Tombstone Tuesday - All Saint's Edmonton, London

On Saturday I dragged the OH to All Saint's Church in Edmonton where his 3x Great Grandmother, Maria Steers was buried on 19 December 1881.

Unfortunately the graveyard has had many stones removed and those that remain are in poor condition. We didn't manage to locate Maria's final resting place, but it was nice knowing that we had been to the ground at least.

I did photograph some of the stones as the iconography was interesting; it's these photo's I'm sharing with you today.

This image was taken from the end of a chest tomb.

Cherub above Skulls

This image is the evolution of “the Death’s Head” which was championed by the Puritans in the early 16th Century. By the 18th Century the original Skull had been replaced by a human face and “the Death’s Head” was now called a “soul effigy” and by the mid 19th Century a human face had been replaced by the Cherub shown here. I believe that the skulls below the soul effigy pay homage to the origin of the icon. 

Gravestone of Mrs Eliz.th Stevenson
The cherub blowing the horn is a symbol of resurrection. The two horns either side of the cherub are cornucopia, also known as the Horn of Plenty. They symbolise an abundant life.

Thos Darton 

This is a very plain stone; however it has survived since 1760. I went to the churchyard looking for a stone from 1881.

William Burrall
I love the fact that this stone gives more than the “normal” information. Mr Burrall was the Parish plumber and glazier. Along with the “soul effigy” and horns symbolising resurrection there is also a veil or curtain, which is a symbol of passage from one world to another.

Sources Used:

• http://www.graveaddiction.com/symbol.html
• “Stories in Stone; A Field Guide to Cemetery Symbolism and Iconography”, Douglas Keister, 2004