Rent a grave !

[CatOne]

Just read the Daily Mail this morning.

A cemetery in East London, Manor Park I think it said, is planning on selling old Victorian plots, complete with stones/monuments to other people wishing to be buried. They are allowed to destroy the inscriptions on there already to put their own on!

I havent any ancestors buried there myself (that I know of) but if any of you do, you may want to get photos/transcriptions while you still can!

Surely the stones/monuments belong to the families/descendants, even if the plots themselves dont, and it shouldn't be upto the council to allow them to be destroyed like that.

CatOne

[Su]

I think that is terrible.  It's like rubbing out someone's existance.  Why can't they just put another smaller plaque at the base of the gave with the inscription...thank you for allowing me to share your grave.

Su

[Penninah]

That is disgusting!!! Surely they cannot give away the stones??? 

My mother has been doing her side of the tree for many years and in the process found the unmarked graves of my great grandfathers brother and his wife and 6 children and will be buried with them in one of the plots with room to spare, (morbid but something i guess has to be thought about)  And again my mother found the this time marked grave of my grandmas grandparents which is where she will be buried. Surely this is a better form of using a victorian grave than desecrating it and erasing the life and death of somebody that once lived and loved?

Penn

[Penninah]

I have just told my mother about this story as i thought it may interest her! and apparently she has found the grave of another rellie in the same cemetery of her grandfathers son who died aged 4 months (he is the only one in the grave). My great grandfather paid for the plot on a lease of 100 years (that time has now only just elapsed) and my mother asked the council if she could be buried in that grave as its her immediate family and they said no!! Surely this is a great answer to the 'grave shortage'. Atleast they are your own and your not being buried with someone who as no connection to you whatsoever! im finding all this a little one sided??  Ridiculous!!!

Penn

[alllegs]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=394085&in_page_id=1770

This is the article in th Mail.

How scandalous, can we prevent it somehow?  How could we go about a petition or somthing similar?

This has made me so angry and I don't even have any ancestors in London.

I would be mortified if what has happened to Penninah's mother happened to me.  It's just wrong.

I appreciate that burial land is at a premium but no-one has the right to erase the past and take family plots and re-use them.

I hope there is something we can do to prevent this.....

Legs
xxxx

[CatOne]

I'm glad I brought it to your attention (although I'm sure someone else would have, had I not noticed it) I knew rootschatters would care even if it seems everyone else doesn't.

I know theres a shortage of grave space, but surely the families have paid for the stones, they are not the councils to give away to be destroyed. I hope someone comes up with an idea to save the stones and monuments, I'm sure we'll all sign any petition thats started!

[Rena]

....My great grandfather paid for the plot on a lease of 100 years (that time has now only just elapsed) and my mother asked the council if she could be buried in that grave as its her immediate family and they said no!! ....
Penn

this is rather worrying. I remember my late father saying our family plots which hold his parents had been bought and an agreement had been signed that the cemetary wardens would care for the grave for 100 years.  Wonder if he got it wrong and the family have leased the piece of land. I notice in the cemetary where my maternal folks are laid to rest that there's a sign saying any headstone deemed a danger will be taken down and disposed of.  This is better than the town I'm now living in where headstones have been laid to make a pathway in the church grounds! It seems most disrespectful.

Rena

[squidgychoddah]

  I have an Aunt and Uncle buried there and I think it is discusting.

Gina (squidgychoddah)

[Jed59]

Ok..so land is at a premium specially in London...so why not say no more burials unless its a family plot and theres room?
Somebody paid for those memorials. and it wasnt the council so theyre not theirs to sell........i think its stealing, pure & simple.
Im afraid i get very annoyed with folk like that..sell their own mothers they would.
That woman from Cruse says it will seem strange and disrespectful.....thats because it is!
Not to mention sacreligious,and  money grubbing . Where do you draw the line?