One Shinning Example

Those getting involved in the attempt to clean up and maintain their own local cemetery in Barbados - take heart. The Jewish Cemetery in Bridgetown (near Swan street) has been going through an extraordinay transformation – especially considering the extent of damage and disrepair the teams working there had to content with.

The Jewish cemetery on Barbados is believed to be the oldest Jewish graveyard in the Western Hemisphere with citations dating back to the 1660′s. The Spanish and Portuguese Jewish community of Bridgetown formed back in 1654 and established a synagogue and cemetery there.  Graves of several famous people are there, including Samuel Hart, son of the American Moses Hart, and Mosseh Haym Nahamyas (Moses Nehemiah), who died on Barbados in 1672.

In 1934, a developer partly destroyed the cemetery site so later Eustace Maxwell Shilstone, arranged to have the cemetery put in perpetual trust in the deeds of the islands. He also copied 374 epitaphs that were later translated and published by the Jewish Historical Society of England. This was about the time the last formal burials took place.

Between 1999 and 2003 Evan Philip Millner, an English Jewish studies scholar and a qualified architectural stonecarver specializing in historical replacement carving, had volunteered to oversee operations to restore the cemetery. This was a massive project, and entialed reconstructing the graveyard, and repositioning the tombstones as originally recorded by Eustace Shilstone in the 1930′s after which the cemetery was converted into a carpark when stones were removed, scattered and felled trees smashing many more stones.

The restoration was urgent and demanding and beautification for public enjoyment will be many years in the furture. Putting the pieces back together was a first major task in restoring its appearance to that of the mid 1700s, with the intrusion on the newer Ashkenazi tombs, which are now interspersed amound the older graves.

The area around the synagogue was originally divided up into four separate walled cemeteries, with an additional cemetery in Whites Alley, on the block bounded by James and Swan Street.

Best assumption for position of the burials (since Carrera records missing)

Because the burial register had to be reconstructed from headstones back in 1831 (due to the hurricane) anyone buried without a gravestone before 1831, remains unknown and some 200 burials after this date also can not be identified. Remember that the stone (usually Marble, Portland, Purbeck, Slate or York) for these early graves had to all be imported and this would be an expense time delayed prospect many could not afford.

 
Pictures illustrating the extent of the decay and damage… (Jan 2000)

Removal of two centuries (20 inches) of leaf sediment deposit and even rubbish dumped by the local residential population has to be undertaken to find the original ground level – remember by 1860 only eight jewish congregation (kaal) members were left on Barbados and being elderly had little time to maintain their cemetery.

Photos of Synogogue & cemetery illustrating the progress (now 1999)

Headstones would need repositioning, gentle cleaning and demand sentitive restoration (special treatments and use of replacement materials). In worst case scenarios some stones would have cast copies made and the original reburied (to preserve them from wind-borne chloride salts). Recutting lettering would only be done by qualified stonecarvers and in rearest of cases; concrete damage on lettering can only be removed by a competent letter-cutter trained in historical carving.

Worker and some small progress (Sep 2000)

Of the many family names that can be found on stones in the cemetery you will see those of:- David Raphael de Mercado and Sarah & Moses de David de Yshac de Mercardo, David de Mercardo,  Dyas Sarah Lopes de Acosta, Sarah Mulher, Hizkiyah de Acosta, Rachel Sarah Senior, Ishak Henryques, Abraham Gomes Henriques (Jamaica and Barbados, and were Cohanim), Aron Gabay, Moze Rodryges Soares, Ester Castana, Lea Rachel _____, Yshack Rafael Pacheco, Rabbi Amnuel Isaac Burgos*, Deborah Burgos, Ishak Mendez Gutteres, Mosheh son of Isaak Naftali Ashkenazi & Abraham son of Isaak Naftali Ashkenazi and Ribcah da Silva to name but a few. [*Rabbi Amnuel Isaac Burgos for example has his wife listed as head of household in the in Speightstown in the 1690 census].

