Skull and Crossbones on a gravestone

[lavadragon]

I have an interest in history and have spent may an hour wandering through my village looking at its history. One day when walking through the ruined church's graveyard i uncovered an gravestone marked by the classic symbol for death etc. a skull and crossbones. I thought about what it meant but was totally stumped as i could not think of why a grave was marked with it, especially in a church graveyard. I payed a visit to the local archives but to no avail, there was very little about this gravestone in the archive documents. I would really like to know why this grave was marked in this way. The grave is very worn but i could just about make it out to be 18th-19th century

[dot.hawkes]

I think this is the knights templar symbol, perhaps.

[PrinceRainie]

it isnt the knights templar.....unless of course youve uncovered a very late kinght templar...in which case go back and sell ot on ebay...it will be worth millions..!!!!!.......try this..

Actual skulls and bones were long used to mark the entrances to Spanish cemeteries (campo santo). The practice, dating back many centuries, led to the symbol eventually becoming associated with the concept of death. Some crucifixes feature a skull and crossbones beneath the corpus (the depiction of Jesus' body), in reference to a legend that the place of the crucifixion was also the burial place of Adam or, more likely, in reference to the New Testament statement (King James Version: Matthew 27:33, Mark 15:22, and John 19:17) that the place of his crucifixion was called "Golgotha" (tr. "the Place of a Skull"). In 1829, New York State required the labeling of all containers of poisonous substances. The skull and crossbones symbol appears to have been used for that purpose since the 1850s. Previously a variety of motifs had been used, including the Danish "+ + +" and drawings of skeletons.

[lavadragon]

Also as some added detail i failed to mention that this gravestone is in NE england, in northumberland

[jno]

just a memento mori, I should think - a reminder to people looking at the gravestone that they too will die some day and should start making their peace with God sooner rather than later. Lots of graves used to have similar carvings on them (I once saw an 18th-century American one in which almost every stone was decorated like that). These days, people don't like to be reminded.

[dot.hawkes]

http://www.angelfire.com/mi3/eric260b/skulland crossbone.html

[dot.hawkes]

I know that often there are masonic symbols used on gravestones as well as symbols to covertly relay a Catholic message for recusants, possibly the grave you found was infact that of someone with historical links to the templars. (but what do i know? lol )

[PrinceRainie]

Dot........I owe you an apology......looks like you may be right....

Many researchers of Templar and Masonic history have pointed out the links between this symbol and the one used by the Knights Templar on their ships. If we take into account the fact that the Templars had the world�s biggest fleet in the 13th century, and that they were well known for acts that we would call today �piracy� then there is no wonder. The latter Knights of Malta were also well known for piracy and we find that these Maltese Knights were in fact the very same as the Templars � having been formed or joined by the remnant of the dissolved Templars. These new Templars or Knights of Malta were accused on several occasions of piracy and henceforth we have tales of piracy on the high seas. There is a direct link therefore between the creation or use of the skull and crossbones by the Knights Templar and our modern day idea of it being a symbol of piracy.

i'll shut up in future.....lol

[heathfield]

Following the purge of the Knights Templars, they and their ships disappeared from France. Some researchers believe they fled to Scotland where they were welcomed. Many gravestones in the west of Scotland from that period seem to be the first to in the country to bear a skull and crossbones.

[kettledrum]

Is it possible that this could be a grave of a soldier? The 17th Lancers adopted the 'skull and crossbones' as their emblem on their formation in1759. Any member of that regiment may have had his regimental emblem on his grave stone.

[amonty1144]

i beieive jno to be correct. The syymbols were something i came accross whilst studying Scotish history in Orkney. They feature on most stones from this period in scotland, an impressive display can been seen in St Magnus Cathedral Kirkwall,It is also common for them to be accompanied by cups, chalices and coffins. They are no more than jno states, a reminder to us all of our mortality.

[jacko50]

http://www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/cav/d17- 21.htm

[jacko50]

whoops! http:// www.regiments.org/regiments/uk/cav/d17-21L.htm

[jacko50]

just type 17/21 lancers

[Caro1ine]

skull and crossbones on an otherwise unmarked gravestone is usually a mass grave of victims of the plague.

[enrique10]

I have read a book that tells you the meaning of the graveyard titles , and it gives the skull and crossbones as mortality,an Angel is resurection and various trades have there own markings on them ie. an anvil , a farrier etc, the Knights Templer idea is interesting, when they left the holy land they eventually settled in scotland with there headquarters being in a small village named Torphichen in west lothian , the cross shape church is still there to be seen , maybe this was there idea to remind us all of our own mortality

[enrique10]

I posted an answer saying the Templers were set up at Torphichen , this of course is wrong i meant to say the Knights of Saint John

[keryy]

It the crossed bones are underneath the skull, there are several possible theories:
Relating to the Knights Templar, as they used the insignia to deter enemies. On crucifixes, sometimes the crossed bones are under the cross to denote Golgotha or the place of skulls where the crucifixion took place. Connected to some European churches, where the S&C displayed at entrances.
In 1700's the southern Scots used the S&C on their headstones denoting death.
My thoughts are that the grave possible contains the remains of a Freemason, and the Fremasons used this symbol to denote a Master Mason. The grave looks signoficant for its time, even though you cannot read the inscription and date, I guess it could have been someone important and Freemasonary was common in officials and wealthy folk. Media URL: http://www.cemetery-headstones.net
Description: cemetery-headstones.net

[keryy]

It the crossed bones are underneath the skull, there are several possible theories:
Relating to the Knights Templar, as they used the insignia to deter enemies. On crucifixes, sometimes the crossed bones are under the cross to denote Golgotha or the place of skulls where the crucifixion took place. Connected to some European churches, where the S&C displayed at entrances.
In 1700's the southern Scots used the S&C on their headstones denoting death.
My thoughts are that the grave possible contains the remains of a Freemason, and the Fremasons used this symbol to denote a Master Mason. The grave looks signoficant for its time, even though you cannot read the inscription and date, I guess it could have been someone important and Freemasonary was common in officials and wealthy folk.
http://www.cemetery-headstones.net/ Media URL: http://www.cemetery-headstones.net
Description: cemetery-headstones.net