GRAVEYARD SURVEY 

Using www.archaeology.ie find the graveyard by browsing the map or doing a query 

with townland name. Always double check the full address (name, townland, parish, 

location) of the graveyard . 

Register the graveyard in www.historcgraves.ie, add landscape (signature) graveyard 

photograph (a distinctive image)  

Use a Sony HX7 to do a geotagged photo survey of the graveyard. Numbering each 

memorial with masking tape and working sequentially.  

Usually start in SW corner and work in rows.  

Turn camera on 5 minutes before you start to to allow a GPS lock. 

Take one photograph per memorial  

Show full memorial stone but not the full grave. 

Check photo number after every photograph (delete photos if you make a mistake) 

The camera photo number must always match the number written on masking tape 

Upload the photos via dropbox or via file transfer 

 

Drawing Conventions

Graveyard Name

Townland

Drawn By

County

Date of Drawing

34 08 56Headstone: Kerbed Grave: Cross or Pedestal: Ledger or Table: Walls & Gates:29

Sketch PlanGraveyard Sketch Plan Drawing Template

www.historicgraves.ie

Recording a graveyard memorial

• A recording form should always be used – ensures consistency and uniformity

• It is important to record not only the memorial inscription but also any carved symbols

You should record the following on the graveyard recording form 1. Unique identification number

2. Type of memorial – headstone, chest tomb, table tomb etc

3. What material the memorial is made from

4. The shape of the top of the memorial

5. Measurements

6. Number of components

7. Inscription –

8. Orientation

9. Number of people commemorated

10. Style of inscription lettering

11. Technique of inscription

12. Symbols present on the memorial

13. Mason’s name

14. Condition of the memorial

15. Condition of the inscription

16. Sign and date your record

1 Unique identification Number The same number used to identify the memorial on the graveyard plan

2 Types of memorial Type Description Photograph

Early medieval cross inscribed slab

Stone slab that is decorated with an inscribed cross that is used as a memorial from the 5th to the 12th century

Grave slab Recumbent slab lying flat

on the surface of the graveyard that sometimes tapers towards the bottom and is often decorated with a fleur-de-lis motif. These recumbent slabs usually mark the resting place of noble families from the 13th to the 17th centuries

Effigal tomb A chest tomb where the recumbent slab is carved with an effigy or figure in the likeness of the deceased

Altar tomb A monumental chest-tomb often placed in a prominent position inside a church that resembles an altar and which often contains a carved effigy of the deceased accompanied by an elaborate mural tablet both of which are protected by an overhead stone canopy

Wall or mural tablet An inscribed plaque set into or placed onto the surface of a wall and used to serve as a memorial or to commemorate a particular event.

Headstone The most common type and can be described as an upright memorial marking the resting place of the deceased. The shape of the top of the headstone can identify regional styles of this type of memorial. It is therefore important that different styles of headstone shapes are recorded from the graveyard. This type of memorial makes its appearance around the end of the 17th century

Ledger Slab A flat recumbent slab lying horizontally on the surface of the graveyard, sometimes these can be confused with collapsed headstones that have been laid flat on the surface of the graveyard

Table tomb A memorial that looks like

a table as it consists of a flat horizontal slab resting on four legs. The inscription is carved onto the surface of the horizontal slab

Chest tomb A memorial resembling a

chest as it consists of a flat horizontal slab supported by four vertical stone panels or brick walling which encloses the space beneath the horizontal slab forming a box-like structure. Also known as a box tomburface of the horizontal slab.

Obelisk Vertical memorial consisting of a four-sided column which tapers towards the top and is often surmounted by an urn, cross, or some other form of decorative carving.

Pedestal tomb Vertical memorial which

consists of a base or pedestal that is often rectangular or square in section and is surmounted by a stone carving such as a broken column, or column with urn, or an obelisk. This style of memorial is heavily influenced by the Classical or Gothic revival style.

Cross There are various types of crosses such as the Celtic cross, a modern imitation of the classic High Cross, the Latin cross and the rustic cross all of which have been popular as a memorial type during different periods of our past

Cast iron and wrought iron memorials

An example of a memorial made of cast iron and usually found in graveyards that are located close to a local iron foundry.

Statue It is rare to find statues of figures being used as memorials but where present the most common figures used are the Virgin Mary and angels.

Mausoleum Freestanding roofed

building often of classical design within the graveyard constructed by upper-class families for the interment of their descendants. These mausolea often contain niches built into the sidewalls of the interior into which the coffins of the deceased are inserted.

Coped stone Horizontal memorial that has four sloping sides resembling the shape of a hipped roof.

Unmarked stone The low boulders or

unmarked stones protruding above the surface of the graveyard are often unmarked memorials that indicate the location of people who could not afford the costs of an inscribed memorial. This is one of the reasons why no small stones should ever be moved from the surface of the graveyard

Boulder memorial A large boulder of natural shape that has a flat area on its surface on which the inscription is carve.

Cenotaph A memorial to a deceased individual whose body has been interred in another place

3 Material What material is the grave material made of;

• Granite

• Limestone

• Marble

• Metal

• Sandstone

• Slate

4 The shape of the top of the memorial A sketch of the memorial shape should be drawn in the appropriate panel on the

Graveyard recording form. They can range from;

• Flat

• Round

• Cruciform

5 Measurements The max height, width, thickness and length of the memorial should be measured and recorded. For example ;

• 1.4 m

• 1 m

• 0.4m

• 0.04 m

6 Number of components Record the number of elements which make up the memorial

• Headstone

• Footstone

• Kerb

• Railing

7 Inscription Copy the inscription exactly as it appears on the memorial and its use of lower and

upper case letters and on what face it occurs.

A number of techniques can be used to read unclear inscriptions

• Oblique light (Natural or introduced)

• Frost

• Wetting headstone with water sprayer

• Paper rubbing with sponge and carbon paper

• Aluminium foil impression

A number of techniques should not be used to read unclear inscriptions

• Aggressive cleaning

• Paint

• Use chalk

• Flour

• Shaving cream

• Rubbing with bees wax/crayon

8 Orientation Record the orientation of the grave memorial using a compass

9 Number of people commemorated From the inscription record the total number of people commemorated and details

such as name, address, occupation, birth, death and age.

10 Style of inscription lettering Record the style of lettering used for the inscription on the memorial.

Roman

Italic

Copperplate

Gothic

11 Technique of Inscription Record the technique used to form the lettering on the inscription

Incised

Inlaid

Relief

False relief

12 Symbols present on the memorial The inscriptions and symbols on memorials offers the local historian, the genealogist,

the art historian and the archaeologist a unique insight into the life of the deceased

and the type of society in which they lived.

Symbols include those reflecting mortality immortality and trades. There are

examples in the Heritage Councils book Guidelines for the Care, Conservation and

recording of historic graveyards and the Roscommon County Council Guide to

recording Memorial Inscriptions which is attached as an appendix to this guide.

13 Masons Name Masons names are extremely important to record and can be found either low down

near the bottom of the memorial, on the side of the memorial, on the top or on the

back of the memorial.

14 Condition of the memorial What condition is the grave memorial in?

• Broken

• Collapsed

• Leaning

• Overgrown

• Sound displaced

• Sound in place

• Sunken

15 Condition of the inscription What condition is the grave inscription in?

• Mint

• Clear

• Illegible/Destroyed

• Mainly decipherable

• Traces

• Never inscribed

16 Signature and Date Name and date of the recorder.

Appendix 1 – Memorial Symbols and Ornament Roscommon County Council’s - Guide to Recording Gravestone Inscriptions and

The Churches Conservation Trust’s - The Good Gravestone Recording Pack