Photos of the cemetery of K.K.N.I, Barbados (August 2003)

The synagogue itself was was the first built in the western hemisphere it was destroyed in the 1831 hurricane, rebuilt, but later left derelict and only in 1987 was restored to a place of worship.

As recently as 2006 Claudia had visited Barbados and attempted to visit the Jewish Cemetery, she wasn’t able to freely walk the ground (like a park) and so she wrote:

I saw the wall and gate belonging to an old jewish cemetery on Barbados.  I think the cemetery isn’t used anymore because the gates were closed and the surroundings was very scruffy.“ 

The Mirogoj Cemetery in Croatia is considered to be one of the most beautiful “cemetery parks” in Europe and numbers among the more noteworthy landmarks in the City of Zagreb.

The cemetery was begun in 1876 on a plot of land owned by the linguist Ljudevit Gaj. Architect Hermann Bollé designed the main building. The construction of the arcades, the cupolas, and the church in the entryway was begun in 1879. Work was finished in 1929. In the arcades are the last resting places of many famous Croatians. The cemetery itself inters members of all religious groups: Catholic, Orthodox, Muslim, Jewish, Protestant, Latter Day Saints and irreligious graves can all be found.

Anfield Cemetery, one of Europe’s biggest cemeteries, was opened in 1863 and covers a 110 acre site on Priory Road, North Liverpool (in England).

The size and age of this cemetery reflects much of Liverpool’s history and culture and there are many prominent and celebrated individuals buried within its boundaries.  Guided tours are regularly provided of the site to those with an interest in Anfield’s history and in 1986 English Heritage awarded Anfield Cemetery a Grade II Listed status.

Interested people have formed a Friends Group for Anfield Cemetery to reclaim the cemetery from vandals and also for the wider community to come to appreciate the history and heritage contained within the site. It is one amongst the 94 UK cemetery sites registered with the Association of Garden Trusts (a heritage group).

The oldest inhabitat of the 340 recorded (at present) is Ellen Blades (b.1861, d.1830). Families such as Austin, Blades, Boyce, Burton, Chase, Crawford, Evelyn, Hassell, Hinkson, Hutson, Lynch, Marshall, Phillips, Seale, Taylor, and Yearwood are amonst the names inturned on the site.

In 1928 Marian De-Wever was buried in the Westbury Cemetery. She emigrated to Barbados in 1925 with her wealthy Dutch husband, Vivian Arnold De-Wever, and their six children (two of whom are still living here). She is believed to be of the indigenous Lokono-Arawak tribes and sole surviving daughter of their last Chief Amorotahe Haubariria (Flying Harpy Eagle) of the Eagle Clan Lokono-Arawaks.

Westbury is one of the worlds oldest Military Cemeteries and contains five war graves of the British West Indies Regiment which are roughly grouped together. Another four war graves are scattered singly throughout the cemetery.

From the first world war Lance Corporal F. Grandison, an officer of the British West Indies Regiment (Service No. 15375) died on 13th of May 1919. Later from the second world war Captain J. D. Alleyne (Service No. 266310) of the Royal Army Medical Corps died on the 26th of December 1946.

Sad news

John wrote:- “Back in August 2007 a grave digger told me about the cows last time I was there looking for a grave … and to me, Westbury Cemetery is not exactly a fun place to visit.“

Astonishingly our own will continuingly surprise us with the lack of care they can excercise.  Local people often tie cows in Westbury Cemetery and their ropes/chains routinely knock over headstones and damage graves.

While the cows may keep the grass down in the Cemetery for free, it is not an official sanctioned maintenance method.

Small beginnings

The place of rest for the dearly departed is slowly becoming place of rest for the weary living.  Increasingly every Christmas day at burial grounds in every parish of Barbados, relatives of some of the departed come to place flowers on their graves then sit and spend time with them.

At Westbury Cemetery in St Michael, as soon as the gates opened at 8 a.m., people are there ready to pay their respects. Soon a constant flow of young and old go to honour their relatives.

Michael Padmore, a former Sanitation Service Authority employee who worked at the Westbury Cemetery for many years and now maintains graves there as he puts it for “some of my people”, watches the constant stream of people throughout the day.

