Augmentation of weathered eighteenth century churchyard memorial.

[lanerellis]

Hello fellow RootsChat users,

I'm looking for advice regarding placing an additional monument next to two severely weathered eighteenth century grave memorials in the Eckington, Derbyshire churchyard next to the parish church of St. Peter and St. Paul, containing transcriptions of the wording from the old stones.

The stones were laid flat many years ago, and memorialize my own paternal fourth and fifth great-grandparents.

I have used the monumental inscriptions book for the churchyard for the part of the transcriptions the book researchers were able to discern at the time the book was published, and then used my own high resolution photographs and many hours using advanced digital techniques in PhotoShop to determine the exact wording of the memorials.

Now I am interested in placing a small brass (or any allowable material) memorial alongside the existing stones, to preserve the memory of my ancestors.

I don't live in England but in the U.S.

I have been researching various church and governmental regulations. I'm interested in any personal experiences with others who have either done something similar themselves or who have heard about such undertakings. What can I expect as I go down this path?

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Best Regards,
Lane R. Ellis

[cheshiremog]

Dear Lane

Have you considered contacting the reverend of the church as I guess ultimately he may need to give permission? He may also have some idea how it can be organised as you are so far away.

mog

[omskirk]

Yep! the place to start is obviously the Vicar, C/O the Vicarage, Eckington, Derbyshire

[davidrigg3]

Contact info from here: http://www.achurchnearyou.com/eckington-st-peter-st-paul/

takes you to the Diocese of Derby here: http://www.derby.anglican.org/contact/index.php

might be a long shot but perhaps you could place an enquiry through this page?

[lanerellis]

Thank you all kindly for your replies. I will make an attempt to contact the Eckington vicar regarding my idea.

Best Regards,
Lane R. Ellis

[toby webb]

I would recommend that you do nothing in a hurry. Currently I am recording all the inscriptions in a Wiltshire churchyard where 2 of my ancestors are buried (died 1767). I personally would not want to add anything to any of the stones as it would clash and the beauty of the stone spoilt. In my view this would be as bad as putting fluorescent plastic flowers on a grave which thankfully some churchyards are now banning. Better I feel would be to get your improved recording into the county records

[ Derbyshire Record Office, County Hall, Matlock, DE4 3AG
record.office AT derbyshire.gov.uk ]

which is where a copy of my survey will go. How you actually do this would depend on what records are already there. Perhaps through Rootschat you will find someone who lives locally who has a like interest.
I come back to the start. Chew it over carefully and good luck
Toby.

[lanerellis]

Thanks for your recommendations Toby. What I would like to place at the foot of the gravestones (laid flat years ago) of my fourth and fifth great grandparents are small, subtle dark brass or other inconspicuous metal plaques, perhaps ten inches by four inches, also laid flat and containing a transcription of the original text carved into the gravestone before it faded away over hundreds of years, as a way to keep the memorial to my ancestors legible for at least several hundred more years.

Keeping the small plaques as inconspicuous as possible would be of primary concern so as not to interfere with the beauty of the stone, and the small plaques would be so small as to represent only about two percent of the size of each of the very large original gravestones.

While the timeless beauty of a churchyard is very important and must certainly be considered with any modification or addition, I suggest that the primary function of a cemetery is to display the messages carved by our ancestors into stone, and preserving these historical messages for those who pay a physical visit to honor and pay respects to their forebears.

I have already preserved the inscriptions from these particular Eckington gravestones by depositing my records in several repositories, and am a great supporter of monumental inscription projects. I was lucky enough to meet one of the men who compiled the Eckington churchyard monumental inscription book while visiting Eckington in 2001, and have worked on similar projects myself here in the U.S. I applaud your efforts on the Wiltshire churchyard project Toby.

Best Regards,
Lane R. Ellis