FAREWELL 'ELSA'. R.I.P.

Visitors to Moreton cemetery over the past several years may well have met the friendly resident tortoiseshell cat, who was to be named 'Elsa'. She was semi-feral, and said to be aged 16 at her recent death. From personal experience she seemed to have taken on the mantle of the Lawrence grave's custodian, for she was inclined to instinctively lead one directly to it. Whilst one was then contemplating the grave, Elsa might perch herself on the nearby Arthur Russell's 'PATROCLUS' bench. There are a couple of photographs of her in the latest Winter 2010 T.E.LAWENCE SOCIETY NEWSLETTER. 

MORETON CEMETERY LYCH-GATE

DORSET LIFE, a monthly Dorset county magazine, in its April 2010 edition contained a short article headed "Lych-gate roof restoration call". After a series of lead thefts, Moreton parochial church council  decided it wanted to replace the lead on the cemetery's lych-gate roof with slate. But as the structure is a 200-year-old listed building it needs planning permission from Purbeck District Council. The architects have been in negotiations with English Heritage for "quite a long time", but are now hopeful permission will be obtained for this change of material.