GLAMORGAN-L Archives

Archiver > GLAMORGAN > 2006-03 > 1142500859


From: "David Pike" <>
Subject: RE: [GLA] Destruction of Graig Chapel Burial Ground, Abercanaid
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2006 09:20:59 -0000
In-Reply-To: <20060315000352.YMOV20622.tomts10-srv.bellnexxia.net@phoenix>


It seems to me that the burial grounds most at risk of being lost in the
future are not the bigger established and publicly known ones like Cathays,
or even the CoW graveyards - where at least an effort is made to preserve
headstones by placing them around the edge of the ground or lying them flat
but face up rather than simply remove or destroy them. The grounds that are
most vulnerable are those like the one at Abercanaid which I visited earlier
this week - the small chapel burial grounds which are easily overlooked
especially when the associated chapel has been demolished as is the case
with Graig Chapel, and which local councils may tend to feel have no support
from interest groups.

I wonder if the priority is to try to establish with local authorities a
policy whereby if it is felt that because headstones might pose a threat to
life and limb a burial ground needs to be made safe, that interested parties
such as the family history societies be invited to record the headstones
before their removal or destruction. That way there would be a more
coordinated approach in the best interests of all parties. Might this be
something that the family history societies like the GFHS could formally
take up by approaching all the local authorities within the county of
Glamorgan?

David Pike
Cardiff


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