In addition to seeking Dr Matt Pope’s advice, the Société Jersiaise, which owns the historic site above Rue de la Blinerie in St Clement, will also be consulting the Historic England organisation before deciding how best to remove the spray paint without damaging the historic fabric of the site.
The graffiti, which includes the words ‘death’ and ‘kill’ and a series of first names, was daubed on three granite and diorite standing stones at the end of the 6,000-year-old Neolithic passage grave, which is listed on the Island’s historic buildings register as a grade 1 national monument.
The chairman of the Société’s archaeology section, John Clarke, who visited the site on Saturday, said that one of the culprits had owned up after the vandalism was reported on the organisation’s Facebook page.
However, until staff and volunteers have had the opportunity to meet today and discuss the matter, Mr Clarke was not able to say what action, if any, might be taken.
‘We are going to take expert advice before deciding on the best method to remove the paint, so that we do as little damage as possible to the wildlife, lichens and plants on the stones,’ he said.
‘Each stone will need to be cleaned and then checked by a geologist, once we have taken advice from national bodies, but the granite will survive. Jersey granite tends to look after itself in the long term.’
