Several gravestones have been found destroyed in a church graveyard following a suspected act of vandalism.
The gravestones are located in St Piran’s Church graveyard, in Perranarworthal, and the damage is very likely to have been deliberately caused, although this has not yet been confirmed.
Due to the remote location of the graveyard, the incident was not witnessed.
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The gravestones were found by a working party which maintains the graveyard. The vandalism is suspected to have taken place sometime between November 2 and November 8.
One of the church wardens, David Simmons, said: “We believe it is a deliberate act. There are no trees that have come down and the way they have been smashed doesn’t look accidental.
“But we can’t ascertain why or who would do this. We don’t know if it is random or targeted. It has all felt very sinister and upsetting really.”
David said that the graves date back to the early 1800s, which makes it difficult to identify who they belong to, or even exactly how many graves have been vandalised. He suspects that there were three separate gravestones.
The church is in the process of looking at records in the hope of contacting descendants of the graves.
David said: “We may never know who did this but, either way, we hope it is an isolated event. We’ve warned other churches to look out for similar offences. It’s left us feeling intimidated and wondering what will come next.”
David added that there has been an amazing response from the community, from both members of the church and the wider network of residents.
“It also brings out the good side in people. We’ve seen how much the community cares. Everyone has shown lots of concern.”
A spokesperson for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "We received a report of criminal damage at the Church of St Piran, Perranarworthal, in which a large headstone was smashed sometime between Tuesday 2 November and Monday 8 November.
“Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, or email [email protected], quoting crime reference CR/098276/21.”
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