Improved Guidance for Bereaved Families and Clergy relating to Memorials in Churchyards and publication of the ‘Review by the Diocese of Coventry in relation to the headstone of the late Margaret Keane’.
On February 24th 2021, the family of Margaret and Bernie Keane won a landmark case through the Court of Arches in relation to the memorial headstone they wished to install in their mother’s memory in the St Giles Church, Exhall churchyard. The then Chancellor of Coventry Diocese had refused the family’s petition for the inclusion of an untranslated Irish inscription on the headstone. This ruling was overturned by the Court of Arches and the memorial, with the inscription in the Irish language, was installed on St Patrick’s Day 2021.
The Chancellor’s ruling, together with the lengthy legal process and media attention which ensued caused the family deep distress and affected many members of the Irish community locally, nationally and internationally. This was a source of profound regret for the Diocese of Coventry with its historic sense of calling and commitment to the ministry of reconciliation. In response to the family’s determined desire for lessons to be learnt from their experience, the then Bishop of Coventry, the Rt Revd Dr Christopher Cocksworth ordered an internal inquiry into the Keane case. This inquiry was led by the Revd Canon Dr Mark Bratton. The ‘Review by the Diocese of Coventry in relation to the headstone of the late Margaret Keane’ was completed in March 2023 and has now been published on the diocesan website.
In light of both the Keane family’s experience and the Bratton Report’s recommendations, a Churchyard Task Group was formed to significantly improve guidance for bereaved families, together with guidelines for best practice for clergy in relation to memorials in churchyards and faculty procedures. This new guidance can be found on the diocesan website. We would like to express our sincere thanks to the Keane family for their willingness to engage with us in this work of listening and learning to ensure that, in future, bereaved families will be better informed and supported as they seek to honour the memory of loved ones through memorials in our churchyards.