Skulls in British churches and churchyards

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About Skulls in British churches and churchyards

Skulls, bones or hour glass images of death or mortality to be found in British churches and church yards.

Skulls appear to have been popular between about 1600 and 1820 but die out in the Victorian era with its more sentimental view of death and the afterlife. Bones, either crossed or uncrossed, can occur with skulls or on their own while the hour glass remains a constant reminder of the limited time that we walk upon this earth.

Look for them on Elizabethan and Restoration monuments and on 18th century gravestones but I recently found a rare 20th century example carved in wood at Sherborne Abbey in Dorset.

Skulls may be human or non-human.

This group is intended to take a serious look at images of death and decay in British churches but I cannot resist a sincere and affectionate dedication to 'Death' in Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels. Beware of anyone who speaks in capital letters and who rides a horse called Binkie.