The family of the deceased sought to erect a memorial over his grave inscribed with his names, dates and the phrase ‘Beloved husband, dad and pop’, the last meaning grandfather. Under the diocesan churchyard regulations the incumbent did not have delegated authority to approve inscriptions with pet names. Accordingly, the matter was referred to the chancellor, who offered to approve the word ‘grandfather’ or ‘grandpa’ in place of ‘pop’. The family were not satisfied; in the absence of the parish priest, the team vicar held a meeting to canvass views about the use of the word ‘pop’, which were positive. The Parochial Church Council (PCC) therefore petitioned the chancellor on the family's behalf, supporting inclusion of the word.

The family argued that the word ‘pop’ was not just a family name but a word used for ‘grandad’ in that part of Cumbria. The chancellor commented that the parish meeting was ill-advised in raising expectations that the word ‘pop’ would be accepted and misleading the family about where jurisdiction lay, but accepted that the meeting demonstrated local support for use of the word ‘pop’ going beyond the family. On that basis and strictly on the basis of pastoral sensitivity in this particular case, the chancellor granted a faculty approving use of the word ‘pop’. The chancellor also noted that the role of the PCC in bringing the petition on behalf of the family was inappropriate and could have left it in circumstances where it was conducting contested litigation; as the petition was essentially private, it should have been brought by the family. [Catherine Shelley]