11/08/2026
A note on churchyards
St Michaels landrake with St Erney
The Church of St Leonard & St Dilpe, Landulph
You might notice longer grass in the churchyards, or someone gently pushing on a headstone. Here’s the simple story behind it.
Churchyards were never meant to look like bowling greens. Before lawnmowers existed, grass was cut with scythes or grazed by animals. The ground is uneven because it’s ancient. The graves sit close together because that’s how communities buried their loved ones for centuries. Modern expectations arrived long after the churchyard was shaped.
Churches aren’t paid to keep churchyards immaculate. Unless a churchyard is formally “closed,” the PCC and volunteers (often of mature years) carry the responsibility and finances are tight in your local church.
The height of the grass is not a measure of respect. Respect is shown in care, welcome, prayer and presence — not in centimetres of lawn.
This land is special in many ways. Churchyards are one of the few places where the soil hasn’t been touched by chemicals for hundreds of years. That’s why you see such biodiversity in wildflowers, mosses, lichens, insects and birds you won’t find in the fields next door. It’s ancient grassland quietly flourishing.
If you see someone pushing on a headstone, don’t worry. The Burial Authority must legally test memorials for safety using a light, controlled hand‑pressure check. It’s careful, trained and respectful.
As Christians we honour these places because it holds memory, not because it holds the people we love. They are with God, held in peace beyond anything we can see.
We keep paths safe. We tend the space with love. And we let nature breathe where it has breathed for centuries to honour God’s creation.
