Questions about how UK cemeteries work.

[steadyrollingman]

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The stones should have been laid flat over the grave...
[/quote]

They SHOULD have, certainly from a compassionate standpoint or whatever. Thing is, since I wrote that post about people who died 1877 & 1890, I actually had a worse shock. Finally discovered where my GG-Uncle was buried in 1953, and when I went to check it out theother week, the whole cemetery was just a grassy field. His wife died in 1956, would almost certainly be buried there too. I even worked opposite that cemetery in late 1980s and had no idea it was a cemetery so I suspect it was cleared about 20 years after the last burial which is absolutely disgraceful.
I wrote to the parish council about it, no reply obv, think I need to chase them up for an explanation...

[Skoosh]

Unfortunately many of these stones were unsafe and probably some were a daft idea in the first place, don't remember the cemetery but a stone came down and killed a child here a couple of years ago. A Jewish cemetery near me with massive uniform stones has had them all taken down and they now lie on top of the graves.

Skoosh.

[steadyrollingman]

Yeah, to be fair, both of the cemeteries I mentioned are in coal mining villages and there was almost certainly the risk of, or full-on, subsidence. But still no excuse for complete removal of the stones. Another graveyard round here is closed until further notice due to unsafe conditions, which is fair enough, but just disposing of the gravestones is out of order. They may well contact next of kin about that, but that's not much help to those of us who don't know who those NOK were/are and would benefit from a visit.

[familydar]

I can remember as a child, more years ago than I like to admit, walking round the local graveyard and hoping to spot the resident ghost, reading the worn inscriptions on the old tombstones which had been laid flat to form the paths.  I'm sure the people memorialised on those stones weren't buried all higgledy-piggledy the way the paths meandered through.  Moving grave stones is nothing new, and sadly when the stones are repurposed as flagstones the inscriptions get worn away by people's feet.

Jane :-)

[Guy Etchells]

Unfortunately many of these stones were unsafe and probably some were a daft idea in the first place, don't remember the cemetery but a stone came down and killed a child here a couple of years ago. A Jewish cemetery near me with massive uniform stones has had them all taken down and they now lie on top of the graves.

Skoosh.

It was possible the accident in Craigton Cemetery, Glasgow in 2015 where an 8 year old boy was crushed by a falling 7ft headstone.
Following the death, Glasgow City Council carried out a safety assessment at the cemetery and laid flat between 500 & 900 headstones over safety concerns.
A Fatal Accident Inquiry noted that failure to repair a hole in a perimeter wall was a "reasonable precaution and may have resulted in the accident being avoided.
Guy

[Skoosh]

That was the death Guy, sad business.

Thanks,
Skoosh.

[Glen in Tinsel Kni]

In my old hometown in Lincs two churchyards were cleared of memorial stones, one during the 1980's the other so long ago nobody seems to remember. Around 100 stones sit around the perimeter of the more recently cleared churchyard and were photographed last week by the local heritage centre.  I often wonder what happened to the rest of them as there must have been three times that number originally.

[Skoosh]

A section of Riddrie Cemetery in Glasgow is still fenced off from the public after an old 18th century pit opened up after heavy rain and swallowed graves, stones, coffins etc. The alarm was given when folk on the adjoining road heard the shouts from a young lad trying to save his dog from being swept down by the water, he couldn't hold onto the dog and was swept down into the bowels of the earth.
 The rescue services could do little and as Scotland's last pit was closed a "Mine-Safety!" team came up from the north of England with heavy pumps.
 I think it took a week or two but these guys, to their tremendous credit, got the body up. The lad was the son of one of the workers and lived in the cemetery. A very sad time, the guys should have got medals!

Bests,
Skoosh.

[Skoosh]

The Riddrie Cemetery incident happened in August 2002,

      https://www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/2181194.stm

Skoosh.