diff --git a/django_kepi/find.py b/django_kepi/find.py
index 110d3cf..a6a585a 100644
--- a/django_kepi/find.py
+++ b/django_kepi/find.py
@@ -140,6 +140,14 @@ class ThingRequest(HttpRequest):
 
         self.method = 'ACTIVITY'
 
+class TombstoneException(Exception):
+    def __init__(self, tombstone, *args, **kwargs):
+        self.tombstone = tombstone
+        super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
+
+    def __str__(self):
+        return self.tombstone.__str__()
+
 def find_local(path):
 
     try:
@@ -160,6 +168,9 @@ def find_local(path):
             **resolved.kwargs)
     logger.debug('%s: resulting in %s', path, str(result))
 
+    if result.f_type == 'Tombstone':
+        raise TombstoneException(result)
+
     return result
 
 def find_remote(url):
diff --git a/django_kepi/models/thing.py b/django_kepi/models/thing.py
index 643bd72..9d3d7bd 100644
--- a/django_kepi/models/thing.py
+++ b/django_kepi/models/thing.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 from django.db import models, IntegrityError
 from django.conf import settings
-from django_kepi.find import find
+from django_kepi.find import find, is_local
 from django_kepi.delivery import deliver
 import django_kepi.models.following
 import logging
@@ -211,6 +211,39 @@ class Thing(models.Model):
                     following = self['actor'],
                     )
 
+    @property
+    def is_local(self):
+        if not self.remote_url:
+            return True
+
+        return is_local(self.remote_url)
+
+    def entomb(self):
+        logger.info('%s: entombing', self)
+
+        if self.f_type=='Tombstone':
+            logger.warn('   -- already entombed; ignoring')
+            return
+
+        if not self.is_local:
+            raise ValueError("%s: you can't entomb remote things %s",
+                    self, str(self.remote_url))
+
+        former_type = self.f_type
+
+        self.f_type = 'Tombstone'
+        self.active = True
+
+        ThingField.objects.filter(parent=self).delete()
+
+        for f,v in [
+                ('former_type', former_type),
+                # XXX 'deleted', when we're doing timestamps
+                ]:
+            ThingField(parent=self, name=f, value=json.dumps(v)).save()
+
+        self.save()
+        logger.info('%s: entombing finished', self)
 
     TYPES = {
             #          actor  object  target
@@ -335,8 +368,6 @@ class Thing(models.Model):
         record_fields['f_type'] = value['type']
 
         if 'id' in value:
-            # FIXME this allows people to create "remote" Activities
-            # with local URLs, which is weird and shouldn't happen.
             record_fields['remote_url'] = value['id']
 
         for f in ['id', 'type', 'actor', 'name']:
diff --git a/django_kepi/views.py b/django_kepi/views.py
index bbcef4f..0623e2e 100644
--- a/django_kepi/views.py
+++ b/django_kepi/views.py
@@ -97,6 +97,10 @@ class KepiView(django.views.View):
 
         result['Content-Type'] = 'application/activity+json'
 
+        if data['type']=='Tombstone':
+            result.reason = 'Entombed'
+            result.status_code = 410
+
         return result
 
     def _collection_get(self, request, items):
@@ -252,6 +256,9 @@ class ActorView(ThingView):
     def activity(self, request, *args, **kwargs):
         thing = super().activity(request, *args, **kwargs)
 
+        if thing.f_type=='Tombstone':
+            return thing
+
         logger.debug('   -- found Thing %s; does it have an Actor?',
                 thing)
 
diff --git a/tests/test_views.py b/tests/test_views.py
index 0adae3d..f0779df 100644
--- a/tests/test_views.py
+++ b/tests/test_views.py
@@ -78,3 +78,36 @@ class TestKepiView(TestCase):
                     }
                 )
 
+class TestTombstone(TestCase):
+
+    def test_tombstone(self):
+
+        queen_anne = create_local_person('queen_anne')
+
+        c = Client()
+        response = c.get('/users/queen_anne')
+
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 200)
+        self.assertDictEqual(
+                _response_to_dict(response),
+                {
+                    'name': 'queen_anne',
+                    'id': 'https://altair.example.com/users/queen_anne',
+                    'type': 'Person',
+                    },
+                )
+
+        queen_anne.entomb()
+
+        response = c.get('/users/queen_anne')
+
+        self.assertEqual(response.status_code, 410)
+        self.assertDictEqual(
+                _response_to_dict(response),
+                {
+                    'id': 'https://altair.example.com/users/queen_anne',
+                    'type': 'Tombstone',
+                    'former_type': 'Person',
+                    'name': 'queen_anne',
+                    },
+                )