Commemoration as an expression of personal relationships and group identities: a case study of York Cemetery

Widespread public perceptions of cemeteries can be explored through a study of commemoration behavior. Important elements within this practice include the selection of burial plots, the purchase of memorials, the composition of memorial inscriptions, and visits to the gravesite by the bereaved. Each of these elements allowed both individuals and families to actively engage with the cemetery landscape. Using a case study of the Victorian memorials in York Cemetery, this paper explores how commemoration was used to express both personal relationship and affiliations to social groups. Particular attention is paid to the roles of religious affiliation and childhood death within commemoration behaviour. This study examines whether motivations that have been widely cited as underpinning commemoration within cemeteries may, in fact, be equally representative of practice across all cemeteries. The study's methods identify how commemoration operated in practice, as opposed to the theoretical opportunity cemeteries offered for commemoration. Discussion will consider the co-existing and mutable meanings expressed by commemoration and how the results from York could be used to direct future studies.