, our National Associations of Memorial Masons (NAMM) approved memorial masons will talk you through the regulations for your cemetery or churchyard, helping you to choose a memorial that suits the environment as well as your requirements.

Obtaining Permission

Before any memorial may be installed in a churchyard or cemetery, permission must be obtained from its management.  An application form must be completed with the type of headstone, material, font, inscription, number of vases, size of the memorial; and a sketch of the memorial must be attached.  Most churchyards and cemeteries will charge an application for approval fee, which varies from place to place.  Our qualified staff will be able to take this hassle out of your hands and complete the application process on your behalf.

Choosing the shape

These days headstone and memorial plaques come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, from the traditional to the modern and everything in between.  Visit our website and browse our brochure to see the huge range we have available, or call in to our showroom to walk around our display.

Choosing the inscription

Choosing the wording to go on the headstone is the hardest part of the process.  It needs to be formal, giving the important details of the deceased, but it also needs to be a goodbye, a remembrance of who the person was and what you loved most about them.  The wording can be broken down in to three parts:

• The initial inscription.  This is the wording at the top of the headstone, the lead in to the person’s name.  In Loving Memory or Treasured Memories are the most popular, but there are a number of verses you can choose from.
• The personal details.  These are the deceased’s full name, date of death, date of birth and/or age.  Some people also like to add here if they were a loving grandmother/father, mother/father, sister/brother and or a nick name that the deceased may have been better known as.
• The verse.  Lines from poems, prayers to god for safe keeping or verses from their favourite songs can all be seen on headstones throughout the UK.  The verse is your chance to say something personal about the deceased, to pray for God to look after them, or to thank them and say good bye.  Whatever you want to say, there will be a song or poem that says it for you.

We have a range of suggested inscriptions available to download from our website for inspiration.

Choosing the motif

Some people like to decorate their loved ones’ headstone with a small motif that depicts a hobby or reflects the life style of the deceased.  This is not a pre-requisite and there are many who let the inscription talk for itself.  But if you do want to add a picture, or engraving to the memorial there are a huge range to choose from.  Bibles and crosses, to dogs and footballs, whatever you want to put on the headstone we have the design to match.

Choosing the font and style of the lettering

The lettering on a headstone can be done in 3 ways:

• Handcut.  Our memorial masons are highly skilled in hand cutting the granite and natural stone to create bespoke, unique letters and numbers to suit your requirements.
• Sandblasted.  Sandblasted letters can be done in nearly any font that you would find on a word processor and provide a smooth, even finish.  Our experienced designers will look at the kind of lettering you are looking for and offer and number of choices.  Whether you want it all in capitals, or flowing and scripted we have the font to suit you.
• Machine Cut.  Machine cut letters come in between the handcut and sandblasted letters.  Cut into the stone using tools, machine cut letters can look like handcut letters, but with more uniformity and choice over the fonts available.

Choosing the colour

Whichever method you chose for the cutting of the letters, you will have a choice over the colour of the letters:

• Gold Leaf.  The gold leaf is hand crafted on to the already cut letters and wears extremely well.
• Leaded Letters.  Lead is beaten into the handcut letters and when finished sits proud of the headstone.  Leaded letters are hand crafted.
• Painted Letters.  Our painted letters come in a range of colours including, gold, silver, grey and bronze.  The letters are painted over a number of days leaving the paint to completely dry between coats. 

Choosing Granite Memorials

At Granite Memorials we appreciate how important it is to choose the ideal memorial and our expert staff and memorial masons will be there to guide you through every step of the memorial process, offering advice and support.  Our skilled designers will listen to your ideas and design a memorial that suits your loved one, providing you will a proof of the design before any work is undertaken.  Our skills and expertise have been recognised by the National Association of Memorial Masons and the Guild of Master Craftsmen and all our work is guaranteed.  Visit our website at www.granite-memorials.co.uk or come and see our experts in person at our showroom in Wheldrake, near York.

Cursed be he that moves my bones

Take for example the memorial stone for William Shakespeare, who lived in morbid fear of his body being dug up or moved after his death.  This fear can be followed through at least 16 of his 32 plays.  For example in Romeo and Juliet when Juliet imagines waking up and tearing bodies and in Hamlet when a grave digger throws up skulls and bones.

Dr Schwyzer believes that Shakespeare’s epitaph shows he foresaw his lasting fame. 

"The strength of feeling is most extraordinary - gravediggers are threatened with a curse and even archaeological exploration discouraged," added Dr Schwyzer in his Archaeologies of English Renaissance Literature publication.

Shakespeare’s inscription reads (translated into modern English):

"Good friend, for Jesus' sake forbear,
To dig the dust enclosed here:
Blessed be the man that spares these stones,
And cursed be he that moves my bones."

 Shakespeare’s grave is in the Holy Trinity Church in Stratford and has remained,

as his wishes, untouched.

Another element of interest in the headstones of the famous is the design.  Many contain lifelike images, or carvings of hobbies.

John Keats’ headstone is engraved with the design of a lyre with broken strings, which was added by Keat’s friends Joseph Severn and Charles Brown.  Keats wanted an anonymous headstone with only: “Here lies one whose name was writ in water” as an inscription.  Severn and Brown later added :

 “This grave contains all that was mortal of

 a YOUNG ENGLISH POET who on his death bed

in the bitterness of his heart at the malicious power of his enemies

desired these words to be engraven on his tomb stone”.

John Keats is buried in the Protestant Cemetery, Rome, Italy.

 There is plenty to read and contemplate over with regard to Robin Hood.  Kirklees Priory features frequently as the burial place of a person who is considered to be the man on whom the legends are based.  The small Cistercian priory of Kirklees was founded in 1155AD during the reign of Henry II by Reiner le Fleming, lord of the manor of Wath-upon-Dearne.

Although there is no record of when or how Robin Hood died, it is possible that he was the person who was killed at Kirklees, which is only 10 miles from Wakefield. The ballads tell us that Robin Hood was killed by a relative who was in charge of the priory 22 years after he had left the king's service. Robert (probably the original name of Robin) left his portering position in November 1324, so if the ballads are about him, he would have died in about 1346 or 1347. The records reveal that, in 1346, the prioress at Kirklees was Elizabeth de Staynton, the cousin, not of Robert, but of Matilda, his wife. Elizabeth is recorded as dying in 1347, the very year that the Geste says Robin's murderer died.  How did he die?  A common conclusion is that he was murdered by the “drawing of blood”, not an uncommon action around those times, taken in the belief that taking the blood of a person enabled their traits to be taken by the perpetrator.

The site of Robin's grave at Kirklees has been a place of pilgrimage for centuries. The problem is: it's the wrong place. The grave has been moved at least three times. The original grave slab disappeared some time after 1665. A replica was made, but this was chipped to pieces by 18th-century canal workers who thought a little bit of Robin Hood's gravestone would cure toothache.

Granite Memorials, to celebrate the launch of their new website www.granite-memorials.co.uk, are running a competition to find the most interesting and witty inscription on a famous personality’s headstone.  Send your photos, explaining where and when you took them and why you feel it should rank in the Headstones Hall of Fame, to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

All pictures received before the 28^th February 2010 will be judged by our experienced stone masons and the winning photo will be displayed on our website, while the photographer will win a handmade granite house plaque.  For full terms and conditions please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .