Headstones are a lasting record of buried loved ones, but they cost money and many families barely scratched a living. Several of those surviving are damaged and have been laid down, but some remain balanced at a precarious angle .The graves remain the responsibility of the family interred and not the Cemetery Trust, who are appointed to have responsibility for the general maintenance and record keeping of the cemetery.
Over the years headstones have disappeared ( and reappeared , as with the Motton headstone) whilst some have mysteriously appeared from seemingly nowhere, as in the case of little Lucy Popples ' small memorial which arrived in the cemetery barely 2 years ago .
Over the years headstones have disappeared ( and reappeared , as with the Motton headstone) whilst some have mysteriously appeared from seemingly nowhere, as in the case of little Lucy Popples ' small memorial which arrived in the cemetery barely 2 years ago .
Taken in 1924 this shows some of the Methodist graves dressed up.This was taken on the day of James Pettifers funeral . Photo courtesy of Paul LeRoy
The grave of Robert Wilson has the wooden remains of the surrounding fence now rotting on the ground
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The wooden fence in 2004
Courtesy of Rod Beveridge
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Some graves and headstones are commemorating the family, and as such are double , or even triple the normal grave size. These are generally easy to see when compared with a single gravesite although the edges have eroded over time. In contrast the graves of infants or children are noticeable by their small size , often surrounded with tiny white quartz stones , which was , and still is , a popular way of marking a lot of the graves
Infants grave showing small stones.
Methodist section
Childs grave showing the remains of the iron fencing.C of E section
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Grave of Frederick Christensen in methodist section showing delineation of grave with quartz stones
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This old wooden headstone has also been in the Rushworth cemetery for a long time. Unfortunately someone has attempted to make the writing clearer by using what looks like chalk...with dire results.
The cleaning of headstones is a specialist job, requiring great skill and expertise, here the abrasive chalk will have damaged the wood.
The headstone reads :-
Sacred to the memory of Ann Hannah , much loved daughter of James and Elizabeth hannah. Aug 29 1860.
Aged 6 years from Whroo.
This commemorative plaque is following the conventions when the exact location of the grave is not known.
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This shows the location of the plaque, it lies at the edge of the section (Catholic /Methodist) .It is, in fact, lying at the end of the path
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