[HISTORY: Adopted by the Cemetery Commission of the Town
of Sherborn 4-1995; amended 5-1999. Subsequent amendments noted where
applicable.[1]]
A.
All Sherborn cemeteries, including Pine Hill Cemetery, shall be open
daily from dawn to dusk.
B.
Breaking any tree, shrub or plant; and writing on, defacing or injuring
any monument, fence or structure within Sherborn's cemeteries is strictly
prohibited.
C.
Snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles, roller-blades, skateboards, horses
and/or horseback riding, and similar types of vehicles or activities
are not allowed in any Sherborn cemetery.
[Amended 6-13-2024]
A.
Pine Hill Cemetery is the only cemetery in Sherborn in which lots
may be sold. All lots must be paid for, in full, at the time of purchase.
B.
Lots at Pine Hill Cemetery may be purchased only by Sherborn residents
or taxpayers; former Sherborn residents; or direct descendants of
persons buried at Pine Hill Cemetery.
C.
Sale of lots shall be subject to charges as determined from time
to time by the Cemetery Commission. A fee schedule is available from
the Town offices or a member of the Cemetery Commission.
D.
Cemetery deeds shall be issued by the Cemetery Commission and kept
by the Town Clerk. A charge for each deed, payable at the time the
lot is purchased, shall be assessed. There shall be an additional
charge for a duplicate deed.
E.
Proof of ownership shall be required to sell or transfer a lot in
any of Sherborn's cemeteries.
F.
Transfer, sale, or assignment of deeds to cemetery lots by the current
owner is valid only with the consent of the Cemetery Commission, which
shall cause its approval to be endorsed on the deed.
G.
Cemetery lots may be sold back to the Town of Sherborn by the current
owner for 1/2 of the current price.
H.
The Cemetery Commission shall continue the tradition of providing
Town-owned burial lots for indigent citizens and indigent soldiers.
The Commissioners reserve the right to be provided with proof of indigence.
A.
Twenty-four hour notice is required for all interments.
B.
Graves shall be prepared only by the person(s) designated by the
Cemetery Commission.
C.
A concrete liner or concrete vault is compulsory with all full-casket
interments. Exception: A casket-vault combination may be used for
infant burials.
D.
All interments in Sherborn cemeteries shall be restricted to members
of the family and relatives of the owner thereof unless the owner
or his/her representative provides the Commissioners with permission
for the burial of another in writing.
E.
Before an interment may take place, the Cemetery Commission or its
representative must be provided with the burial permit and any other
permits as required by the laws of the commonwealth.
F.
Funeral directors must also provide to the Sherborn Cemetery Commission
an order for interment signed by the owner of the lot, or by his/her
representative, and shall provide the current address and phone number
of the person signing the orders.
G.
Interments shall be subject to charges as determined from time to
time by the Cemetery Commission. Interment fees must be paid in full
in advance of the burial. A fee schedule is available from the Town
Offices or a member of the Cemetery Commission.
H.
The lot owner or his/her representative must assume the cost of any
blasting or tree removal necessary to allow a burial in a lot.
I.
Three cremation burials are permitted in a single casket lot.
J.
Lots in any Sherborn cemetery may be used only for the burial of
human remains.
A.
Persons installing the foundation of all monuments, headstones, markers
or the like must be approved by the Superintendent or a member of
the Cemetery Commission.
B.
Monument foundations should ideally be 24 inches deep. All monuments
must have foundations except for colonial tablets or monoliths.
C.
The size of all monuments, headstones, and/or markers shall be consistent
with the size of the lot and approved by the Superintendent or a member
of the Cemetery Commission.
D.
Placement of monuments, headstones, and/or markers must be approved
in advance by a member of the Cemetery Commission.
E.
All tombs, walls, benches or other permanently installed embellishments
other than monuments, headstones, or footstones on individual lots
in any Sherborn cemetery shall be allowed only with the written permission
of the Cemetery Commission, which shall cause its approval to be endorsed
on the lot card.
F.
Certain areas of Pine Hill Cemetery require the use of flush markers
only. The size of such markers shall be consistent with the size of
the lot and may not protrude above grade.
A.
Perpetual care is required on each lot and is included in the purchase
price. The Cemetery Commission shall determine from time to time the
amount to be deposited for perpetual care.
B.
Perpetual care covers the maintenance of the surface of the lots
and graves, specifically raking leaves and mowing the grass when necessary.
It does not include the care of any kind of monuments, headstones,
markers, walls or the like, of planters or benches, or of bushes,
shrubs or plants. It does not include removing plants or planting
from a lot. Extra care or work on an individual lot, such as grading,
reseeding (except after a burial), repairing monuments, planting trees
or bushes, trimming shrubs, or cultivating flowers, shall be done
at the owner's expense.
C.
Town and cemetery employees shall take reasonable care when maintaining
the cemeteries, plowing the roads, and mowing the lots, but neither
the Town of Sherborn, Cemetery Commissioners, Superintendent, nor
any other employee or cemetery worker shall be responsible for any
damage to monuments, benches, walls, trees, plants, shrubs, flowers
or other embellishments on individual lots.
D.
The Cemetery Commission desires to leave the improvement of individual
lots, as far as possible, to the taste of the owners. However, trees
and bushes on any lot at any Sherborn cemetery shall be planted only
with the written permission of the Superintendent or a member of the
Cemetery Commission, such approval to be endorsed on the lot card.
E.
In fairness to all, the Cemetery Commission reserves the right given
it by law to exclude or remove from any lot any tree or shrub, or
any other item which it considers injurious to the general appearance
of cemetery grounds. This includes the removal of baskets, wreaths,
potted plants or anything on any lot which is deemed unsightly or
which interferes in the maintenance of the cemetery.
F.
The Superintendent, Cemetery Commissioners, and cemetery employees
shall have the authority to remove or transplant any planting upon
the lots or graves wherever and whenever it shall be deemed necessary.
G.
Live flowers and plants are encouraged. All flowers, plants, or bushes
in an area designated for flat markers must be in a container unless
the express written permission of the Superintendent or a member of
the Cemetery Commission is granted in advance, such approval to be
endorsed on the lot card.
H.
Trees on individual lots may be cut down or trimmed by the lot owner
only with the express written permission of the Superintendent or
a member of the Cemetery Commission, such approval to be endorsed
on the lot card.
