Only lab analyses of the skulls' features can determine their ages more accurately. Is it illegal as in Massachusetts (as some assert), is it legal but needing a permit, or something completely different. Grave rubbing is an inherent part of genealogy. Dont worry we wont send you spam or share your email address with anyone. Six children were among the dead after a Russian missile attack on Uman; Russian soldiers are likely being placed in improvised cells consisting of holes in the ground as punishment, the UK's MoD . forgive me for the title, I meant to write Grave robbing* instead of rubbing. is grave rubbing legal uk And the process can be fun for the entire family, helping to preserve old tombstones which crack and break apart or erode over time. Additionally, they can create interest and conversation with family members who arent normally interested in family history. I doubt that a photograph of a tombstone can have the same effect as that. The softer stones can weather to unreadale in as little as 50 to 75 years. Already it is clear that someone was able to do a grave rubbing of Andy Warhols gravestone in PA, so perhaps it isnt illegal? But the truth is, it is harmful to tombstones and is currently being banned and outlawed in many different areas. This should always be done with care. Record the information in a notebook or cemetery journal. Twitter. Gravestone rubbing is also a way to learn about local history. You pay to do it and i think it may depend on the size of the brass plate. The Great Debate: To Rub Or Not To Rub? - FuneralDirect Whoever wilfully destroys, mutilates, defaces, injures or removes a tomb, monument, gravestone, American flag, veteran's grave marker, metal plaque, veteran's commemorative flag holder, commemorative flag holder representing service in a police or fire . Today, there is a lot of controversy around the ethics of gravestone rubbing. While some argue its a relatively harmless practice thats been done for centuries, others respond that its risky and disrespectful. As a small thank you, wed like to offer you a $30 gift card (valid at GoNift.com). You may have to get a cemetery map if you dont know where the particular marker is that you want to rub. Burial grounds: guidance for managers - GOV.UK A permit to rub a monument needs the written approval of the owner of the lot which contains the monuments to be rubbed, except if the owner is deceased with no heirs, and no burials on that lot for at least seventy (70) years., The person making the request for the permit is responsible for any damage to monuments or the grounds incurred by the rubbing activities and cannot rub monuments that are cracked, split, spalling, flaking, or have seams, but only those that are sound stones, All rubbings of monuments has to be done under the direct supervision of a responsible adult over eighteen (18) years of age, Stones may be cleaned but only with a soft brush and not with a wire brush, with the non-removal of lichens or moss growing on the stones, The entire area to be rubbed must be covered with paper held in place by making tape, with any pens not allowed for monument rubbing, but chalk, charcoal, crayons, or graphite being acceptable, with any tape, paper, and trash from the process either removed from the lot or put in trash cans, Missouri has laws about damaging stones (as noted, Michigan, with the Michigan Historic Cemetery Preservation Manual. is grave rubbing legal uk. Grave rubbing is something that requires thought but is creative and interactive. You can also record any information about the headstone in your own notebook or journal. Recently, as the National Blues Museum noted, John Wegrzyn traveled the country visiting grave sites of famous blues musicians for the past 20 years, creating gravestone rubbings on album record sleeves from these sites with the process transforming the images of the gravestone onto paper making a unique artful homage to each musician. You cant do that with photography! Vintage Grave Rubbing from Brussels Belgium Wall Art Cemetery Tomb Gravestone Tombstone. Since many of the gravestones in the state are sandstone and will erode internally leaving the surfaceseemingly very stable for rubbing when in fact the stone is hollow beneath. Other laws on grave rubbing in Connecticut are not currently known except it is clearly prohibited in Somers, CT. With this, and the condition of the stones, I dont think rubbing stones in Connecticut is a good idea! Touching headstones and monuments can be considered very disrespectful in some cases, especially if it causes damage. 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Reading Stones - Cemetery Conservators for United Standards LinkedIn. The Human Tissue Authority (HTA), part of the U.K. government's Department of Health and Social Care, strictly regulates organizations using human remains for medical treatment, post-mortem examination, education and training, and display in public, but not specimens bought and sold by private collectors; a statement from the HTA is provided at the bottom of this story. Five laws about the dead that may spook you - Queen's Policy Engagement Fragile tombstones are especially susceptible to this deterioration. FREE UK delivery. Now, its time to start rubbing. Yes, but you may need to spray a charcoal fixative to retain the clarity of the image. Many people use headstone rubbings in their ancestry and genealogical research. Most cemeteries are organized by sections and rows, and you navigate using specific numbers. Native American groups in the United States have fought to have their grave sites respected . the first time I ever did a grave rubbing was in a beautiful, old cemetery in Stratford-upon-Avon. If a utensil breaks through the paper, it can scratch the stone or even stain it. From here, Genealogy Today puts it best, when it comes to the merits of grave rubbings, writing that tombstone rubbings can be a great way to collect genealogical information. Find out about the Energy Bills Support Scheme, cultural, historic and environmental heritage. "There were people taking skulls from places they shouldn't take them from," Ball said. The brass rubbing process is similar to rubbing a pencil on a piece of paper over a coin. For this new investigation, Live Science spoke to a seller that highlighted the problem of grave robbing and looting in the U.K. trade. However, just taking a photograph is like restraining yourself from touching something in a museum. Roll your creation in place and secure it. You gain a direct connection to the stone that you dont gain from a photograph, which you are doing removed from the stone itself. If you want to take a photograph, go ahead, but you will be engaging in an activity which does not have as much of a connection to the past, is something that is easy, simple, and thoughtless. Biers notes that this is happening in the U.K. as well as abroad. