Memorials – a summary

St Giles Hill Graveyard has a variety of memorials the date of which stretch back to 1694. There are seven official Commonwealth war graves all from WW1. Many family gravestones also remember their family members lost overseas in WW1. There are several historically interesting memorials, such as the Lucas family “Titanic” memorial, memorials to important people from the local community, and 18thC graves with stunning artwork. See map below for the location of the graves.

The type of memorial ranges from headstones, footstones, box tombs, stone and wooden crosses, stone scrolls, and a variety of less common grave markers. Headstones are the earliest form of marker in this graveyard. The oldest headstone is more than 300 years old. See Medieval Graveyard page.

The inscriptions of some stone monuments have been worn away by the elements and lost forever. The names of many people buried in the simpler graves are now also lost because wooden crosses that marked the graves have since disintegrated.

As with most church graveyards, the graves are laid out east-west. Typically, the head is at the western end of the grave so that it is facing the risen Christ on Judgement Day. In St Giles Hill Graveyard headstones appear the be laid out facing both east and west. We don’t know why.

The tradition of burial with the head facing east-west was very strong until the rural cemetery movement, which began in the 1830’s and diminished the role of church cemeteries. Private companies opened cemeteries that were more park-like with hills and attractive settings, where the headstones were set to fit the contour of the terrain rather than adhering to an east-west orientation.

In St Giles Hill Graveyard even the 18th-century headstones face both ways. A Minister of the church was sometimes buried with his head at the eastern end of his grave, so he’d be facing his flock at the time of Resurrection.

Headstones dominate in the 18th-century graveyard. The earliest are simple tablets but later double headstones became more common. 

The early 18th-century monuments are compact and rectilinear. Later in the 18th century double headstones appear. Stone surrounds to burial plots have not yet become a fashion. Box tombs appear in the late 18th century and early 19th century.

Example of late 18th-century box tomb

The conventional layout with double-headed is for the wife to be to the left and the husband to the right as in the example below.

18th century headstone artwork abounded with sculls, cross-bones, cherubs, or angles with wings and trumpets. The skull and Cross Bones on a headstone in the older part of the graveyard are from the 18th century. This motif was as a Memento Mori, a reminder of our mortality and a reminding the onlooker that you too will die one day. 

The oldest burials known in the graveyard, found on higher ground at the south end, have single and double headstones. The single gravestones are richly ornate with cherubs, sculls, and trumpets. Some examples are shown below.

19th century gravestones:

Early 19th-century headstone continues in the same vein as those of the 18th century as in the example below.

Later in the 19th century, headstones became bigger, more solid, and bore more detailed inscriptions that added to the simple name, age, and year of death. By the 1840’s gravestones had become more elaborate and the first stone surrounds started to be used on burial plots.

Personalised inscriptions of a religious nature or saying something about the life of the person become common. Headstones were decorated with a variety of symbolic images representing faith, glory, or hope or about the loved ones earthy occupation.

Quite a number of gravestones bear the symbol of a handshake. There are various interpretations of the meaning. The handshake symbolises the last farewell. Clasped Hands or handshake is a common gravestone carving that became prominent in the Victorian era. It represents a farewell to earthly existence and God’s welcome into heaven. It may also indicate a relationship between the deceased and the loved ones they left behind. If the sleeves of the two hands are masculine and feminine, the handshake, or clasped hands, may symbolise holy matrimony, or the eternal unity of a husband or wife.

Sometimes the hand on top or the arm positioned slightly higher than the other, indicates the person who passed away first, and is now guiding their loved one into the next life. Clasped hands can also sometimes represent lodge fellowship and maybe seen on Masonic headstones. The Mason takes the fellow Mason by the right hand as in an ordinary handshake, and presses the top of his thumb hard on the second knuckle, the fellow Mason presses his thumb against the same knuckle of the first Mason’s hand (real grip of a fellow craft).

Symbol of a handshake.

The square and compass are also seen on some gravestones. The symbol is of Freemasonry, indicating the deceased was a member of a Masonic Lodge.

The late 19th-century cross monument, back-to-back burials, belonging to Herbert Maundrell an Archdeacon who has served in Japan and his wife Alice of is interesting in that illustrates the custom of priests being buried with their heads facing west.

No 366 Archdeacon Herbert Maundrell (photo looking east)

20th century grave art:

In the 20th century stone and wooden crosses were popular.

At one time there were many wooden crosses in this graveyard. Particularly in the lower section close to the Alresford Road. Only about 5 remain. One of the wooden crosses, marking the burial of a 10-year-old boy Charles Ronald Clay who died in 1940, is still tended by relatives. It is thought that he died from a bee sting and was buried with his granny.

Wooden crosses were popular in the early 20th century and there were many in St Giles Hill Graveyard. Unfortunately, they are prone to rot and only 6 or 7 remain, and only 2 of those record the owners.

Although limestone or wood was still widely used as a gravestone material, more resistant granite become popular.

Late usage of the graveyard:

After WW2 the graveyard began to decline in usage. There were several burials in the 60’s and 70’s followed by inactivity.

The latest burials appear to have taken place in 1973. One of these graves, located behind the stone enclosing wall, close to the Alresford road belongs to Flossi Jane Hughs.