How can I help?

Surveying tips

You can help by assisting in the task of recording memorials. The best way is to contact your local Family History Society [www.ffhs.org.uk], and do the work through them. You can then join a group and benefit from their experience, help and company.

Churchyard records vary considerably in their extent. At its simplest level a churchyard record will consist merely of the copying of the inscriptions, while at its fullest it will consist of

• a plan on which each memorial will be numbered;
• a complete set of cards on each of which the inscription will be accompanied by information relating to the memorial itself, as well as personal details of those commemorated extrapolated from the inscription, and a photograph.

Even though it is the recording of inscriptions that constitutes the most important task of the surveyor, it is still important that some kind of sketch plan should accompany the written or computerised record if only so that those interested in particular memorials can find them!

Step by step guide to undertaking a churchyard record

1. Contact us naomi@memorialinscriptions.org.uk and we will give you a list of parishes and burial grounds which are still unsurveyed. When you have identified the churchyard in which you are interested, let us know that you are going to start, so that we can categorise the parish you're working in as one in which there is a 'survey in progress' and so keep anybody else from starting work there. There's no point in duplication, as there is plenty of work for all who are interested in helping. It is a good idea to contact the incumbent or one of the churchwardens before you start. Discuss your plans with them, explaining that although you will not be undertaking deep excavation, you may have to clear overgrown vegetation and clean stones of lichen and ivy. We can give you contact details if you require them.
2. See if your local County Record Office (in Norfolk, the address is - Norfolk Record Office, The Archive Centre, Martineau Lane, Norwich NR1 2DQ) or the incumbent or the churchwardens can provide an outline plan of the churchyard, showing the church itself, walls, paths, trees and any other features - if so, the task of planning the location of the memorials in it is much easier. If there is no outline, sketch your own plan, including landmarks such as the church, church walls, gate, trees etc, using a fine-tipped biro. The plan will then serve as the basis for placing the individual monuments. Therefore, it is important to make sure that there is enough space on the plan for the memorials to be entered. An A4 sheet will usually be large enough.
3. Make a preliminary reconnaissance. Do not forget the interior of the church, where memorials may take many different forms - brasses, windows - and be found in a variety of places - look under all furniture, carpets and mats. It is also a good idea to mark them off with a different code (e.g. "C" for church or "I" for interior). If possible, include a record of a village war memorial, bearing in mind that it is often located outside the graveyard itself. Have a close look at memorials in the churchyard (leave no bush uninvestigated! - old memorials lurk in unexpected places). Identify the areas into which the churchyard may be divided, using paths or other features. Bear in mind that you are responsible for your own safety and that of your team - take care when examining old memorials, as they can be unstable, be careful with tools and when lifting fallen headstones.
4. Choose an easy area to begin with - one which is small, and contains clearly identifiable features. Draw the memorials in.
5. Number each grave in a logical order both on the plan and on the ground by the stones (do not mark the stones themselves). The numbering is very useful in dividing the workload between teams, when there are many surveyors working at the same time. It is up to you which system you are going to employ when numbering the graves, as there are several options:
   • You can divide the graveyard in sections, marking them with letters, and then number all the gravestones within each section. For example, the fifth grave in section B can be entered as B5.
   • You can first number rows, and then graves, thus creating a more precise reference: in this system, the sixth grave in the fourth row will be recorded as 0406.
   • If the graveyard in question is small, simply number the gravestones from 1 onwards.
   Whichever system you choose, make sure that you are consistent in using it, and take care to make the numbers on the plan consistent with those used for written records. If you devise your own numbering system, include an explanatory note.

6. The major part of the survey can now begin - the recording of the memorial inscriptions with the details of the persons commemorated and of the memorials themselves. This will usually be done in the traditional way, with pencils and paper or card. Make sure that the cards are not going to get misplaced - using a bound notebook or a clipboard is recommended. It is a good idea to work in pairs, with one person reading out the inscriptions, and the other one recording it on paper. Exchanging ideas in small working teams is also useful when there is a bit of 'detective work' to be done in case of less legible inscriptions. Start by recording the grave number, memorial type (for example headstone, footstone, kerb, tomb, cross etc.), the inscribed face (N, S, W, E) and memorial material. You can also include a brief description of any interesting features, like decorative engravings. Use square brackets, [ ], for recording this type of information, to separate it clearly from the inscription itself.

   Proceed to record the most important part of the whole record, the inscription. Enter each inscription in a legible hand, using BLOCK CAPITALS to record surnames, and take particular care when recording names of places, and other words with unusual spelling. To give the reader some idea about the appearance of the inscription, use the slash (/) to indicate each new line, as in the MIs quoted on page 2. Try to record all words as they are spelt on the stone, including any obsolete or erroneous spellings, and any abbreviations. If some parts of the inscription are unreadable, or can only be guessed the standard convention is to use square brackets to identify them, eg In l[oving mem]ory of JAMES S[....]

   The legibility of inscriptions varies from the pristine to the completely undecipherable. Attempting to read the less clear ones is part of the fascination of making a churchyard record. The following tips may be useful, particularly for incised inscriptions.

   Tips for deciphering the apparently illegible!

   • the watering technique. Spray water over the stone - a garden sprayer is useful for this. It will dry differentially - ie, the water will dry more slowly in the indentations which comprise the remains of the inscription, and for a brief moment, when the surface is still damp, the letters will appear more clearly, as they will be lighter in colour than the darker damp surface.
   • the shadow technique. Create a 'tent' over the memorial - a black plastic sack is useful - in order to exclude most of the light and shine a torch at an angle to the surface. Some passers by may be curious, if not worried, by the spectacle of the recorder lying on the ground in a graveyard with his/her head in a plastic sack...
   • the grass/chalk technique. Wipe the surface of the stone with a handful of grass. This will not damage the stone, as the green tone imparted will wash off in the rain, but it may help to make the inscription stand out more clearly. Chalk may also be used for this.
   • the crossword puzzle technique. Write down the letters you can read, respecting the spaces, rather as you might in trying to solve a crossword puzzle clue where some letters are already in place from other clues
   • use the parish burials register to help, if there is enough information - ie a name from the inscription can provide a date from the register, and vice versa.
7. Do not forget to check the records regularly, perhaps after recording each ten graves - if there are several teams it is always a good idea to check each other's work, trusting the fresh eyes to discover any missing information. Tick each checked memorial off to indicate that the recording process is now complete.
8. Before submitting the survey, arrange the record in numerical order and add a title page, recording the name and dedication of the parish, the date of survey completion and names of the surveyors. Do not forget to include a plan and, where available, a photo of the church. Copies of your work should be offered to the Family History Society, to the church or chapel and to the local Record Office, so that the information is made available to other family historians.

Recording in the field: what do you need?

Apart from pen and paper, it is useful to take with you a surveyor's kit, containing some useful tools to assist you in your field work.

First of all, graveyards can be rather muddy, so don't forget your Wellingtons and some working clothes. Gardening kneelers are also a good idea, as is a portable chair. Do not forget a thermos with some hot drink to sustain you when the weather is less than hot!

Your gardening equipment is useful also in recording:

• a shovel to uncover grassy gravestones
• secateurs to get rid of overgrown ivy
• a garden spray to implement the watering technique.
• a bucket to rinse off any muddy residues
• a rather hard scrubbing brush (non-metal) to clean away stubborn residues
• a torch, if you are planning to employ the shadow technique.

And finally, best wishes for the success of an enjoyable and worthwhile piece of work!

Perhaps this should be your motto: