The Art of Tombstones and Churchyards

I often used to walk through churchyards growing up in England. Nothing to do with being into the spooky. They are places full of history and interesting tombstones. This is one of my favourites. I used to see it when I cut across the churchyard to get to the bus stop on the other side.

It is called Haddon's Tomb (c.1717) and is located in Heworth Church, St. Mary's, "was probably founded by Ceolfrid, abbot of Monkwearmouth and Jarrow, within two years of the consecration of Jarrow Church, A.D. 684." Of course the current building isn't that old, it was built in the 1800's. It always fascinated me and I wondered who the three children were in this stone four-poster bed, tucked under a Durham quilt. It wasn't until my trip home in September that a neighbour told me they were the children of Joesph Haddon and had all died in a fire.

This is a gravestone in the churchyard of St. Mary's Church (now a visitor center) in Gateshead by the Sage (or the slug as the locals call it). Again another very old church (going back to the normans) and some of the gravestones are so old they no longer have writing on them.

This gallery has some fabulous photos of funerary sculptures around the world.Here you can find a grave of any famous artist or famous person, along with bio info, etc.