How To Make A Headstone A Truly Personal Tribute

One of the most common questions we receive at J.Gumbrill is what choices can be made to make a memorial a reflection of someone’s character and to be a meaningful symbol of their life. Here, Annissa, our Monumental Masonry Administrator, discusses how a monument can be created to achieve this aim.

A headstone is a marker of someone’s life and so it is natural that many people arranging for one to be erected would like it to be unique and fitting to the person who has died. There are many ways that this can be achieved from the choice of stone itself through to the words and detailing chosen to be inscribed upon it.

Where the memorial is to be sited will have a major impact on what steps you can take to make it unique. Churchyards typically have stricter rules about what is permitted than cemeteries and burial grounds, and in fact if you are trying to create something truly distinctive, you will find that the regulations are specifically created to oppose this. Churchyards are supposed to be public places of reflection where everyone is commemorated equally, and so the rules are in place to create a homogenous environment rather than any one memorial being able to draw the attention. This is not to say that it’s not possible to create something meaningful and personal. For example, in our local Dioceses, memorials made of both slate and limestones like Portland and York are permitted. These are suitable to be carved by hand and even a simple inscription looks distinctive. Why not visit our page about slate memorials here, or learn more about limestone memorials on our page giving more details about them. You could also consider a Horsham stone memorial, which will be quarried as a boulder-shaped piece; no two stones are the same and the riven face requires creative placement of letters even when very few words are used.

Cemeteries and burial grounds usually have broader restrictions and these are often around maximum sizes. This means you can choose from a wide range of materials- granite in particular is available in a broad range of colours including purples and reds, with flecks and patterns in contrasting shades and metallic finishes. Granite can also be quarried into all sorts of shapes from books and hearts to plinths and wedges, and can be customised with rustic edges and shaped bases.

The wording you choose to have placed on a headstone is one of the best ways to talk about someone. Again, churchyards can be stricter about what is permitted, and you may not be allowed lettering that talks about relationships with others (for example, describing someone as a ‘beloved wife’). However, words from the bible are encouraged, and you can convey a clear message with text like ‘He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the Lord’ (which comes from the book of Proverbs). Even if there are rules about lettering content and colour, there are unlikely to be so many about style and so an ornate script font, covering the face of the stone, is a good way to adhere to regulations while giving a memorial a distinctive finish.

Where adding decorative detail is allowed, images of animals and flowers, crests of sports teams or carvings of pictures denoting hobbies are all ways you can speak to the interests, character and personality of the person being commemorated. Whether they had green fingers or were car-obsessed, any type of stone can be customised by carvings, relief work, or paint. Our detailing page has some ideas but almost anything is possible.