It is definitely a tradition among many families to remember their departed at this time. Indeed, some families also come here to place flowers on the graves of their loved ones at Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, birthdays and other special anniversaries,” he noted.

This was certainly the case with sisters Sonia and Juann Hewitt, from Woodstock Road, Spooner’s Hill, St Michael, who went mid-morning to share a few minutes with their late sister June Redman who passed away in 2002. She was someone whom they noted loved Christmas, as they lovingly attended the flowers which they placed on the grave.

This is an activity which they repeat on Valentine’s Day, Easter and the day that would have been her birthday. It is not only their sister whom they remembered, but their mother as well, whose gravesite they had earlier visited at the St Thomas Parish Church burial ground.

A little distance away was Pat Harris, for whom the visit was a hard one, but which she nevertheless undertook as a matter of duty. First she paid respects at the graveside of her late son Mark, who was killed in a vehicular accident, and then to her uncle, Kenneth Downie, who died a year ago. There she stood a few moments in quiet reflection before putting some water on the plants which covered the grave.

Another woman who came to honour her departed, simply sat in the back of the car and paid close attention as her chauffeur got out to reverently place the arrangement atop the grave before moving off to do similar duties at two other spots.

All the while, Padmore kept vigil awaiting his people, promising that he would not leave until they had all arrived. He said it did not matter whether he missed the traditional Christmas lunch; this was all about sharing and caring – of duty. [Dec 2005]

More History

John Mitchinson (1873-1881) once acted for five consecutive months, as Chaplain of the Westbury Cemetery. During that period he mentioned several abuses that he noticed – (1) disregard of punctuality; (2) the heartlessness and indifference of surviving relatives, especially in the case of infants, the little coffin taken under the arm of some indifferent person; (3) pauper funerals consisting solely of the hearse containing the black wooden shell with never a single mourner.

Michinson himself was an Oxford scholar obtaining three first Classes and was also an accomplished musician. He was consecrated in Canterbury Cathedral on the 24th of June 1873 but resigned the bishopric on 30th of June 1881 shortly before he pass on.

Of Recent Times

03/Jan/2008 – The artist-songwriter Winston Jordan was Interned in Westbury Cemetery. Known for his visual art, cartoons, costume designs and calypso songwriting he was 58 and passed away at his Collymore Rock, St Michael home Saturday 22 Dec 2007 in the morning after battling diabetes for some time. Jordan is survived by his daughter, Tricia (29), and son Winston Jr (28), who both live in the United States, his father Lionel Stuart, who lives in Canada, and his mother, Elaine Lawrence (75), and another son, Winslow (26), who both live in Barbados.

24/Jan/2007 – The bodies of ten of the 11 Senegalese men (having left the Cape Verde islands off west Africa in December 2005) who were discovered in April 2006 in a small boat off the island’s east coast, were buried on 31st of January 2007 at Westbury Cemetery.  The one body positively identified as 29-year-old Diao Souncar Dieme of Senegal was flown back home for a Muslim burial.

05/Jul/2006 – At least one grieving family and the friends of an 83-year-old woman had to take up shovels and cover her grave with soil to bury the loved one during a morning service after gravediggers in Barbados’ largest cemetery went on a 10-hour strike to demand new boots.  A total of 67 grave diggers and laborers at the Westbury Cemetery in the capital of Bridgetown picked up their shovels walked off the job early Tuesday citing a lack of rubber boots for use during the hurricane season as their main concern. Other demands of Barbados Sanitation Service members included new first-aid kits and structural repairs to facility buildings. “All the workers here are just fed up with conditions,” said Anthony Eastmond, shop steward for the grave diggers’ union.

It was said that he was buried ‘backways’. The rumours persisted until nearly 200 years later in 1844 when a curious church official ordered the vault opened.

Paleologus lead coffin was found to have been in a different position to all the others. As the lid was opened, his skeleton was found lodged in quicklime. He had been buried according to Greek orthodox traditions, which amongst other things, demanded that the dead person’s head should point to the west and their feet to the east.

