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Churchyard
The History of the re-positioning of the grave headstones.
Approximately 150 years since anyone has been buried in the churchyard - the current cemetery is along the pathway leading from the church toward The Cleave.
In 1930 the person who cut the grass in the church grave yard (with a scythe) complained to the church warden of the dangers of the job because of all the fallen headstones.
The pathways leading to and from the church were narrow and the earth on either side of them was crumbling alas bringing with it some of the human remains buried there. The roots of two large yew tees, which have since been removed, were also a contributory factor.
The church warden Dr Rice agreed with the incumbent Rev J C Cohen and permission was sought from the Berkshire Deanery and Oxford Diocese to re-site the headstones in order to hold back the banked-up earth, restore the graves and protect the remains of those buried there.
As years had passed since anyone had been buried in the graves any first generation relatives had also died. Extensive searches revealed only one relative who 'didn't mind if the headstone was re-sited'.
The path running from East to West was done first and later the South path was completed. The headstones are not made of granite or marble and therefore have weathered over the years; however at least 20 of the headstones have been created from concrete in various shapes to complete the task in a sensitive way.
No headstone is buried any lower than its original depth.
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