Lol - they should adopt that method of treatment in the NHS! My Dad (92, an IoW RANN) had my children in stitches the other day when he was telling them how he used to go to the graveyard with his mates and make ghost noises to frighten the 'courting couples' - who knows how many girls were saved from future disgrace ;-) Great idea for reading those worn headstones, and best of all it doesn't do any damage to the stone. I've seen some suggestions using shaving foam and all sorts of substances, which just can't be a good idea. Thank goodness for resilient local stone. We visited a Gloucestershire graveyard this summer where many of the headstones were made from the local limestone and in a terrible state. Instead of just gradually wearing away, the whole surface just lifts away in one big sheet, leaving a completely blank surface. Fortunately, the one I was looking for was still complete, but I could see that it was already lifting and won't last for long. It was interesting to see that the monuments of more wealthy people were made of granite etc. Kate in Devon -----Original Message----- From: isle-of-wight-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:isle-of-wight-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Sandra J Smith Sent: 02 October 2009 02:05 To: ISLE-OF-WIGHT-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [IoW] Worn Memorial inscriptions Eve, (and any others with a similar problem) a tip for the future. If you have difficulty reading a worn gravestone, take a large travel blanket and a torch with you. Throw the blanket over the stone to completely cover it, then get inside and shine the torch obliquely across the inscription. It will actually stand out almost as though it had been carved yesterday. I devised this system after reading that worn tombstones are best read in the dark using a torch. As I am somewhat averse to crawling round cemeteries in the dead of night, I solved the problem with the travel blanket. I leave to your imagination, the one time I was transcribing a particularly difficult stone in Southampton Old Cemetery. It was getting late and dusk was fast approaching, but I was determined to finish it. Having spent sometime stooped in an awkward position, I stood up groaning with the blanket over my head, just as one of the town drunks came down the path looking for a berth for the night. He screamed, turned tail and ran. I probably put him off drink for life seeing this groaning, apparition appearing from a grave. Sandra _______________________________________ No viruses found in this outgoing message Scanned by iolo AntiVirus 1.5.6.4 http://www.iolo.com ************************************** You can contact the Isle of Wight List Administrator by emailing: Isle-of-Wight-Admin@rootsweb.com ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ISLE-OF-WIGHT-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message