English graveyards- rant or campaign?

[alunno-a]

To  , Anyone  Interested
When I first started to "do" my family history I visited the Church where a 3x great grandfather was buried- I did not not know this at the time- I went on spec, having found him on the census. I found his headstone, in a pretty and beautifully kept churchyard, and it was both a moving and informative experience. I got the churchyard "bug"-and spent a great deal of time and cash visiting other places where I KNOW my ancestors are buried- and since have found not one single grave, not one single headstone-----------
now I am not stupid--- I know many of my ancestors, and their families, were not well-off, they may well not have been able to afford headstones, I know that sometimes. for very good reason, some burial grounds have to be re-developed in some way--BUT-many times now,I have searched in churchyards for my family graves knowing that someting should be there, only to find an hideous mess--in Kent, headstones collapsed down a ditch- in Co Durham-a churchyard bulldozed to create a "community hall"- in Nottinghamshire , graves so overgrown with ivy that all inscriptions were obliterated-etc etc--I COULD GO ON.
I have talked to incumbents, churchwardens etc until blue in the face-Why do these sacred relics have no value to our church guardians?--the fact is that our ancestors have for hundreds of years contributed to the coffers of their churches-we owe our ancestors, and their descendants  the simple courtesy of maintaining their only legacy-their mark on our collective history. How dare the church treat our history-bought and paid for- with such disrespect!!
 I want to start a campaign of complaint. The Church of England, and all other owners of the places of rest of OUR families- have a duty to the people who PAID for their record to be maintained- the only record to whom most could ever aspire.
Now I need someone to join in--our graveyards are a disgrace--join up--and shame them.

[stanmapstone]

RESPONSIBLE CARE FOR CHURCHYARDS
A brief practical guide for parishes
http://www.rootschat.com/links/02dc/

Stan

[Lynn H]

Hi Alunno-a,  I feel the same way. See my post SAVE OUR CHURCHES.

                                   Lynn.

[JenB]

In very many cases churchyards have been 'closed' to burials and responsibility for their maintenance has been passed to the Local Authority. In my own village the Parish Council, not the Church, is responsible for the maintenance of the churchyard.

Jennifer

 

[stanmapstone]

Once a churchyard is closed the PCC concerned may apply to the local authority to take over its maintenance under the Local Government Act 1972. Section 215 of this Act provides a simple procedure for a PCC to request the local authority at three months' notice to take over the responsibility for future maintenance of the churchyard (including its boundary walls).


Stan

[Adamand]

Hi. I have indexed the following churchyards/Municipal burial places:-Stanhope,Frosterley,Wolsingham,Tow Law,Stanley Crook,Witton le Wear,Hamsterley,Escomb (church and municipal,)Lanchester,Satley,Crook,Hunwick,Etherley,Edmundbyers,Mugglewick and Alston.
Other than the many gravestones that are laid down because it is deemed that are unsafe, there is only one graveyard of the above that is a disgrace and that is Escomb cemetery, Hallimond road.
Most of it is covered in bramble bushes .
Out of all the above cemeteries, where there were many thousands of burials only 6,500 stones are still standing.
Of course not every one could afford a stone monument and the majority would more than likely be marked with a wooden cross.
These of course would not last very long.


Adam

[mc8]

I've been thinking about this topic too lately.
I live in N yorks, where the local authority has a campign to remove or lay down headstones following the death of a child who was climbing on them and was crushed when one fell over (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/3077062.stm). As a result, my local churchyards are cordoned off at best and pulled to bits at worst-the headstones which have been laid flat rapidly grow over with weeds and the detail lost. In a few years, there won't be much left
There seem to be random websites where various enthusiasts have transcribed inscriptions-but nothing which pulls them all together. Perhaps rootschat could provide some space for a new project. We all live close to such a site or can post a link to transcribed detail-could wecreate a searchable sub-site? I'm sure we could drum up some volunteers to add detail

[mshrmh]

mc8 - can I recommend the Wishful Thinking pages (attaching to GENUKI). There are lots of MIs on there, mainly Staffs and surrounding counties, growing all the time, many contributed by Rootschatter Alf.
Here's their coverage page
http://www.wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/index.html
The search form
http://www.wishful-thinking.org.uk/search_form.html
and a sample of a listing for one churchyard
http://www.wishful-thinking.org.uk/genuki/STS/AbbotsBromley/MIs.html

This is the largest searchable database of MIs I have come across.

[stanmapstone]

I've been thinking about this topic too lately.
I live in N yorks, where the local authority has a campign to remove or lay down headstones following the death of a child who was climbing on them and was crushed when one fell over (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/3077062.stm).

The Local Government Cemeteries Order 1977 required them to immediately make safe any dangerous monuments. Following the death and injury of a number of children involving gravestones, 10 between 1982 and 2000, the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) produced a circular in August 2001, LAC 23/18 on the management of unstable memorials. This circular was subsequently withdrawn due to misinterpretation, unfortunately not before a whole new industry of gravestone checking was born. Throughout the country gravestones were tested, flattened and left lying on the ground. By 2005 many people had taken their case to the Local Government Ombudsman, who reported in March 2006 that many burial authorities had been guilty of maladministration.

See www.lgo.org.uk/pdf/LGO-612-Special-Report-final.pdf

Stan