I visited North Marston quite a while back. It was a chance visit and we didn't have the camera. The place was a bit of a mess, but we soon found Great Grandfather Denchfield's grave, which was nice, as his was the name that started me on the hunt. The stone was at the tilt, but easy to read. On the wall of the church was a plaque to one of the Denchfield vicars. Up to then I had no idea of this. Outside, son and heir and I found a row of crumbling pink gravestones. Tracing our fingers in what we could find of the names we thought we had probably found a whole load of Denchfields.
Then we went away to Scotland, and came back only a few years ago. One of our first trips was to North Marston. This time we had the camera. The graveyard was in the process of being tidied up which was a relief. BUT the stone to Great Grandfather had been shortened, I suppose to make it more stable, so that his wife Emily's name is almost buried along with her. The pink stones that could have been the ancestors were no longer there.
Please, PRESERVE and conserve. It's so nice to know where someone's grave is, so that you can walk round it, not over it. That's one of my shudders. I do hate to see people walking carelessly over graves and letting children run wild, 'just because they are bored.' Show respect. I'll be down there one day.
