Gravestones, Tombs & Memorials

TREVOR YORKE

COUNTRYSIDE BOOKS

NEWBURY BERKSHIRE

First published 2010

© Trevor Yorke 2010

All rights reserved. No reproduction permitted without the prior permission of the publisher:

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ISBN 978 1 84674 202 6

Photographs and Illustrations by the author

Designed by Peter Davies, Nautilus Design
Produced through MRM Associates Ltd., Reading
Typeset by CJWT Solutions, St Helens
Printed by Information Press, Oxford

C
ONTENTS

I
NTRODUCTION

Chapter 1

C
HURCHYARDS AND
C
EMETERIES
:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF BURIAL

Chapter 2

G
RAVESTONES AND
L
EDGERS

Chapter 3

C
HEST
T
OMBS AND
M
ONUMENTS

Chapter 4

S
YMBOLS AND
I
MAGERY

Chapter 5

I
NSCRIPTIONS AND
E
PITAPHS

F
URTHER
I
NFORMATION

L
OCATING
G
RAVES
,
D
ATING
G
RAVESTONES
,
G
RAVEYARDS TO
V
ISIT

G
LOSSARY

B
IBLIOGRAPHY

I
NDEX

Introduction

I
am as guilty as anyone of assuming that old gravestones and tombs are no more than simple records of the deceased or collectively form a backdrop to the church. I had always thought they only mustered interest when massed together in the gloriously ostentatious Victorian cemeteries. It never crossed my mind to pay too much attention to them when visiting churches whilst researching for a recent book until, while leaning upon one such memorial to steady my camera as I photographed a small Gloucestershire edifice, I became aware that I was being stared at! Stepping back in surprise I found that I had made eye contact with a skull, and standing back further realised that he was not alone. In fact the tomb I had thought of as no more than a convenient tripod was crammed with carved skeletons, figures, books and tools surrounded by lavish decoration and with a central plaque which confirmed that this work of art was nearly 300 years old.

This Eureka moment inspired me to look at my local churchyard in a new light and although I had walked through it many times before, it was only now I noticed strange carvings, mysterious symbols and humorous effigies. Here beneath a cloak of trees and ivy were fine sculpture and elegant calligraphy, centuries of changing styles which had mostly been forgotten. It was also clear that there was a lot more information about the deceased than just a name and dates. The type of stone used, the quality and quantity of carving and the additional text all gave clues to the person's standing in society.

This book sets out not only to aid the family historian or church visitor by translating some of the mysterious symbols and text, but also to open our eyes to the works of art which stand free to view. It begins by explaining the development of the churchyard and cemetery and the changes to burial practices. The second and third chapters then look at the period styles of gravestones and tombs and the shapes and features which help date them. The last two chapters look in detail at the carvings and inscriptions, showing the variety and quality which can be found and their possible meaning.

Using my own drawings and photographs I hope to inspire the reader to take a closer look at the memorials in their local graveyard, and the sculpture and tragic tales carved upon them. Some may leave with a closer connection to the deceased, an appreciation of the skill of the mason and perhaps the feeling that life is not so bad today as we sometimes feel it is!

Trevor Yorke

FIG 0.1:
Examples of the different types of memorials and some of their details which can be found in churchyards and cemeteries.

C
HAPTER
1

Churchyards and Cemeteries