Mariners’ gravestones in the Irish Sea region: memory and identity

Summary

Mariners could have their graves marked by inscribed memorials in the Irish Sea region from the late 18thcentury onwards, acting as both grave markers and foci for memory and commemorative practices. Some died on land, and so are interred in the grave, or at sea and their bodies have been lost, creating different issues regarding grieving and commemoration. Archaeology can examine how far this is materially represented in their memorials. Recent research in North America and England by David Stewart, and in Wales and the Isle of Man by the presenter, was within largely Protestant contexts. New fieldwork in Ireland examines attitudes and behaviours within Catholic communities, and whether these Irish mariners were commemorated differently.  Thus Catholic and Protestant can be compared within the Irish Sea region to see if there is any variation in attitudes to the ‘bad death’ of drowning at sea, depending on denomination.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• "Spirits of the Dead": The Historical Archaeology of Cemeteries and Commemoration   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 706