Pet Gravestones

When an individual has passed on, many are buried underground in cemeteries. With cemeteries becoming overcrowded, how will an individual recognize the grave site of their friend or loved one? A marker is generally placed at the top of a burial site.

A grave headstone is a stone marker placed at the head of the grave, otherwise known as the top. When purchasing a grave headstone for a loved one or family member, there are a wide variety of options available. Grave headstones can come as a simple flat slate or they can be a fairly elaborate marker in the shape of something or just a waist level marker. The final decision will be depend on the preference of remaining family members and the rules and guidelines of the cemetery.

Many cemetery will perform standard ground maintenance, such as moving the lawn and plowing driveway paths. Depending on the cemetery, it may be familyís responsibility to properly care for and keep the gravestone site cared for. It is common for remaining family or friends to place flowers or keepsake memories on a grave headstone. After time, these item may die or wear away, this may be something the family may have to take care of.

An additional concern with cemeteries and gravestones is that they are not always guaranteed to be safe. Unfortunately we live in an age where violence and vandalism is on the rise. Although a cemetery will do their best of ensure the remains and grave headstone of your loved one is safe, they cannot guarantee it. Purchasing a durable grave headstone may help to reduce the risk of later having to purchase another one.

A strong and durable gravestone is not only a good protection against vandalism and destruction, it can also ensure that the head gravestone will still be standing and legible after sometime. By visiting an older cemetery, it is apparent that many of the gravestones are old and falling apart. The procedure for making a grave headstone has greatly improved, so it unlikely that todayís gravestones will fair that way.

When an individual passes on and a grave headstone is purchased, a epitaph is usually carved in. An epitaph can be a unique quote or a religious quotation to offer respect and reflect on the life of the deceased. In addition to an epitaph, other standard information and art may be carved in the stone. It is common for a gravestone to have the name of the individual, their birth date, and they date that they died. It is not uncommon for gravestones to come engraved with religious or traditional designs. Some of these markings may include, but are not limited to, a dove, heart, flower, cross, or angel.

Picking out and purchasing a grave headstone is an important decision. That stone will forever mark and give remembrance to the family member or friend that you lost.

Finding Family Burials in Edinburgh and Leith

The position is this you have worked out your Family Tree; you know where people came from and have an idea when people died. The next problem is how do you find the place of interment? At first glance this may seem simple and straight forward. However in a lot of cases it isn’t for the simple reason people are not always buried where you would expect.

Contrary to what many people think people from the earliest of times people could travel quite far and of course increasing numbers of people from the 16th/17th century to the present travelled even further afield. So a person born in the UK could have lived most of his life in the UK but then travelled and died abroad which was very common in the records of the 19th century because Great Britain had colonised 25% of the surface of the Earth.

Even in a small country like Scotland people travelled and in the 18th and 19th century the fastest way to travel was by ship and so down the east coast of Britain developed a coastal trade with ships traveling from port to port down the coast from the Orkney’s in the north to London in the South. That is the reason why in Edinburgh and Leith cemeteries there are gravestones dedicated to people who came from Orkney or from places outwith of the area

Not only this but many people in the past could simply not afford to buy a headstone and so it is found that there many times more unmarked graves then marked.

The next problem is you have found the proper cemetery and so it should be the case of going and finding the grave. Unfortunately not, for example if your ancestor was buried at South Leith parish Church there are over 300 headstones and over 11,000 unmarked graves dating from the 16th century. At Greyfrairs in Edinburgh there is over a quarter of a million unmarked graves. So by just going to what you think is your ancestor’s last resting place could prove to be a complete waste of time. Also apart from this gravestones can be moved, damaged, eroded, vandalised or removed completely.

This problem however can be solved quite simply. The first thing to do is to produce as far as possible as accurate a family history as possible. If for example they came from Leith then their last known address in Leith will be given on the death certificate. This restricts the number of possible cemeteries that they could be buried in. The next thing to do is to approach the Edinburgh Council Bereavement Services at- anne.grannum@edinburgh.gov.uk giving them all the available information that you have on your ancestor. They will be able to check the burial records free of charge and give you the position of the interment. It should be noted that unmarked graves are recorded so many feet north, south, east and west of a particular headstone. Also remember they only hold the records for Council cemeteries, private cemeteries hold there own. However the council can advice on who to contact.

However before visiting a cemetery ensure you have all the relevant information first. Always go properly prepared and in that way you won’t have a wasted journey.