Cemeteries

Old Tombstone Carvings

When you're out "tramping" the cemeteries, don't you ever wonder about the exquisite carvings on them and what those carvings mean? How about some of the terminology from back then.

• The term "relict" on a tombstone means that the woman was a widow at the time of her death.
• The term "consort" on a tombstone means that her husband survived her.
• The term "cenotaph" engraved on a tombstone indicates an empty grave, with the stone erected in honor or memory of a person buried elsewhere (often erected in honor of a person lost at sea or in war)

Carvings and Their Meanings:

• Arches - victory in death
• Arrows - mortality
• Bouquets, Flowers - condolences, grief, sorrow
• Roses - brevity of earthly existence
• Portals - passageway to eternal jouney
• Bugles - ressurection and the military
• Crossed Swords - high-ranking military person
• Flying Birds - flight of the soul
• Fruit - eternal plenty
• Garlands - victory in death
• Thistles - remembrance
• Trees - life
• Trumpeters - heralds of the resurrection
• Willows - earthly sorrow
• Morning Glory - beginning of life
• Butterfly - short-lived, early death
• Ivy - friendship and immortality
• Laurel - fame or victory
• Oak Leaves & Acorn - maturity, ripe old age
• Corn - ripe old age
• Lamb - innocence (usually used for children)
• Dove - innocence, gentleness, affection, purity
• Cherub - angelic
• Anchor/ships - hope or seafaring profession
• Broken Ring - family circle severed
• Broken Column - loss of head of family
• Urn with Blaze - undying friendship
• Hourglass - swiftness of time
• Winged Effigies - flight of the soul

The above is courtesy of a very old article I found in an Arizona newspaper. They have graciously given me permission to paraphrase the article here.