Problems of symbolism in cemetery monuments

Compared with modern gravestones, Victorian monuments to the dead were larger, more varied in form and materials, and more lavishly embellished with epitaphs, symbols and ornament. When we examine individual gravestones, we must bear in mind that their choice was not purely a matter of individual taste, unless that person was wealthy enough to have a stone-mason or sculptor create a unique memorial. The average purchaser of a monument would be restricted to the selection which the local monumental masons were able to offer. In areas where local stone is suitable for use in cemeteries, stone-masons established their own traditions within the prevailing religious ethos; so, in the more remote parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire for example, small cemeteries closely reflect local skills, traditions and materials.1 Nearer to the centres of industry, and in areas where all worked stone had to be imported, cemeteries are larger and contain a greater variety of monuments. Often, and in the south-east in particular, granite and marble dominate, the latter having been imported, already carved, from Italy. Thus the location of the cemetery and the role of economic factors in governing choice of monuments must not be overlooked when one examines and attempts to interpret ornamentation and symbols

Ancient history · Archaeology · Art · Ethos · Taste · Historical and Cultural Archaeology Studies · History · Law

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