INDEX

INTRODUCTION

METHODOLOGY

TAPHONOMY

• Vandalism
• Angle of Repose
• Natural Processes
• Flora and Fauna Damage
• Incidental Damage

DISCUSSION

• Significance of Site
• The Burra Charter
• Virtual Reconstruction

DATA

CONCLUSION

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Vandalism

Overview

SEE ALSO: SPECIFIC VANDALISM OF THE CEMETERY

The 'Idealised' Vandal

The reasons behind vandalism remain poorly understood, or at the least that is the impression we are left with when considering the literature. There seems to be a general view that acts of vandalism are mainly committed by adolescent, or young adult males (Van Vliet, 1984). Statistics from the United States show that 90% of all arrested vandals are white males under the age of 25 (Van Vliet, 1984)
Vandalism is not a random behavior. A vandal makes a long series of conscious and subconscious decisions before and during committing acts of vandalism.

Dating.

The dates at which vandalism occurred are very important to understanding the site as a whole. There are three ways of estimating the dates of vandalism. The first patination of exposed surfaces. Stone often displays lighter surfaces when it is broken. Difference between the development of chemical weathering, called patination, on the exposed surfaces can give an indication of age (Morwood, 2001). Most all of the headstones show surfaces exposed by vandalism that are the same in colour as comparable original surfaces. This indicates that the vandalism to headstones is relatively old. The second is the growth of lichens. These are composite organisms, which are primarily composed of fungi, which grows on exposed surfaces, such as rocks and trees (http://www.lichen.com/biology.html). As a general rule, the larger the lichen growth, the older it is. As can be seen in the picture, lichen growths are large both on vandalised and original surfaces. This again suggests that vandalism of the Glebe Cemetery is not recent.

Thirdly absolute dating is possible for some of the vandalism in St. Peter's Burial Ground on the basis of historic records. This is true for the vandalism of the crypts at the east end of the cemetery. Newspaper articles from the period place this between1957-58 (Maitland Mercury, 1958).

Bibliography for this section