The dignified memorial, wrought in Portland stone portrays a Greek temple with Doric columns surrounding the cross of Constantine carved in the centre. The following inscription may still be read:

Here lyeth ye body of
Ferdinando Paleologus
Descended from ye imperial lyne
Of ye last Christian
Emperors of Greece
Churchwarden of this Parish
1655-1656
Vestryman, Twentye years
Died Oct. 3 1678

The estate of Ferdinando still survives today (2005) as a working farm now called the “Ashford Plantation”. Enevitably becaming a tourist attraction, since in the 1980s, when the Ashford Bird Park and animal sanctuary were opened there.

There is a memorial to his father Theodore in Landulph Church (England). He arrived in England in 1596 he went first to Lincolnshire, thence to Plymouth, ending up in Landulph. He left five children one of being Ferdinando Paleologus.

The turret-like entrance to the St John Church

St.John’s Church itself is a classic Gothic-style church situated on a cliff overlooking the picturesque East Coast of Barbados. Built in 1836 to replace the previous church, which had been destroyed by a hurricane in 1831,…

[Recorded 1964]

Nothing happened for the first two burials on 31st July 1807 (Mrs Thomasina Goddard) and 22 February 1808 (a 2 year old infant Mary Anna Maria Chase), but, on 6 July 1812 the tomb was opened to bury Dorcas Chase (her older sister). It took several men to open the heavy door and they found that the two coffins already there had been flung against the wall. As both coffins were encased in lead a great force was needed to do this. They buried Dorcas Chase and returned the other two coffins to their original positions.

On subsequent burials (Colonal Chase himself died a month later on the 8th August) the same sight greeted the eight pallbearers. Each time the coffins were found flung against the walls. opened for the burial of Master Samuel Brewster Ames, a young Chase relative aged 11 months, on September 25th 1816. The funerary procession was once again greeted by the macabre sight of a jumbled mess of caskets. It was believed that people had been breaking into the tomb and moving the coffins, though when the burial of Miss Thomasina Clarke took place on 17 July 1819 the newly appointed and popular governor Governor of Barbados, Viscount Combermere, supervised the sealing of the vault. Nine months later he returned to check the state of the tomb and again found it in disarray. Yet the seals on the door that he had personally put there remained intact.

Lord Combermere’s wife recorded the following details in her journal that day:-

“In my husband’s presence, every part of the floor was sounded to ascertain that no subterranean passage or entrance was concealed. It was found to be perfectly firm and solid; no crack was even apparent. The walls, when examined, proved to be perfectly secure. No fracture was visible, and the sides, together with the roof and flooring, presented a structure so solid as if formed of entire slabs of stone. The displaced coffins were rearranged, the new tenant of that dreary abode was deposited, and when the mourners retired with the funeral procession, the floor was sanded with fine white sand in the presence of Lord Combermere and the assembled crowd. The door was slid into its wonted position and, with the utmost care, the new mortar was laid on so as to secure it. When the masons had completed their task, the Governour made several impressions in the mixture with his own seal, and many of those attending added various private marks in the wet mortar…”

In 1820 the vault was emptied without the mystery of the “creeping coffins” being solved. The coffins were all reburied in another place. There are no known scientific observations recorded around the time. The Chase vault still exists in the Christ Church Graveyard and remains empty.

At the time The Honourable Nathan Lucas wrote:- “…I examined the walls, the arch, and every part of the Vault, and found every part old and similar; and a mason in my presence struck every part of the bottom with his hammer, and all was solid. I confess myself at a loss to account for the movements of these leaden coffins…” (20th April, 1820).

