RootsChat.Com
England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Lancashire => Topic started by: XsCode on Tuesday 15 March 11 16:59 GMT (UK)
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Sorry to any locals to Prescot, but I really feel I need to rant about this....
Myself and my friend had a trip to Prescot St Mary's cemetery today to try find his Grandparents Grave, but were unable to find it due to the unbelievably shocking state of the "older" side. Most of the gravestones are in an abysmal state, either broken pushed over or just plain missing. Most of the ground around the plots looks like it's had a motocross race round it and there are broken bottles, rubbish and drug paraphernalia everywhere! How does it get into such a state?!
Anyway, despite the condition of the cemetery, the people at the local registration office are wonderful and can't help enough.
Rant over...
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I know how you feel, XsCode - unfortunately this is not unusual these days. >:(
My greatuncle's headstone was marble with lead lettering: the lettering has now been stripped, presumably for it's scrap value. Grrrrrr.....
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Unfortunately, in this case it seems like a case of "all the people related to those lot are dead so we won't bother with that area" as the "newer (1900's+)" plots at the bottom of the hill are kept pristine!
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The Church Yard in Prescot St Mary's has been an eyesore for years. The cemetery - the part down in the hill - is maintained to a pleasing standard.
The problem is - or was - that the Church looked after the Church Yard whereas the local council was responsible for the cemetery.
The situation is now changing and I believe that the upkeep of the Church Yard has been taken over by the council and a start has been made on clearing the Church Yard.
Regards
John
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As John says, work has now commenced on a renovation of some aspects of the old churchyard. If you'd have visited some two to three years ago, you would have been REALLY shocked !!!
Anti Social behaviour is being addressed as part of the project, and lighting of many areas in the churchyard will be introduced.
You will have seen the new wall upon which the old BICC War memorial plaques are to be remounted. Again, this will happen once protective work has taken place, including limiting the access to prevent vehicles being driven in. The plaques will be treated with various anti-theft measures, and a programme is under discussion to introduce signage to the churchyard, telling the history of some of the people buried therein.
Also under discussion is a project to remap the churchyard and to produce some kind of index of the remaining graves. Securing of recumbent gravestones is also included.
A new area for the interment of ashes following cremation is also planned.
I was at a meeting with Council officers just a few weeks back to discuss this project overall. Several of the men commemorated on my website at www.prescot-rollofhonour.info (http://www.prescot-rollofhonour.info) are buried in the churchyard and I would dearly love to see some of their graves found and marked. We also discussed introducing some new form of commemoration for the men of Prescot who fell in the Great War but who are not recorded on the civic memorial (or any of the other memorials in the town).
In addition to my website, one of the reasons I have a keen interest in this is that my grandfather and great grandfather were gravediggers there between 1910 and 1935 and they are both buried there also. Granddad is in the "new" cemetery, but great-grandad is in an unmarked pauper's grave in the old churchyard.
I will update this thread with details of any activity once the project gets up to speed.
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Thanks for the information Stephen, I'll pass it on to my friend.