M is for Memorials

Some of the oldest and most impressive monuments, from the pyramids at Giza to the passage grave at Newgrange in Ireland, are memorials for the dead. The humblest headstone in a country churchyard is part of a human impulse to immortalise those we have loved and lost which can be seen throughout time, all over the world.

A wander through any burial ground is a stroll through the past of that community, like stepping between the pages of an open-air history book. Each stone tells the story of an individual or family and can provide remarkable insight into their lives. Through the symbolism and epitaphs chosen for each of these stones we can learn not just names and dates, but trace professions, learn of local disasters, chart changes in life expectancy and infant mortality, or people’s characters and interests. No wonder they are so valued a resource for local and family history researchers.

Not every grave is marked with a memorial though, with archaeologists estimating that the average parish churchyard contains around 10,000 burials and urban cemeteries up to 1 million! When did we start using gravestones as memorials and why doesn’t every burial have one?

To read all of this very interesting article click on the following link which takes you to the Caring For Gods Acre website.

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