Mitcheldean Congregational Chapel headstones removal (General)

by ranger one, Friday, May 21, 2010, 23:56 (5377 days ago)

The Forest and Wye Valley Review Dated 21st May 2010 Letters to the editor.
After reading the letter headed,'Mitcheldean memorial'and having ancestry connections with this cemetery i went to investigate what was happening on this sameday, the same day as the anouncement in the paper and i'm very upset with what i have found.Work as already started in this cemetery to remove Headstones and the surrounds of the grave plots.The three graves in which i am most interested in have been removed and two are standing against against the wall the other we could not locate.The graves were of ISAAC PHELPS and THOMAS and MARY COOKE and THOMAS TEAGUE Burial 1861 ,in my opinion,these gravestones were in a stable condition and should not of been touched.I am not fully aware of the legalities of what it being done, but do think it is morally wrong.I have been informed by members of the church that it is being done on health and safety grounds.Three months ago on visiting these graves i asked why the three graves were fenced off,' was it to preserve them'the reply i recieved 'no it's so the children from the nursey school don't hurt themselves, when they are playing in the grounds.Anyone concerned about this cemetery needs to voice their opinion most urgently as the digger is already working there.I have read somewhere recently of another case,, in which someone wants to build on a burial ground,but cannot remember quite where,i think it was in the wye valley area,i'm not sure of the outcome.I will try and post a photo on the gravestone sight of the three stones ,i took this photo less than three months ago.
Regards to you all
Derrick