Rodborough Tabernacle graveyard is currently overgrown and access may be unsafe. A project to clear undergrowth and indentify graves is underway
We are adding memorials so far recorded to http://findagrave.com/
By August 2026 we estimate to have recorded around 75% of the memorial inscriptions.
The churchyard is closed to the public and accessible only with permission from the church elders. It is on a hillside, subject to visits by badgers, who dig holes, and it has become very overgrown. There are some fine old trees but saplings have grown randomly sometimes in the middle of grave memorials.
The Tabernacle now has their own working group meeting weekly and working towards clearing the paths and removing unsafe trees and dead branches. Their aim is to create a balance between reasonable accessibility and a haven for wildlife.
One of the most interesting and unexpected finds is a series of small numbered stones assumed to mark graves of those unable to afford a memorial. They are randomly placed through the churchyard, so there is not a defined area for paupers.
Many of these stones have only a number (highest so far is 162 but we have found far fewer than this number of stones). Some have initials and a few have a date (range 1836-1858). There is no existing corresponding register of numbers. Inevitably there will be some names entered in the register for whom a marked grave will not be found.