Caersws Community Council has continued its programme of work to care for, improve and preserve Shiloh Cemetery, following our earlier update on the management of Llanwnog and Shiloh cemeteries.

As part of this work, a large and well-established yew tree within Shiloh Cemetery has recently been carefully coppiced. Over many years the tree had grown considerably, with its dense growth covering a substantial area of the cemetery.

The work was carried out by local tree surgeon Barry Jones, who did a fantastic job undertaking the work carefully and sensitively within the cemetery environment.

An Unexpected Discovery

One of the most interesting outcomes of the work was the discovery of additional graves which had previously been obscured by the tree and surrounding growth.

With the area now opened up, these graves are visible and accessible again.

The Community Council will now work to identify and record the newly uncovered graves as part of our ongoing cemetery mapping project. We will also look at the available burial records to see whether we can identify those buried there and, where possible, trace or make contact with surviving relatives.

Discoveries such as this demonstrate why the work currently being undertaken to map and document our cemeteries is so important. Shiloh Cemetery contains generations of local history, and ensuring that graves and burial records are accurately identified will help preserve that history for the future.

Giving the Tree a New Purpose 🌿

Rather than simply removing all of the material from the site, branches from the coppiced yew have been used to create a biodiversity refuge area within the cemetery.

The stacked branches and natural material will provide shelter and habitat for insects, invertebrates and other wildlife, as well as potentially providing a refuge for hedgehogs and other small animals.

This complements the Council’s wider biodiversity work at the cemetery, which includes allowing selected areas of grass to grow naturally and establishing wildflower areas to support bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

It is a simple way of turning material generated through necessary cemetery maintenance into something that can continue to benefit the site for years to come.

Caring for Our Cemeteries

This latest work forms part of the Community Council’s wider programme to ensure that Llanwnog and Shiloh cemeteries remain safe, respectful and well-managed places of remembrance, while also protecting their considerable historical and environmental importance.

Our ongoing work includes cemetery mapping, reviewing historic burial records, memorial safety inspections, grounds maintenance, improved visitor information and measures to encourage biodiversity.

We would like to give a particular thank you to Barry Jones for the care and professionalism shown while carrying out the tree work.

Can You Help Us Identify the Graves?

As we continue mapping Llanwnog and Shiloh Cemeteries, we would be very interested to hear from anyone who may have family connections, historic photographs, burial information or other knowledge relating to the cemetery and the graves within it.

Information held by local families can sometimes fill gaps that official records cannot and could help us preserve more of Shiloh’s history for future generations.

You can read more about our wider cemetery work in our previous article:

Caring for Our Community Cemeteries – Shiloh and Llanwnog

Contact: clerk@caerswscommuntycouncil.gov.uk