Geometric Properties: Dimensions and Social Status

This chapter presents the integrated elements of headstone geometric properties (e.g. height, width, and thickness), and has the potential to incorporate a newly developed scale for capturing social status. In this case, an aspect of the physical record (e.g. headstone dimensions) has social implications and so contributes to a physicocultural approach. This study illustrates the known trend of headstone size increase across time, particularly in the late 19th century. However, the results show a different pattern in England and Scotland, with the latter having two groups of headstone size. One ranging from 9000 cm3 up to 100,000 cm3 and another ranging from 200,000 cm3 to beyond 900,000 cm3.

Keywords: Churchyards, Headstone dimensions, Height, Kirkyards, Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient test, Physicocultural approach, Social status, Socioeconomics.