(32.) The Church and Cemetery Commission appoints the sextons and their
assistants, who are bound by oath to fulfil the regulations and
necessary arrangements of the Commission.
(33.) The Church and Cemetery Commission appoints one of the sextons as
chief, who must always live in the town, and to whom the Interment
Commissioner must make known the event of a death, in order that it may
be notified to the Church and Cemetery Inspector, who thereupon orders
the preparation of a grave.
This chief sexton has a register, in which he enters all the
notifications of interments that have been sent to him, and which, when
asked for, he must lay before the Church and Cemetery Commission.
No grave can be prepared, unless the warrant for it has been signed by
the Church and Cemetery Commission.
Every grave must be six feet deep, three feet and a-half wide, and seven
feet long for an adult.
The measurement for children is regulated by the Church and Cemetery
Inspector on each separate occasion. Between the graves in the ordinary
course there must be an interval of one foot.
(34.) The whole of the sextons, in which is included their assistants,
are under the inspection of the Church and Cemetery Inspector, who must
keep them to their duty, and who is answerable for any misdemeanor, or
offence or neglect of the sextons.
(35.) The sextons must always be respectably dressed in black during the
interment, and those who go to the house of mourning must always appear
in neat and clean attire, and must be studious at all times, whether
engaged within or without the churchyard, to preserve a modest and
proper behaviour. Drunkenness, neglect of duty, or abuse of their
services, will be punished by the Church and Cemetery Commission, and on
repetition of the offence the offender will be dismissed. The sextons
are forbidden, on pain of dismissal, from making any alteration in any
family vault, or grave, or in the ordinary graves, without especial
orders. They shall, on the other hand, keep all the flowers, borders,
and shrubs in the neatest order, and one of the sextons must be an
excellent gardener, whose office it shall be to keep the plantations and
borders in good condition.
Any assistant who has been guilty of any fault which has led to the
dismissal of the sexton, shall not be able to be employed again as
sexton.
(36.) The salary for the making of a grave is settled by the Church and
Cemetery Commissioners, on the roll, and no more than this sum can
either be demanded or received, under pain of dismissal.
An assistant who has to perform the work of a sexton on account of
sickness, must give the sexton half the remuneration. In case the sexton
allows the assistant to do his work, or, on occasion of increased work
requiring the employment of an assistant, the assistant must receive the
full pay.
That assistant who has signalized himself by the exact and excellent
performance of his duties, shall be the first to be promoted when a
vacancy occurs.
When the qualifications are equal, the assistant of the longest standing
shall be promoted, and when this is equal, the oldest shall be made
sexton.
The complaints of the sextons and assistants against the Inspector or
amongst themselves are to be settled by the Church and Cemetery
Commission.
_Of the Cost of Interment._
The Church and Cemetery Commission undertake to conduct the interments
at the price fixed by them in the tax roll.
The whole rates could only be made so moderate, by making all interments
to depend on the Church and Cemetery Commission, therefore the
solemnities of interment can be superintended by no one except the said
Commission, under the regulation of the printed orders.
The Interment Commissioner, on the occasion of a death, must call the
attention of the friends to these orders. It depends entirely on the
choice of the friends to which of the four classes of prices the funeral
shall belong.
(39.) The Commission of Interments has to receive the payment for the
interment from the friends, and must immediately pay it over to the
Church and Cemetery Commission.
(40.) Besides, or in addition to the authorized payment printed in the
tax roll, and determined by the Church and Cemetery Commission as the
sufficient remuneration of the Inspector, Commissioner of Interments,
the bearers and sextons, no one is, on the occasion of a death, either
to give money or to furnish food and drink.
The practice of furnishing crape, gloves, lemons, &c., by the friends of
the dead, is also given up, and the persons engaged in conducting the
interment, must take all the requisites with them, without asking or
receiving any compensation, under pain of instant dismissal.
_The time which these orders are to remain in force._
(41.) Experience will best show what alteration is necessary in these
regulations, and they are therefore after some years to be laid by the
mixed Church and School Commission before the Senate for revision, and
further regulation.
_The rate of Interment for the Christian communities of the free town of
Franckfort._
The following, by order of the Legislative Assembly, of the 31st May,
1836, is the table of the rate of interment, which is here made known
for every one’s observance and obedience.
The interments of adults are divided into four classes:—
English Money.
£. _s._ _d._
The 1st class costs 50 florins = 4 7 6
The 2nd class costs 36 florins = 3 3 0
The 3rd class costs 22 florins = 1 18 6
The 4th class costs 15 florins = 1 6 3
The interment of children are also of four classes:—
_First Class._ English Money.
£. _s._ _d._
Children from 10 to 15 22 florins = 1 18 6
Children from 5 to 10 16 florins = 1 8 0
Children from 0 to 5 12 florins = 1 1 0
_Second Class._
Children from 10 to 15 16 florins = 1 8 0
Children from 5 to 10 11 florins = 0 19 3
Children from 0 to 5 8 florins = 0 14 0
_Third Class._
Children from 10 to 15 10 florins = 0 17 6
Children from 5 to 10 8 florins = 0 14 0
Children from 0 to 5 4 florins = 0 7 0
_Fourth Class._
Children from 10 to 15 6 florins = 0 10 6
Children from 5 to 10 5 florins = 0 8 9
Children from 0 to 5 2 florins 30 kruitzers = 0 4 4
For the funeral of all the city militia and officers of the line, twelve
florins must be paid for the cross, the pall, and the making of the
grave, inclusive of the carriage, by the friends of the dead.
The interment of a pauper will cost six florins, eight kruitzers.
The expenses of the interments of the institution for paupers are
settled by the Church and Cemetery Commission, with the officers of that
institution.
If the Interment Commissary be employed by the friends of the deceased,
to announce the occurrence of the death, he is to receive three guilders
per day.