How long will it take me to transcribe this grave?!!!!

[hallmark]

Trouble is they are protected and one is not allowed to clear them of Ivy.

Not sure what you mean.

It is not legal to remove many types of Lichens from gravestones but there is no law that prevents ivy from being removed. I should of course remind forum members that gravestones are the property of the person who bought it or the people who now own it through inheritance. He/she/they may not want the ivy removed and their permission should always be taken before anything physical (even washing) is done to a gravestone.

Cheers
Guy

Maybe not in England but they are protected in Ireland under National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014. and under several Wildlife Acts.


Plus, as you say, interfering with other people's property is also an offence under the Law, I presume same applies in UK.

[Guy Etchells]

Maybe not in England but they are protected in Ireland under National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014. and under several Wildlife Acts.


Plus, as you say, interfering with other people's property is also an offence under the Law, I presume same applies in UK.

I have not been able to find an reference to ivy in the Acts you mention, perhaps you could point me to the specific legislation.

Cheers
Guy

[eadaoin]

.. .. they are protected in Ireland under National Monuments Acts 1930 to 2014. and under several Wildlife Acts.

thanks, Hallmark, for noting those Acts.
I can well understand how the ivy protects the wildlife. We regularly have birds nesting in our garden ivy, and I never trim it in spring once the birds are nesting.

I had better give up my quest on this grave!

[Maiden Stone]

Holly Blue butterfly. Caterpillar food plants holly and ivy. Spring generation eggs laid on holly, summer generation on ivy. Summer generation overwinters as pupae on ivy. Holly Blue in Ireland may be single or double-brooded, depending on location.
https://www.irelandswildlife.com/holly-blue-celastrina-argiolus

www.butterflyireland.com/HollyBlue.htm

https://butterfly-conservation.org/butterflies/holly-blue
Conservation status: Fully Protected under Northern Ireland 1985 Wildlife Order.
Habitat: A common garden visitor; also seen in parks, churchyards, hedgerows and woodland rides.

[BushInn1746]

Hire a Surveying Endoscope?

Surveyors use them to see hidden structure etc in building voids, bricked up cellars and vaults.

Added
Mind you don't scratch the lens against the stone and have to pay for a replacement lens!

Mark

[eadaoin]

Thanks for that suggestion, Mark

[Andrew Tarr]

It's interesting how this overgrowth depends on the gravestone material.  I made a fruitless search in the churchyard at Penmon in east Anglesey several years ago.  Most of the stones were in fine purple Snowdonia slate, and looked as if they had only been there a short time, not over 100 years.  Maybe the smooth surface makes it harder for things to take hold, but I suspect there may be a chemical reason.

[kateblogs]

It's interesting how this overgrowth depends on the gravestone material.  I made a fruitless search in the churchyard at Penmon in east Anglesey several years ago.  Most of the stones were in fine purple Snowdonia slate, and looked as if they had only been there a short time, not over 100 years.  Maybe the smooth surface makes it harder for things to take hold, but I suspect there may be a chemical reason.

I did a university work placement transcribing in a cemetery and noticed the same. Some very old stones looked new, while others which were only decades old looked as though they had been there for centuries. I'm not sure why, but I suspect it has something to do with the way some materials react to air pollution - happy to be told I'm wrong though.

[BushInn1746]

Slate is very impervious and why it was also used as a roofing material. Slate should breathe naturally.

Granite is very hard and also impervious too.

Concrete is hard, but like some types of Stone, it does not resist rain weathering as well and the surface eventually erodes. When it is moist/wet, hard UK frosts or freezing weather (year after year) will damage brick, stone & concrete surfaces.

Acid rain also accelerates weathering.

Mark