The “Chase Vault” was constructed by the Waldrons back to the early 18th century, a wealthy sugar plantation family. The vault is hewn from the very coral that the island is made of, sunken halfway into the ground near the entrance of the Christ Church Parish Church cemetery. A tombstone was once in place that indicated the burial of the “Honourable James Elliot, Esq., who died on May 14th, 1724, son of the Honourable Richard Elliot, Esq. and husband of Elizabeth, daughter of the Honourable Thomas Waldron, Esq.” It is not known if Mr. Elliot was ever actually interred there or, if he was, what happened to the coffin. Nonetheless, the crypt was empty on July 31st, 1807 when it received its first occupant with the death of Mrs. Thomasina Goddard. She was buried in a wooden coffin; a large marble slab was used to seal off the entrance. Soon afterward ownership of the crypt passed to the Chases, another wealthy plantation family. The family patriarch was one Colonel Thomas Chase, a man with the reputation of having a bad temper and a propensity for cruelty to his slaves and family alike.

Chase relative, Samuel Brewster, who had been killed by his slaves during a revolt the previous April, was removed from its original resting place in the St. Philip cemetery (a few miles northeast of Oistins) to be reinterred in the Chase Vault. The Reverend Thomas Orderson, Rector of Christ Church, was on hand along with a magistrate and two other men. Word had gotten around the island about the strange goings-on and a “flock of the curious” assembled to witness the opening of the vault. They got what they were looking for. The coffins had been shifted with such violence that Mrs. Goddard’s wooden coffin had practically disintegrated. The Reverend Doctor ordered the vault thoroughly inspected for cracks in the walls, floor, ceiling, or hidden entrances, but the structure proved as solid as it ever was. The nervous mourners bundled the splintered pieces of Mrs. Goddard’s coffin together and placed them between Samuel Brewster’s coffin and the wall. The rest of the coffins were reorganized and the door sealed with mortar.

With the revolt still fresh in their minds, the baffled populace again looked at the slaves suspiciously, even though such accusations were difficult to justify. The slaves stayed away from the cemetery completely, fearing the work of malevolent “duppies” (spirits). If asked by curiosity-seekers where the Vault was, many would pretend not to know anything about it at all. A feeling of dread fell over the islanders.

The Chase Vault today (2005)
[Note the damage since the earlier picture from 1999]

Sustainable Tourism and the Scotland District National Park, Barbados

[Abstract]

The concept of sustainable tourism in Barbados as an alternative approach to the mass tourism currently being promoted is examined herein. The study is underpinned by the proposed designation of the island’s first terrestrial protected landscape situated in the last remaining wilderness region, the Scotland District.

Barbados is a small island developing state with a fragile, open economy which is dependent on a limited natural resource base. The island gained independence from Britain in 1966, and has the third oldest Parliament in the Commonwealth. It supports one of the highest population densities in the world with approximately 256,000 residents occupying a total land area of 430 square kilometres. In 1997, visitor arrivals reached record levels, with over 500,000 cruise ship passengers and 450,000 long stay visitors entering Barbados, approximately four times its population base.

Although public sector strategies to promote increases in visitor arrivals are being planned in earnest, the concept of environmental and social carrying capacities for the island’s tourism industry has not yet been adequately addressed. If left unchecked, environmental degradation in Barbados, including beach and soil erosion. Loss of coral reefs, flooding, traffic congestion, increased sedimentation loads in the coastal zone, and reduction in the quality of coastal waters may be exacerbated despite the current measures being taken by government to address these issues.

The island’s economic development is traced through sugar agriculture. This industry dominated the history of Barbados through the colonial period of development and moulded its current landscape which is largely deforested. It is also relatively low in terrestrial biodiversity as compared to neighbouring Caribbean territories. With the consistent rise in tourism as a major economic force in Barbados over the past few decades and its potential to impact negatively on the natural environment, a number of development-related issues are presented, including land use practices, solid waste management, water resources, national transport issues, and tourism diversification strategies. The need for the adoption of a more sustainable programme of development for the island is argued with a primary focus on sustainable tourism underpinned by the World Conservation Union (Category V) Protected Landscape model.

