Cemetery and Grave Record

Who this is for

What the stones say, written down on the day. The header records the cemetery or churchyard and the visit; each row is one grave, with the names and dates exactly as inscribed, the plot or section, the wording of the inscription, the condition of the stone and whether it was photographed.

Family historians visiting the burial grounds of their ancestors, and anyone recording a churchyard or cemetery section before weather and time take the inscriptions.

What this helps you track

• Which cemetery or churchyard, and when it was visited
• Every grave found, with the names and dates as the stone gives them
• The plot, section or row, so the grave can be found again
• The inscription itself, including verses, trades and relationships
• The condition of the stone and whether a photograph exists

How to use it

1. Fill the header with the burial ground, where it is, who manages it if known, and the date and person making the visit.
2. Give each grave a row. Copy the names and dates exactly as inscribed — spellings, ages, 'relict of', 'also' — rather than as you believe them to be.
3. Record the plot, section, row or a description of where the stone stands, so the next visitor can walk to it.
4. Write out the inscription in full where it matters, or the parts beyond the names and dates. A verse or a trade is often the only place it is recorded.
5. Set the condition and tick photographed only when you have an image you can find again; note the image reference in the notes.
6. Where the cemetery office or church keeps a burial register, note in the header whether you have asked to see it. The browser version saves in your own browser and prints as a completed record.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The online version keeps what you enter in your own browser and builds the completed PDF on your device.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

Why copy dates I already know from certificates?

Because the stone may disagree, and the disagreement is information. A date on a stone was chosen by the family, sometimes years later, and the record here is what the stone says, not what is true.

What if the inscription is partly illegible?

Copy what can be read, mark the gaps and say so in the condition column. A photograph in raking light often recovers more later, which is one reason the photographed tick matters.

Should I record graves that are not my family?

Neighbouring stones are worth a row: the same surname a few plots away is often a relative, and shared plots are common. Record what is near and decide later.

Is there a burial register as well as the stones?

Often, and it is held by whoever manages the ground — a church, a council, a company. What it contains and who may see it differs from place to place; the header has a line to note what you asked and what you were told.