NAMM - National Association of Memorial Masons

The Problems of Today

The problems of today do not just affect the memorial mason - they often affect the bereaved much more. A few of the most noticeable are:

1.	The increase in modern technology has meant it can appear very easy to be a memorial mason. All that is needed, it seems, is a letter cutting machine, or a gritblast machine, perhaps a computer, and a list of wholesalers who will supply ready-shaped blank memorials. But this is far from so. Not only does the operating of even the most modern machines require a great deal of skill if a good result is to be achieved but also stone, like other natural materials, needs to be understood. Too frequently a bereaved person is sold a stone which is unsuitable for the location - i.e. it does not cope with particular local pollution, or the leaves from the particular trees, etc. Or they find the inscription is almost illegible because the way it has been carved or coloured is unsuitable for that particular stone. Or that the piece of stone used is not a good one. etc. Skill and experience are also required for matters such as applying gold leaf or lead to an inscription in a manner which will last, laying out inscriptions in a manner pleasing to the eye, matching second inscriptions (i.e. following a second interment) with the original, etc. Too often the bereaved - who believed they were dealing with a genuine memorial mason - find, too late, that they were not. In addition there is inclined to be a cutting of corners to compete on prices. Frequently the results are a cause of further distress to the already distressed bereaved. Note: The increase in the number of unskilled people who are setting themselves up as memorial masons in the manner referred to above would not have been possible if the industry were regulated.
2.	Many funeral directors are not memorial masons themselves but are selling memorials via catalogues. i.e. - a bereaved person chooses a memorial from a wholesaler's catalogue and it is supplied by that wholesaler complete with inscription. It only has to be fixed. One of the main problems of this is that the bereaved are only shown the catalogues of the wholesaler/s with which the funeral director deals and are therefore offered very limited choice. For instance some wholesalers only deal in granite Too frequently we hear "But I did not know you could get that". Another disadvantage of this method of selling can be seen when there is a problem with the stone and the wholesalers, who are likely to be situated very many miles away, are not on hand to put it right. The fact that death is spoken about so little in this country has made it very difficult to get the message across to the public that the choice is enormous, that they do not need to order their memorial from a catalogue and that it is often better to go direct to the memorial mason.
3.	Although cremation is the preferred option for many nowadays, very few of the bereaved who choose it are aware at the time that, even if they have the remains interred, the regulations of the cemetery or crematorium may prohibit their having a proper memorial. This has led to exhumations of cremated remains and their reburial in a place where a memorial can be erected. Experience shows that many people who do choose cremation do not do so in order to get the whole matter of the death over and done with as soon as possible - as is often suggested. In fact the extra distress they suffer when they discover that, as far as memorials are concerned, they are treated in a manner inferior to the treatment received by those who have chosen full burial, is quite terrible. Where cemeteries or crematoria have been persuaded to open sections where proper memorials are permitted over cremated remains, the uptake has been enormous.
4.	A lack of money for cemetery maintenance has caused many burial grounds to look generally uncared for and to become places for glue sniffers etc to congregate - often with destructive results. A desperately distressing situation for the bereaved.
5.	Then, again, there is our culture. We do not like to even think about death, so it is difficult to attract enough discussion to ensure the problems are addressed. For the same reason burial grounds are generally considered to be places to stay out of. This often causes them to appear cold and cheerless - unlike many on the Continent - which are a joy to walk in.