The day of judgement

Old gravestones are often carved with symbols of our certain mortality and possible immortality. The reminders of our mortality include corpses, skeletons, skulls, crossed femurs, coffins, grave-diggers' tools, hour glasses, angels of death, Father Time, and the Deid Bell.

The immortality symbols are somewhat more cheerful, one of the commonest being the winged soul, or cherub. The winged soul represents the soul leaving the body at the time of death and ascending to heaven to await the Day of Judgement when the body will follow to be reunited. Winged souls vary greatly in form, some look cheerful, others less so, some are young and innocent, others look old. This example dates from the Victorian era.