VANISHING CHARACTERS: CHARTING THE EROSION OF THE ROMAN FONT ON GRAVESTONES FROM NORTH WALES AND NORTH-EAST IRELAND

Research on gravestone erosion demonstrates that the weathering of inscriptions on gravestone faces follows a pattern that yields distinct traces depending on the character being weathered. This survey focused on archaic and modern forms of the Roman font from north Wales and north-east Ireland emplaced and inscribed from the early seventeenth century to the present. A chart was created documenting progressive weathering of each letter, demonstrating the patterns left behind by deeper inscriptions within each type. The resulting chart allows future researchers to better identify the specific letters within each inscription, even when heavily weathered. Researchers can also use the chart to relatively date the inscriptions when there are no dates in the inscription or when the date itself is unreadable. We anticipate the ability to create additional charts of other fonts as aids for future research.