Through the efforts of the Barbados National Trust, a National Park for the Scotland District has been proposed several times during the past thirty years but not previously adopted by the government. The focal point of this thesis is the application of a sustainable tourism strategy for a National Park in the Scotland District, with an extended boundary to those formerly proposed, which would incorporate existing nature tourism attractions in the central regions of the island. This type of strategy applied within the framework of rural landscape protection measures in a statutorily designated protection area (IUCN Category V) is deemed the most appropriate for the island at this time. A legal management framework is proposed which would support resource protection of natural, cultural and heritage features across the Scotland District.

Due to the loss of original forest cover, with only approximately 2% woodland areas remaining, this thesis recommends the establishment of five forest reserves in Barbados, all located within the Scotland District. This forest reserve concept would be linked to a network of Heritage Trails in support of “alternative” tourism which is promoted as an appropriate strategy for Barbados as a small island developing state and a preferred option to mass tourism.

Sustainable tourism, particularly on lands in public ownership, can act as a catalyst for the development of the Scotland District National Park as a Protected Landscape. Ultimately, legal designation of the Scotland District as a protected area is considered desirable to consolidate management strategies. Since the process of establishing a legal framework for the park management has been protracted, a devolved “bottom-up” approach empowering all rural community stakeholders to assume full participation in sustainable activities, would be a more practical approach to achieving a protected area which integrates conservation principles with development. In addition, public education and awareness programmes will play an important role in making the paradigm shift to sustainable tourism in the Scotland District.

[End-Abstract]

One of the purposes of The Cemeteries Conservation Trust of Barbados is to create awareness of cemeteries as an important part of Barbados’s heritage. On the monuments of our ancestors lies a record of the past, which enables the tracing of family history whilst providing a rich source of local history. Cemeteries are a vast resource for researchers of our history and people. It is our hope that this guide will encourage you to take an interest in the conservation of your family grave and maintain our heritage for future generations.

Guide to the Conservation of Family Graves

We encourage you to consider the conservation of your family grave. Here we make available advise on sympathetic restoration or conservation of any family grave. If you are contemplating any such work you must contact the cemetery authority before proceeding. All repair and restoration work will need to be undertaken by qualified trades-people and executed in sympathy with the surrounding grave sites. Note also that physical cemetery remains in a place older than 1900AD may be considered an archaeological site under the Historic Places Act 1993 and therefore be protected legally (section 10). If so, an archaeological ‘authority’ (see sections 11, 12 and 14 Historic Places Act 1993) may be required before any modification can be lawfully undertaken. Please refer any other matters to your Local Authority.

Various materials have been used historically as headstones and footstones. In spite of the name they are not all necessarily made of stone, although stone is the most common material used. Stone is more or less resistant to weathering and other damage in accordance with the physical and chemical properties of the rock concerned. Because of this it is important that a properly trained expert directs the application of any conservation treatment to a headstone or footstone (whether of rock or other material).
 
Three of the more common and durable rock types that are relatively hard are listed below.

• Concrete which is widely used in Barbados, is usually shades of grey (when not painted), it is strong and but crumbles and not as long-lasting as most stone. It can have polished faces or rough faces, or a combination of both. Inscriptions erode very easily.

• Granite which can be of red, black, or shades of grey, is the strongest and most long-lasting stone. It can have polished faces or rough faces, or a combination of both. Inscriptions do not erode easily. It remains relatively free of lichen and moss.

• Slate has not been widely used in Barbados as it has to be imported. It can be long-lasting and usually remains free of growths but can split along cleavage planes.

• Marble is usually white in colour, is a reasonably hard stone and long-wearing, but is subject to staining as salts emerge, and also suffers from some erosion.

  Two relatively soft (sedimentary) rock types are also fairly common. 

• Limestone is a soft stone which is white in colour when new. It erodes badly and grows mosses and lichen well.

• Sandstone is much like limestone but is usually brown to grey in colour. Undressed stone of varying rock types sometimes serves as a headstone. In general, unpolished stone is more susceptible to weathering and other damage.

• Wood was used in the early days but is not a longlasting material unless it is in a very dry situation.

• Bronze plaques are sometimes used to good effect. They are long-lasting and almost indestructible.

• Brass is widely used on cremation kerbstones. It suffers from tarnishing which can remove the incised lettering.