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. The best way to know whether or not this is allowed is to check with the particular cemetery. Sure, grave rubbing can potentially damage a stone if done incorrectly. Case in point is the response of Jere Gibber, Executive Director of the National Preservation Institute, to my inqiry, noting the number of available online, and saying that here are just a few of the articles I found on the subject. In 2018, 21 skulls were stolen from the ossuary at St Leonard's Church in Kent, South East England, with fears they could have been stolen to sell on the black market, Kent Online (opens in new tab) reported at the time. Re-using graves means UK cemetery will never run out of space ? It now measures 27 inches by 36 inches to give you more rubbing surface. Comment. Obscure the decedents name if they are not your family member. If you trespass to do a gravestone rubbing, you run the risk of police action. The tape will lift out crumbling stone when you remove it. If you tap on a headstone and it sounds hollow, avoid doing a rubbing on it. Gravestone rubbing can be a fun practice, but its not the only way to capture headstones. Leave a little edge around the back of the headstone. Native American groups in the United States have fought to have their grave sites respected . Exploring Human Knowledge from Print to Digital. Gravestone rubbing can cause serious damage to a marker. This helps people connect the dots to their past, and it can also assist when others are learning. Generally they are expected to last 500 years or more. "We've been contacted by the police about human remains coming in from other countries," Biers said. Your email address will not be published. Grave rubbing is an inherent part of genealogy. However, how does grave rubbing relate to headstone etiquette? You need a permit from the Department of Cemeteries to do a grave rubbing that specifies all lot numbers from which a rubbing is desired, with a permit applied for every time the monuments are rubbed. Be inspired. of an actual attorney. "I am going to Cleveland for an international genealogy conference. Women Parliamentarians UK visit Day 1 February 19, 2020 WPC Secretary meeting with Rubina Irfan December 19, 2019. The guidance covers: relevant areas of law. This can be charcoal, colored crayons, drawing pencils, chalk, or rubbing wax. This is very different from Nashville, Tennessee which prohibits grave rubbings because the markers are very fragile [and] the pressure applied to the marker to make the rubbings can cause continued flaking, adding that even with the harder stone markers, crayons and pencil marks left on the stones are damaging., Connecticut is unique. for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teachingscholarship, or research, meaning that it is not an infringement of copyright., Michael Marshalls correction and the story of MosesOrme, theFlorida Division of Historical Resources, https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXVI/Chapter114, https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIV/TitleI/Chapter272/Section73, grave rubbing of Andy Warhols gravestone, Follow Burkely Hermann's Official Website on WordPress.com, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Spoiler-FilledReview, The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (Spoiler-Filled) Review. finance. Before you begin your rubbing, its a good idea to. The natural stone is very delicate, and you could do damage. Hard drives and disk drives, memory sticks and power cords, work one day but dont work the next. Thoughts about it among genealogists and other researchers are divided, without a surprise, with strong anger emanating from the preservation community on this issue. Break up the kids' old crayons. By clicking "Accept", you agree to our website's cookie use as described in our Cookie Policy. On February 6th, Charlotte Taylor, an archaeologist with the RIHPHC, told me, in an email, sorry for being so long in answering your question; it took a while to get to my mailbox. A 2020 Live Science investigation found that looted skulls were bought and sold in private Facebook groups. Thank you for this thoughtful and thoroughly researched post on whether or not one should make gravestone rubbings. Just take this grave rubbing of Jane Austens grave on the website of the Folger Shakespeare Library. 85.38. Grave robbing appears to be a growing problem in the human remains trade. I was not thinking you would provide legal advice but was hoping for further resources on laws on grave rubbings. You can frame them or mount them on cardstock. The same is the case in Hancock, NH, which says that headstone rubbing is permitted only by the Sexton. Do cemetery rules supersede personal property rules? First, most government officials were rich and powerful. All you need is some paper and a crayon and possibly some tape to hold the paper on, if you are wanting to copy a large areamake sure the cemetery allows rubbings &only do them on sturdy headstones. