Gravestone Inscriptions – What Can You Learn From Them?

By Mark Walters

All over the world there are countless enthusiasts hot on the trail of their family history. There are many ways that this information can be found – local archives, personal records and correspondence all have an essential role as people try to trace their ancestors back as far as they can manage. Another prime source of information are gravestone memorials, which can reveal a lot more than you might think that they would do.

The inscriptions and / or epitaphs on gravestones can be used to fill in parts of the genealogical jigsaw. As well as the obvious recording of name, age and date of death, it is not uncommon to also find additional information, such as family links and occupations.

There is more subtle information and clues that can be ascertained too. One example is the size and quality of the gravestone, with larger and more expensive ones indicating that either the person was highly thought of and / or they were part of a wealthy family. Another example is the length of the inscription on the gravestone, which short ones indicating that either the family was poor or that the person may have been responsible for some family misdemeanor.

You will also find that some gravestones have more than just writing on them, as symbols and pictures were commonly used in the past. The image of a skull and crossbones is something that you may well come across, but there is no need to worry if you do as this simply represents death, and does not mean that the person was a criminal, or was involved in anything unpleasant. Variations on this include a skull with wings, and an angel with wings.

Headstones inscribed with urns, broken columns or inverted torches all indicate a life that ended too soon, whilst a sickle or sheaf of wheat represents the soul being reaped. An hourglass bearing wings suggests the fleeting passage of time. The Victorians in particular were very fond of symbolism. They particularly liked the weeping willow tree, which was used to suggest that, just like a tree, man must reach for heaven.

However, lengthy inscriptions need upright headstones and, to ease ground-keeping maintenance, cemeteries are now steering a return to smaller grave markers, placed level with the grass. Creativity and symbolism is also less widespread in more recent years and, for the most part, the only details that can be found alongside the name, age, and dates of birth and death, are messages such as “now at rest” or “will be missed”.

Over the coming decades, the task of tracing their ancestry is likely to become more difficult for people as the opportunity to record this valuable information is restricted.

At gravestones.org.uk, we understand the devastation caused by bereavement, which is why we aim to make choosing a lasting gravestone memorial an easy process.

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Topics: Home and Family | Comments Off

Tags: death, dying, family history, funerals, genealogy, gravestones, headstones, Home and Family

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