• Plastic coated plaques have proven to be totally unsatisfactory and should be replaced.

• Cast Iron headstones should be treated as for wrought iron (read further on).

Subsidence of the ground and poor footings under the headstone is very common and will eventually cause the stone to lean and fall. This can cause damage which cannot be easily repaired. If your headstone is leaning you should seek professional advice from a qualified monumental mason. He will be able to stabilise it for the long-term.

Broken material

Do not dispose of any broken material. It may be very useful for any future conservation or restoration. Some cemeteries were ‘cleaned up’ in the past and many valuable pieces of graveyard furniture were lost forever. You should replace broken pieces nearest to where they originated, if obvious.

Stone lying flat on its face or back

Stones lying flat deteriorate faster than those standing upright because of constant dampness. Should you try to stand the stone upright if intact and not cracked, lean it against something. Be very careful – stone is very heavy and difficult to handle and could easily be broken and/or result in injury to yourself.

Wrought iron work and metal fences

Early wrought iron surrounds are works of art and can have great historical and architectural significance. It is a shame that so many of them have been broken and lost their gates. Any loose pieces should be stored inside the grave site where in future they can perhaps be restored. If you wish to commission a new gate or any other repair work you should contact the cemetery authority who will recommend an approved tradesperson. If rusting is superficial and not flaking painting with fish oil on a regular basis is the best preservative. If heavily pitted and/or flaking, scrape before treatment with fish oil.

Surrounds

Originally grave enclosures were to protect the graves from being trampled by wandering livestock, and were an indication that the grave was being maintained. Subsidence and tree roots are the main causes of concrete surrounds cracking. They were usually not reinforced and not much can or should be done with these items. If you want them restored you should contact a master stonemason in the area.

Grave Cover

You should avoid walking on the surface of the grave. If it is soil or wood chips there is a risk of sudden subsidence. If it is a plaster or concrete cover, again it may be hollow underneath, and there is a risk it may collapse.

Staining

Marble headstones are particularly prone to staining as the chemicals leach out. Stains are a normal and harmless process and no effort should be made to use other substances to remove them.

Moss and Lichen

These are part of the normal weathering process and most do not cause a great deal of damage. They are best left alone, otherwise you risk damaging the stone and lettering. If the inscription is largely unreadable, the moss or lichen can be removed by applying copious amounts of water with a natural bristle brush. It will take time. Alternatively you can apply a good proprietary moss killer. Do not use wire brushes.

Weeds

These are normally controlled by a contractor but their maintenance cycle may still allow weeds to flourish. We suggest you remove weeds where necessary and take away with any other litter.

It was sometimes considered appropriate to plant trees in the four corners of a new grave. These were often yew or holly. Over time they will have grown into substantial trees and may need to be pruned or removed. All trees and their roots have the potential to cause much damage if they are in or near to graves. Wilding or seedling trees and shrubs should be removed before they grow too large by cutting off at the base and applying a stump killer. Do not attempt to remove the roots as they will have wrapped themselves around anything and everything and their removal could do great damage.

Litter

Please remove any litter by taking it away with you for disposal.READING INSCRIPTIONS

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Lettering

This is the important part of the headstone. If you are having difficulty in reading the letters, we recommend that you do not attempt to clean the stone. To do so risks doing possible irreversible damage to the stone and the lettering. Refer to Photography and Genealogy.

Photography

Good light will always produce a better photograph. If you wish to photograph the headstone and inscription in a shaded position and you want the lettering to be readable it may be necessary to provide additional lighting. This can be done on a sunny day by using a mirror at an appropriate angle.

Genealogy

Some transcriptions of all headstones in Barbados have been recorded by the Society of Genealogists, and are available from most public libraries and family history centres. The local cemetery authority maintains a database of all burials in their area of responsibility.

Things you must NOT do

• Do not use a wire brush on stonework. It will do much damage to the surface of the stone and encourage the growth of moss and lichen.

• Do not apply any proprietary sealer to the stone. Stone must be able to breath and allow air and water to pass through.