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. The best way to know whether or not this is allowed is to check with the particular cemetery. While rubbing may seem harmless, it can damage the tombstone. The HTA regulates organisations that remove, store and use human tissue for research, patient treatment, post-mortem examination, anatomical examination, surgical training and display in public. Then there is section 73, within chapter 272 of MA general laws, titled tombs, graves, memorials, trees, plants; injuring, removing. It says and I quote: Whoever wilfully destroys, mutilates, defaces, injures or removes a tomb, monument, gravestone, American flag, veterans grave marker, metal plaque, veterans commemorative flag holder, commemorative flag holder representing service in a police or fire department, veterans flag holder that commemorates a particular war, conflict or period of service or flag, or other structure or thing which is placed or designed for a memorial of the dead, or a fence railing, curb or other thing which is intended for the protection or ornament of a structure or thing before mentioned or of an enclosure for the burial of the dead, or wilfully removes, destroys, mutilates, cuts, breaks or injures a tree, shrub or plant placed or being within such enclosure, or wantonly or maliciously disturbs the contents of a tomb or a grave, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than five years or by imprisonment in the jail or house of correction for not more than two and one-half years and by a fine of not more than five thousand dollars. Avoid scrubbing or any action that would damage the stone. If you dont know how to take a good picture (not everyone is skilled at photography as others are), then saying you should take a photo, not do a grave-rubbing is silly! We are not attorneys and are not providing you with legal Be considerate if there is a funeral taking place nearby. Never use any harsh chemicals or cleaning tools when cleaning a headstone. Cut off any excess but having a little tuck around the back of the gravestone makes it much easier for you to tape it in place and gives the paper the most stability. The City of London Cemetery in the east of the city has already re-used 1,500 graves. Various environmental conditions produce different rates of decomposition, and dried mummified remains can be thousands of years old and still have hair and tissue. planning. As the Fairfax County Cemetery Preservation Association writes, rubbings themselves are generally discouraged unless authorized by the gravestone ownerDo not touch any gravestone that looks delicate, unstable, or disaggregated., The same type of laws in place in Connecticut are also there for Pennsylvania. I guess Im asking: is grave rubbing (also called stone rubbing, gravestone rubbing, monument rubbing or tombstone rubbing) illegal in Massachusetts? Adserias-Garriga carries out legal cemeterial exhumations, in which bodies are taken out of graves usually for legal cases or cemetery projects. Roll your rubbing and place it in a poster tube or secure it with a rubber band. Its entirely up to your comfort level as well as the cemeterys rules. "It will always find a home if the price is right," Huffer said. "I started looking around for human bones and very quickly discovered how dark it was," Ball said. Thank you. Thanks to modern technology, some other techniques are safer and more ethical. Answer (1 of 4): Usual disclaimer, I am not a lawyer and not providing legal advice. ", the first Jewish cemetery in 1840. But it does raise some concerns. Huffer has monitored dozens of private Facebook groups selling human remains. Ive also read specific parts of Massachusetts law here and here, and although some places, like Family Tree Magazine, seem to say it is illegal in Massachusetts, I still havent found anything definitive within Massachusetts law as of yet. Huffer noted that sellers occasionally call out other sellers for suspicious remains but that a body part from any source is sellable. You have accepted additional cookies. Because of this, gravestone rubbing is often prohibited by law. Grave robbery often becomes a political issue when archaeologists dig up artifacts from ancient people. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The sellers that Live Science spoke to condemned the theft of human remains. As noted by theFlorida Division of Historical Resources, do not make a rubbing of a gravestone if it is in poor condition and may fracture from the pressure applied to its face and while making a rubbing, be sure that the marker is completely covered with paper and the rubbing medium will not leave any residue.. balance and the stone acting as a sponge. [1], There are hints to the debated nature of grave rubbing. This is a great way to not only teach about the symbols but its a great art project as well. Additional copies of the Gravestone Rubbing Guide can be purchased at $5.00 each. Rubbing has several synonyms, each essentially means the same thing: Now that we know all about grave rubbing, lets look at how to actually do it. Some churches or cemeteries may already have pre-made gravestone rubbings. Many gravestones are a work of art, not to mention the historical information contained on them. Once you get back home, you can decide how you would like to finish your project. Easy to say, right? Call the cemetery office or check on their website. The part about taking a photograph is addressed in response to the previous argument, as noted above. In the past rubbings were most commonly . Grave rubbing kits include everything you'll need to make a rubbing of a gravestone. Live Science documented 50 sellers across England and Wales that used Facebook and Instagram to offer human remains for sale between 2020 and 2022. After all, whats the point of a cemetery if no one visits, records, researches, and remembers? Grave robbery is the offence of removing a body or artefacts from a grave. You might choose to roll it up, scan it into your computer, or frame it. Thank you. He is also a member of the Society of American Archivists. But the digital photograph, while valuable as its own form of art, is not the same as a physical reproduction via rubbing. Unfortunately, gravestones dont last forever. Though a common practice, it needs to be done with care to avoid damaging the tombstone. As one blogger comments, there is no better way to spend a beautiful fall afternoon than in your local graveyard engaging in grave rubbings, with the right supplies, saying that a simple crayon works better than pastels or charcoal for gravestone rubbings., To the final part of the argument, those who argue against grave rubbing harp on the harm to the stone. I get that some people are clumsy and can damage stones too easily (only do the grave rubbing on stones which are stable).