General Chat

For almost 30 years the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board has been clearing headstones from Karrakatta Cemetery and will commence this practice in the Fremantle Cemetery in the near future.


West Australian Government: bring an end to the clearing of headstones in West Australian Cemeteries
http://www.change.org/en-AU/petitions/west-australian-government-bring-an-end-to-the-clearing-of-headstones-in-west-australian-cemeteries

That is sad to read some have been taken and crushed up,perhaps they were in a bad state of repair?

Clearing headstones happened in Leeds in the late 50'/early 60's.

My grandad(1936) and grandma(1941) were buried in a Cemetery in Leeds.
Then Mum got a letter to saythey wanted to clear all the graves out.

The headstones were supposed to be put around the walls of the cemetery I have never been able to find the headstone and they did have one.

LCC sold the land then to Leeds University so they could build on the land..

My g x 4 grandfather was buried in the grounds of Romsey Abbey.
My gran and great aunt found his headstone, above his grave in the 1960's.
Meanwhile, all 'commoners' headstones were removed, so only the graves of the 'church worthies' were left in situ.

I went to find it 20 years ago. It was laid on the ground, as part of the footpath to the war memorial, and just readable!!

10 years ago it was unreadable.

When I asked an official where it might have been - I was 'informed' that, as a 'commoner' he would have been buried in the cemetery half a mile outside Romsey, up a hill.
I informed her that, when he died, the cemetery up the hill didn't exist, and g grandad was so heavy they wouldn't have got him up there!!
So, another myth is created ,that commoners weren't buried in Cathedral/Abbey grounds.

I also went to find my grandad's first wife's grave (died 1924), in Southampton. I had the original receipt from the funeral director, so had the row number and plot number.
Got there to find a man buried in the plot.
In the 1960's, Southampton City Council decided that 'certain' graves (even those bought outright) only had an ownership of 33 years.

It makes me weep to think how grandad scrimped and save his meagre Dockyard wages to pay for that grave.
When me met gran, he was still saving to put green glass chips on the grave.

My grandparents graves have had their headstones removed.

They died in 1953 and 1962 - paternal, 1960 and 1969 - maternal.

My sister couldn't identify their graves because all the areas have levelled off and it looks like large lawns.

Not even row markers are there. This is in the West Midlands. Cemetery has been closed for some time. Maps are available with the grave you want marked on it but it's not possible to find because it's so flat. :-(

Happens in many cemeteries all the time - nothing new