Cemeteries
Memorial Safety Testing
Hertford Town Council has been testing the memorial stability in the Cemetery.
Contractors, Cemetery Development Services, have been testing memorial headstones following Health and Safety guidance issued to all cemetery authorities. This involves checking all of the headstones following the latest guidance “Managing the Safety of Burial Ground Memorials” issued by the Burials and Cemeteries Advisory Group (January 2009).
Any headstone that fails has been risk assessed to determine the best way of making it safe. Unsafe memorials near to high risk areas such as pathways have been cordoned off and if in danger of imminent collapse, may be laid down. Warning signs will be displayed advising cemetery users.
Testing was completed the week of 31st March 2025. Should you wish for more information, please click the button below.
Memorial Safety Testing Results
About Hertford Cemetery
Hertford Cemetery, situated on North Road, is a peaceful space with great historical interest. Its natural environment attracts all types of wildlife and is an important nature conservation resource, with beautifully kept lawns and mature trees.
There are a number of sections with plots available for full burials. The Garden of Rest has plots available for the interment of ashes and the Garden of Remembrance has niches in the columbarium for the interment of ashes, and a Memorial Wall for plaques.
Much of the cemetery is consecrated, which means it has been blessed by a Bishop in the Church of England. The sections currently in use - B Block and J Block are not consecrated. The dedicated Roman Catholic block in the Cemetery (M Block), is now full.
Benches are located around the cemetery and there are four water points for the public to use.
Hertford Town Council is committed to providing an excellent cemetery service and is able to offer a range of interment and memorial options at the Hertford Cemetery.
Burials can be single, double or triple depth and there is also an option for brick graves and for the burial of cremated remains. Arrangements can also be made for the burial of foetal remains, if required.
The burial area which is currently in use includes a mixture of lawn and full kerb memorials, however when this area is full it is intended that the Council will offer only lawn graves.
Address
Hertford Cemetery
North Road
Hertford
SG14 2HZ
The cemetery pedestrian gates are open to the public 8.00am to sunset weekdays.
The vehicle gates are open from: 8.00am to 4.15pm Monday to Thursday & 8.00am to 3.15pm on Fridays.
Weekend hours vary, as the gates are open by the volunteers of the Cemetery Friends Group, but are generally open from 9.00am to 7.00pm but times cannot be guaranteed.
Vehicle access is at the discretion of the Town Council and any time restrictions will be displayed on the cemetery noticeboard. A 5mph speed limit is in operation.
Cemetery Services
Please click button above to search for a grave in Hertford Cemetery. This will open in a new page.
Hertford Town Council offers a full range of services at the cemetery, including cemetery management, liaison with funeral directors and administration of deeds and records.
Cemetery records are available for public inspection during office hours.
All enquiries should be addressed to:
Cemetery Officer, Hertford Town Council
The Castle, Hertford, SG14 1HR
Email: cemeteryadmin@hertford.gov.uk
Tel: 01992 552 885
Exclusive Right of Burial at Hertford Cemetery
When a grave is ‘purchased' this refers to the purchasing of the exclusive right of burial in a grave space and not the purchase of the land itself. This means that you do not own the land but have the exclusive right, during the period stated in the Grant of Exclusive Right of Burial, to say who can be buried in the grave. Also, provided that you do not, during your lifetime, transfer the right to another person and provided that the period stated in the Grant of Exclusive Right of Burial has not expired, you can choose to be buried in the grave yourself if the grave was not just for single use. Only two caskets per grave for the Ashes section.
A grant of exclusive right of burial will be issued to the grave owner. This should be kept in a safe place, as it will be required should there be a further burial in the grave at some point in the future. No burials or changes to memorials can be authorised without the permission of the holder of the exclusive right of burial.
Funerals and Wakes at Hertford Castle
For those looking to host a non-religious funeral service Hertford Castle is the perfect venue to mark the passing of your loved one with family and friends.
Click here to read more
Greenspace Action Plan
Hertford Town Council engaged Countryside Management Service (CMS), part of Hertfordshire County Council’s Countryside and Rights of Way Service to produce a Greenspace Action Plan (GAP) for Hertford Cemetery and All Saints Churchyard. The completed documents will inform the management actions to be undertaken over the next five years, commencing in April 2022.
GAPs are essentially map-based management plans that provide focus and direction for the running and improvement of open spaces. They provide a clear, logical process to determine the activities that should take place over a stated period of time to achieve the objectives for the site.
The plans were endorsed by the Town Councils Committee Services Committee at its meeting on 29 November 2021.