• Gravestone rubbing is not recommended because so many gravestones are made from soft sandstones and limestone that are easily damaged.

A collaborative effort of cemetery preservation advocates working to increase public awareness and activism in preserving, protecting and restoring endangered and forgotten historic cemeteries in Barbados.

The Barbados National Federation of Cemetary Friends (NFCF) ‘Graves at Risk Register’ would be set up to highlight graves and memorials in our cemeteries which are considered to be at risk. The graves often have special features which contribute to the character of the cemetery or burial ground as a whole. The Register will include plots that do not contain the remains of the deceased but record detail as a memorial. A hard copy will be supplied to Barbados Heritage [or the appropriate national conservation agency] and other interested parties.

The Register will record any positive intervention to prevent further decline or active projects of conservation. When a grave has been added to the Register the cemetery owner will be so advised.

Member groups of the NFCF can apply to nominate a grave for inclusion on the Register and the details will also be passed to the national conservation agencies for possible inclusion on their Buildings at Risk Registers but whilst working with these agencies for that purpose this Register is an independent project.

Nominations are only accepted from members of NFCF. Members nominating graves that are listed as Grade 11 or II* in need of repair will not be asked to pay the administration fee [currently $10].

A definition of “at risk” and the criteria for nomination are on adjacent web pages.  At risk definition click here Criteria for nomination click here.

VOLUNTEER

“Saving Graves” is one non-profit volunteer organization made up of cemetery preservation advocates working to increase public awareness and activism in preserving, protecting and restoring endangered and forgotten cemeteries worldwide. Currently they are seeking additional volunteers to assist in the Saving Graves project in the Parish or other such regional levels. If you are interested in coordinating with Saving Graves, you should first check the current page to see if the particular area is available for adoption.  If you find that it is, you are welcome to apply for the position.

What is a Coordinator

A person or team that is knowledgeable about the area or parish of which they are responsible for. Knowledge includes knowing what cemetery preservation resources that may (or may not) be available for this particular area or parish and where they can be found. Personal experience in this area is a bonus, but not necessarily required.

Application packs could be issued on request  by your local representative.

Copyright 2005 National Federation of Cemetery Friends

Brief History

The final resting place of many of Christchurch’s early leading citizens is the “Barbadoes Street” Cemetery, the city’s oldest, first opened in 1851. The cemetery itself is divided by Barbadoes Street separating the Anglican (Church of England) section, on the eastern side, from the Roman Catholic and Dissenters (others) section on the west. The history of the cemetery is the history of early Christchurch. The stories of its beginnings and the people buried there paint a rich and varied panorama of the life lived in 19th century and into last century.

In the early 1990’s a roofed structure known as a lych-gate was at the Cambridge Terrace entrance to the cemetery. Lych-gate is a term adopted in Victorian times and derived from the Old English “lich” meaning corpse. It was the requirement in the 1549 Prayer Book that the priest, “metying the corpse at the church style” should commence the Order for the Burial of the Dead at this entrance-way which encouraged the construction of shelters for that purpose. Sometimes the cortege had to await the arrival of the parson for some time and the provision of a lych-gate provided a sheltered place for bearers who often had to carry the shrouded body for some distance over rough tracks. Generally coffins were only available to the more affluent members of society. Many lych-gates have coffin stones or coffin stools in the middle of the gateway on which to rest the coffin whilst awaiting the priest’s arrival. Bench seats were often incorporated in the construction for the comfort of the waiting bearers.

A granite plaque adjacent to the lych-gate is engraved with a map of the cemetery and information on some of the people buried there.

One Thomas CRAWFORD born in 1842 and later married Caroline CHECKLEY in the Roman Catholic Church, Christchurch in 15 Jan 1867. He later died on the 29 Jan 1875 in Christchurch Hospital. His body was interred in Barbados Street, Cemetery, Christchurch.

So did you guess this is “Barbadoes Street” Cemetery in New Zealand.  The Preservation Society there have been active in this cemetery for many years undertaking headstone and other restoration work.