Find a Grave from 1378.........Really!!!

[aghadowey]

With the exception of a number of Celtic gravestones some of which date from the sixth century, the oldest churchyard memorials date from the late seventeenth century. In many parishes the earliest concentration of gravestones  will often coincide with a period of commercial prosperity, or the parliamentary enclosure of land from which many of the wealthier parishioners benefited both economically and socially.    From "The Sutton Companion to Churches" by Stephen Friar.
Stan

In the U.K.?

[stanmapstone]

Yes, it refers to English Parish Churches, the title of the 1996 first edition was "The Companion to the English Parish Church", the new revised edition of 2006 was for some reason changed to "The Sutton Companion to Churches"

Stan

[chris_49]

There's a 5th or 6th century inscribed memorial stone at Llangian, Lleyn peninsula

http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=26817

[aghadowey]

Yes, it refers to English Parish Churches, the title of the 1996 first edition was "The Companion to the English Parish Church", the new revised edition of 2006 was for some reason changed to "The Sutton Companion to Churches"
Stan

I liked the original title better 

[Maiden Stone]

or the requests for headstones in crematoria 

Of course some ashes are under rose bushes, but the longest lease I've seen on a rose bush recently is 10 years, the average is 5.

They might have meant memorial stones/plaques.

[dawnsh]

or the requests for headstones in crematoria 

Of course some ashes are under rose bushes, but the longest lease I've seen on a rose bush recently is 10 years, the average is 5.

They might have meant memorial stones/plaques.

Having contacted some of them to query the request, some of the requesters didn't mean memorial stones or plaques. They did mean proper headstones.

Admittedly though, there are some very new crematoria who do have memorial gardens with larger headstones but these aren't the norm.

https://www.northhertsmemorial.co.uk/memorialisation/

[Blue70]

I try to use Find a Grave sparingly. I try to forget they exist to be honest . I try to forget about the research they copied from my website and the errors they created in the process.


Blue

[andrewalston]

This has started me wondering - what is the earliest legible outdoor gravestone you have found?

The type of stone available locally has a huge influence on the survival rate. Some types of stone such as limestone are very susceptible to weathering, while others, such as granite, survive much better, but cost more.

In my one-name study I have some very well preserved stones at Marchweil to the west of the River Dee, in a well protected churchyard with some tree cover, while across the river at Bangor, one stone, out in the open, was eaten almost through. Here's one from 1722:

[Annie65115]

I’ve seen a legible headstone from the late 1600 s somewhere in Leicestershire; maybe Newtown Linford, someone else may be able to confirm this.

I’ve been lucky too and have found several stones for ancestors of mine from the mid 1700s on.