Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Why are there so few photographs for some churchyards?

Although most churchyards and cemetaries contain many graves, often only a small proportion have monuments. Out of this small proportion of graves that actually have monuments, usually less than 50% are readable.

Monuments become illegible because of a number of different factors:

• Water erosion - cause by rainfall
• Frost damage
• Plant damage - usually by lichen
• pollution - acidic rain dissolving alkaline rock
• Vandalism - this is increasingly common in some towns

The fact that grave monuments become illegible over time is a major reason why this project is so important.

Usually GPR photograph entire cemeteries. However, with some very large cemeteries they are photographed and indexed in stages. Other cemeteries within the resource only have a very few images listed because these images are ones that individuals have collected for their own family history and then donated them to the Gravestone Photographic Resource.