Moray Council resumes headstone stabilisation work in its cemeteries

Moray Council (www.moray.gov.uk) is resuming its inspection of headstones in cemeteries across the region from this month. From the Council's website, the following nformation has been made available:

The work ensures that cemeteries are safe places for visitors, staff and anyone working in them, following a pause in inspections during the covid-19 pandemic.

While responsibility for the overall safety within a cemetery lies with the Burial Authority (Moray Council), the owner of the memorial is responsible for maintaining the memorial in a safe condition.

Inspections should not prevent public access or use of the cemeteries, which will remain open throughout, and will be carried out with the greatest of respect and sensitivity.

Initial inspection assesses the condition of the memorial by carrying out a gentle ‘hand test’ to check for any movement. If the memorial headstone shows no signs of instability a record is made of the inspection having been carried out and the headstone recorded as safe.

If the memorial headstone is found to be unstable and imminently dangerous it will be made safe by the trained memorial safety team. The Council will try to notify the lair holder so they can decide to either leave the stone in its made safe position or to have it repaired at their cost by a suitably trained memorial mason.

Where a memorial is found to be unstable but not imminently dangerous, the Council will try to notify the lair holder by writing to them at the last known address.  In these cases it may be necessary to place a discreet cordon in the area around the headstone for safety reasons. If no action is taken after a maximum period of 12 months, arrangements will be made to make the headstone safe. In the event that the Council cannot make contact with the lair holder every effort will be made to make the memorial safe, usually by trenching the headstone up to one third of its height if it is feasible to do so.

For the full news release, including comments from Moray Council Open Spaces Manager, James Hunter, and information on how to contact the council, visit https://newsroom.moray.gov.uk/news/headstone-stabilisation-programme-resumes-in-moray.

A video demonstrating the inspection process is available at https://youtu.be/FwJXpaFin0I and is reproduced below for convenience:

(With grateful thanks to Doug Stewart at Moray and Nairn Family History Society, http://www.morayandnairnfhs.co.uk)

Chris

My new book Tracing Your Irish Ancestors Through Land Records is now available to buy at https://bit.ly/IrishLandRecords. Also available - Sharing Your Family History Online, Tracing Your Scottish Family History on the Internet, Tracing Your Irish Family History on the Internet (2nd ed), and Tracing Your Scottish Ancestry Through Church and State Records - to purchase, please visit https://bit.ly/ChrisPatonPSbooks. Further news published daily on The Scottish GENES Facebook page, and on Twitter @genesblog.