Rottingdean music hall singers' 'offensive' gravestones removed

Two headstones with "offensive" language inscribed on them have been removed from a churchyard.

The gravestones of music hall singers G H Elliott and Alice Banford, who both wore blackface, were moved from St Margaret's Church in Rottingdean, East Sussex on Monday.

Their removal was authorised by the Chancellor of Chichester Diocese, a diocese spokeswoman said.

The church had previously covered up the headstones because of the wording.

Church officials are due to contact G H Elliot's relatives as the headstone remains the property of his family.

Alice Banford is believed to have no surviving relatives, the diocese said.

Both stones have been put into safe storage.

The Parochial Parish Council (PCC) said it wanted to speak "urgently" to G H Elliot's family to work with them on a re-engraving of the headstone.

It said an alternative would be "the construction of a new headstone which properly commemorates and respects his life but which omits wording that causes hurt and offence in today's society".

The vicar of Rottingdean, Father Anthony Moore, said he was grateful for the patience of local residents who had been raising concerns over the memorials for the past year.

"[We] are pleased that a way forward is being facilitated with other interested parties to agree an outcome which does not cause public offence but which continues to respect the memory of the deceased," he said.

Archdeacon of Brighton and Lewes Martin Lloyd Williams said: "History is always being curated in fresh ways.

"I am grateful to the PCC and to local residents for looking at this issue with a fresh eye and a new perspective, and for reflecting on the decision to remove wording which, in my opinion, causes significant offence in today's world."

Elliott and Banford both died in 1962.

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