Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
More people are chosing their own headstone
Choosing a headstone memorial isn’t an easy decision, especially during the sad and difficult period following a death.
It’s a legacy to the deceased’s memory and you want to try to remember them in a way that signifies their life.
This is why choosing and purchasing your own headstone in advance before you pass away is one of the most loving parting gifts you can give your family.
Even though there are diverse reasons why it is advisable for people to purchase their headstone memorial before they pass on, most people find the thought uncomfortable.
The sentimental attachment to the process makes people totally avoid the topic.
But more and more people are choosing to have control of their final farewell, from choosing their order of service, their funeral arrangements and now, more and more are choosing their burial spot and whether they want to be buried in a cemetery with a headstone.
Some choose to be cremated and have their ashes scattered but others want a permanent tribute to their lives. It also helps family members cope with their grief as they have a permanent place to go and think of the deceased and still feel the connection
Gravestones were originally burial grounds marked with stones, rocks or wood as a way to keep the dead from rising.
They were mostly marked with the deceased’s name, age, and year of death.
Gradually, churchyard burials evolved involving large, square-shaped tombstones prepared from slate (1650-1900) or sandstone (1650-1890). The inscriptions carved on slate used to be shallow yet readable.
Public cemeteries evolved in the 19th century.
Eventually, people started giving importance to the gravestones, headstones and footstones as a means to remember their loved ones.
They started engraving the headstones with a small epitaph or a few words about the deceased, whether written by the individual himself or by someone else. They also featured details like the date of birth and date of death of the departed loved one.
The greatest advantage of this tradition is that by reading the inscription on a gravestone, one can derive information about the deceased and trace out his or her family history.
The term gravestone, by the way, emerged from a Jewish custom in which the visitors to a grave used to place stones at the head as a way to honour the deceased.
Being a focus of mourning and remembrance, they assist in the process of healing.
Needless to say, that studying the inscription on a grave marker is a great way to trace your family history.