1935 headstone finally paid for
Friday, November 9, 2001
A stonemason's firm which began work on a headstone in 1935 has finally been paid for the job.

The stone was erected over Robert Cassells' grave that year and was taken back in 1942 when his wife Annie died.

Details of the debt were handed down the generations and the couple's great-granddaughter Suzanne Service has paid the bill of just more than £200.

The farming family was unable to pay because of hard times caused by foot-and-mouth and the Second World War.

The grave remained unmarked as a result.

Ms Service found the overgrown grave in St Lawrence's churchyard at Aldfield, near Fountains Abbey, North Yorkshire, and then visited the stonemasons where she was shown the headstone, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Alfred Green, 84, now runs Herbert Green and Sons in Ripon.

He said: "Father always said they were a good family and one day they would pay the debt - and he was right. He always treated our customers as our friends and when times were hard you had to help each other out."

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