Grave iconography – decoding a Victorian cemetery
If you’ve ever taken a stroll around a cemetery (and if you haven’t, I recommend it) you may notice a cornucopia of symbolism surrounding you.
Each of the symbols you find on headstones are rich in meaning, but if you’re unfamiliar with them, may need some decoding.
I went for a walk around Bath Abbey Cemetery, situated on a hillside with beautiful views of the city of Bath, to take a look at the wealth of symbolism to be found there.
It is difficult to imagine a more lovely spot…it commands some of the most delightful views of Bath.
(Bath Chronicle, 1844)
Bath Abbey Cemetery
By the 1840s there was no more space available in the original Bath Abbey burial ground and crypts. The Bath Chronicle said:
‘This church has become so full of bodies that it is a work of the greatest difficulty to make fresh graves’.
The new burial ground was opened on 23 January 1844, following the style of the 19th century ‘garden’ or ‘rural’ cemeteries, which were designed as parks, offering well planned walkways allowing access to individual graves and organised planting of flowers and trees.
Decoding a Victorian cemetery
Bath Abbey cemetery is bursting with symbolism, offering wonderful examples of typical Victorian grave iconography. Here is a helpful guide to demystify and decode headstone symbols.
Angel
-God’s messengers and guardians:
Blowing a trumpet (or perhaps two trumpets) – representing the day of judgment, and call to resurrection.
Carrying the departed soul - as a child in their arms, or as a guardian embracing the dead, the ‘messengers of God’ are often shown escorting the deceased to Heaven.
Flying - Rebirth.
Many angels gathered together in the clouds -represents Heaven.
Weeping - grief, or mourning an untimely death.
Cherub - the grave of a child.
Finger pointing up - the deceased’s ascent to Heaven.
Obelisk
Symbolises rebirth or a connection between earth and heaven. Inspired by ancient Egyptian obelisks, they are an ancient symbol of eternal life.
Celtic cross
The circle around the crosspiece symbolises eternity.
Scroll/Book
Often the Bible. Both ends rolled up indicates a life that is unfolding like a scroll of uncertain length and the past and future hidden. Often held by a hand representing life being recorded by angels.
Column
Regular - lived a noble life.
Broken - an early death.
Complete - signifies a long life that has been completed.
Urn on top - a symbol of death, ancient Greek cremation.
Veil on urn - veil represents the boundary between life and death.
With archway - heavenly entrance.
Text
IHS
A Christian symbol that represents Jesus. It's made up of the first three letters of Jesus' name in Greek, which are iota (I), eta (H), and sigma (S). The letters were incorrectly transcribed into the Latin alphabet as IHS.
R.I.P
Short form for Latin Requiescat In Pace (Rest In Peace).
Nature symbols -
Rose:
Love, beauty, virtue, motherhood.
Just a bud: generally a child 12 years or under.
Partial bloom: generally a teenager.
Full bloom: normally in early/mid-twenties. The deceased died in the prime of life.
Rosebud, broken: life cut short usually found with a young person’s grave.
Rosebuds, joining: strong bond between two people (e.g. mother and child who died at the same time).
Garland:
Victory over death.
Lily
Innocence, purity, and resurrection. Often associated with the Virgin Mary and and used on women’s graves. The use of lilies at funerals symbolizes the restored innocence of the soul at death.
Willow:
Mourning and earthly sorrow
Ivy/evergreen:
Faithfulness; remembrance. Ivy is closely identified with death and immortality. It is a symbol of fidelity, eternal life, and undying affection.
Dove:
Peace, love, purity, resurrection, or the Holy Spirit.
Bird:
Flight of the soul.
Mortuary chapel -
Victorian garden cemeteries usually had two chapels, sometimes known as a chapel of ease or rest; one Anglican and one non-conformist.
Bath Abbey cemetery is a private Anglican one, so only has the one chapel with a crypt beneath. Unfortunately, due to a lack of maintenance over the years, the chapel is no longer open to the public as it is structurally unsound.
The purpose of mortuary chapels was to store bodies in their coffins before burial. It allowed family and friends a place to pay their last respects to loved ones before the funeral.
Time to get decoding!
So next time you’re walking past a cemetery, take a few peaceful moments and stroll among the beautiful gravestones to see if you can decode their mysteries.
