In Memoriam

The Archaeology of Graveyards

Graveyards and cemeteries provide an educational source of unparalleled richness: ecology, archaeology, demography, art and social history can all be approached through the evidence they yield. Monuments and burial customs have developed over the last thousand years, and attitudes to death have changed as well. Memorials reflect a community but do so in different ways at different times. In the Middle Ages, overnight vigils with the deceased were common, as were funeral feasts and celebrations. The growth of towns in the eighteenth century led to the establishment of large cemeteries. York public cemetery is divided between Anglican believers, nonconformists and unbelievers. In the nineteenth century death became an industry, with commercially run cemeteries, undertakers and monument makers. There is a wealth of information in graveyards, giving insights into fashions in Christian names, tombstone design, the size of families, child mortality, paupers' graves - all human life, and death, is here. Churchyards are also valuable reserves for wildlife. A carefully managed churchyard can provide habitats for many different insects, butterflies, birds, wild flowers and plants.

This program is particularly suitable for teacher training.

© 1998-2008 The Roland Collection & Pira Intl.