Throughout history people have perpetuated the memory of the dead by constructing stone monuments. The majority of early tombs honour great men, but by the 17th and 18th centuries the humble as well as the rich and powerful sought to express their love and grief by the erection of a suitably inscribed and decorated memorial, made by a local craftsman from native stone.

Frederick Burgess describes the origin and development of the churchyard and analyses the different types of monument and ornamentation of each period. He examines the symbolism and lettering and concludes with a section about stonemasons themselves, their training and their methods. He also includes an appendix on epitaphs.

This book is an invaluable guide to the historian, the antiquarian, the art historian, and the clergy. Above all, the general reader will find it of absorbing interest, as will those who enjoy exploring the countryside and visiting ancient churches.

Introduction

1. Churchyards and Cemeteries: Their Origins and Development
2. Types of Monuments: Historical Analysis
     Prehistoric (2,500 B.C. – A.D. 1)
     Romano-British (A.D. 1–450)
     Anglo-Saxon and Danish (450–1066)
     Anglo-Norman (1066–1200)
     Medieval (1200–1550)
     Post-Reformation (1550–1900
3. Design of Monuments
     Symbolism
     Sources of Imagery
     Ornament
     Lettering
     Inscriptions and Epitaphs
4. Technique
     Training
     Quarries
     Transport
     Wages and Prices

Index of Monumental Stone Carvers
Glossary
Index of Place Names
General Index

   Introduction » (PDF, 248 KB)
   Extract from Chapter 2: Types of Monuments: Historical Analysis » (PDF, 287 KB)

"A valuable documentation of one of the lesser but nobler arts of mankind – the desire to lengthen the memory of those who have died"
Sunday Times

"The one thorough and scholarly book I know on the subject"
Country Life

"One of those most valuable pieces of research which stimulate research in others"
Times Literary Supplement

"It is gratifying that Lutterworth have decided to re-issue the book, and make it available to a new generation of readers. Burgess deals in fascinating detail with the imagery of churchyards. There have been a few other books on the subject, but none has superseded English Churchyard Memorials."
Prayer Book Society Trading Ltd