It is sometime now since I came to terms with the fact that I am the only one in my family interested in our family's history. I have tried everything to encourage my siblings, parents and our wider extended family to participate in the discoveries I have made but to very little success.
It is no surprise therefore that they also show little interest in visiting or helping to preserve the gravestones of Grandparents, Great Aunts or Great and even Great, Great Grandparents. I do what I can but time and distance prevent me from visiting more than, at most, a couple of times a year.
This weekend my husband and I travelled to Studley (warks) to tend 7 graves in total in 3 graveyards. The 3 graves in the Catholic graveyard are reasonably well cared for as some one, I have no idea who, cuts the grass around each stone and keeps the place looking neat and tidy.
However, it is a slightly different story in the other 2 sites. Some of the graves have the grass trimmed around them but the ones I was visiting were becoming very over grown and indeed one took us 20 minutes to locate because long grass had totally obscured it.
So my query is has anyone got any tips for how to deal with over grown weeds/grass or how to clean the gravestones themselves? it seems to have been a fashion in the 1930's-1970's for white marble curbs around the grave filled with green "glass" chippings. The white marble is now so discoloured with a black mould that the black letters which once stood out so clear from the white of the marble are now obliterated. Also the curbs on several of the graves are becoming loose, any ideas on what to do about this.
Unfortunately I cannot afford to pay for someone else to care for the graves and I am aware that some cleaners are not suitable or appropriate to use on gravestones. Would a suitable weed killer/moss killer be OK for around the graves and to treat the chippings. I saw a man cleaning his brother's white marble headstone and he told me he was using a well diluted patio cleaner with a scrubbing brush. Is that too harsh?
I would be really grateful for any advice and thanks for taking the time to read my very long post.
I just feel so sad that the graves are so neglected
Helen
It is no surprise therefore that they also show little interest in visiting or helping to preserve the gravestones of Grandparents, Great Aunts or Great and even Great, Great Grandparents. I do what I can but time and distance prevent me from visiting more than, at most, a couple of times a year.
This weekend my husband and I travelled to Studley (warks) to tend 7 graves in total in 3 graveyards. The 3 graves in the Catholic graveyard are reasonably well cared for as some one, I have no idea who, cuts the grass around each stone and keeps the place looking neat and tidy.
However, it is a slightly different story in the other 2 sites. Some of the graves have the grass trimmed around them but the ones I was visiting were becoming very over grown and indeed one took us 20 minutes to locate because long grass had totally obscured it.
So my query is has anyone got any tips for how to deal with over grown weeds/grass or how to clean the gravestones themselves? it seems to have been a fashion in the 1930's-1970's for white marble curbs around the grave filled with green "glass" chippings. The white marble is now so discoloured with a black mould that the black letters which once stood out so clear from the white of the marble are now obliterated. Also the curbs on several of the graves are becoming loose, any ideas on what to do about this.
Unfortunately I cannot afford to pay for someone else to care for the graves and I am aware that some cleaners are not suitable or appropriate to use on gravestones. Would a suitable weed killer/moss killer be OK for around the graves and to treat the chippings. I saw a man cleaning his brother's white marble headstone and he told me he was using a well diluted patio cleaner with a scrubbing brush. Is that too harsh?
I would be really grateful for any advice and thanks for taking the time to read my very long post.
I just feel so sad that the graves are so neglected
Helen