Difference between revisions of "Cemetery/Burying ground/Burial ground"
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==History== | ==History== | ||
| + | |||
| + | In the late eighteenth century, three primary | ||
| + | types of burial places existed: land adjoining | ||
| + | a church (often termed the “churchyard,” | ||
| + | but also called a cemetery or burial | ||
| + | ground) [Fig. 1], the family plot at one’s | ||
| + | home (the burying ground), and public | ||
| + | space that was unaffiliated with any specific | ||
| + | denomination.1 This latter type was also | ||
| + | denoted as a “burying ground” but most | ||
| + | commonly was labeled as a cemetery.2 Initially | ||
| + | located in central urban areas such as | ||
| + | commons, by the nineteenth century public | ||
| + | burial grounds were increasingly located in | ||
| + | suburban precincts. As late as 1724 (and | ||
| + | perhaps long after) New Englanders “valued | ||
| + | graveyards more as meadows than as sacred | ||
| + | spaces,” and, in the public’s mind, graveyards | ||
| + | were regarded as “common, if not hallowed | ||
| + | ground,” according to historian David | ||
| + | Charles Sloane.3 The word “cemetery,” which | ||
| + | “derived from the Greek word for ‘dormitory’ | ||
| + | and implied that death was but a tranquil | ||
| + | sleep,” reflected the increasing | ||
| + | sentimentalization of death and the Protestant | ||
| + | theological shift from punitive to | ||
| + | redemptive interpretations of death.4 | ||
| + | Notably, the terms “burying ground” and | ||
| + | “churchyard” were not completely phased | ||
| + | out with the introduction of rural cemeteries | ||
| + | and continued to be used interchangeably.5 | ||
| + | Although the term “cemetery” was often | ||
| + | associated with rural park-like spaces, it | ||
| + | also referred to enclosed burial grounds, | ||
| + | such as the one described in 1796 by Timothy | ||
| + | Dwight in New Haven, Conn. | ||
| + | |||
| + | T he New Haven Burying Ground, as it wa s | ||
| + | |||
| + | o r i g i n ally named, was one of the ea r l i e st bur- | ||
| + | i al places to be loc ated out s i de the mai n | ||
| + | c o m me r c i al dist r ict of a town [Fi g. 2]. Co ncerns | ||
| + | abo ut publ ic health stemming fro m | ||
| + | ove r c rowded urban burial places, the de ve lo | ||
| + | p me nt of ro m a nt ic discourse on the emot | ||
| + | i o n al impact of nat u r al sc e n e r y, and | ||
| + | a n x i eties abo ut ap p ro p r i ate ve n e r ation of the | ||
| + | dead resul ted ina move me nt to reloc ate bur- | ||
| + | i al grounds from congested urban sites to | ||
| + | more rural sett i n g s .6 O b s e r vers of the New | ||
| + | H aven Burying Ground, including Dwight , | ||
| + | p r ai s ed the pro p r i etors for their orderly and | ||
| + | we lllaid out grounds ba s ed upon a geo met r ic | ||
| + | plan, with each fe n c ed lot fa s h i o n ed in the | ||
==Texts== | ==Texts== | ||
Revision as of 15:28, April 18, 2016
History
In the late eighteenth century, three primary types of burial places existed: land adjoining a church (often termed the “churchyard,” but also called a cemetery or burial ground) [Fig. 1], the family plot at one’s home (the burying ground), and public space that was unaffiliated with any specific denomination.1 This latter type was also denoted as a “burying ground” but most commonly was labeled as a cemetery.2 Initially located in central urban areas such as commons, by the nineteenth century public burial grounds were increasingly located in suburban precincts. As late as 1724 (and perhaps long after) New Englanders “valued graveyards more as meadows than as sacred spaces,” and, in the public’s mind, graveyards were regarded as “common, if not hallowed ground,” according to historian David Charles Sloane.3 The word “cemetery,” which “derived from the Greek word for ‘dormitory’ and implied that death was but a tranquil sleep,” reflected the increasing sentimentalization of death and the Protestant theological shift from punitive to redemptive interpretations of death.4 Notably, the terms “burying ground” and “churchyard” were not completely phased out with the introduction of rural cemeteries and continued to be used interchangeably.5 Although the term “cemetery” was often associated with rural park-like spaces, it also referred to enclosed burial grounds, such as the one described in 1796 by Timothy Dwight in New Haven, Conn.
T he New Haven Burying Ground, as it wa s
o r i g i n ally named, was one of the ea r l i e st bur- i al places to be loc ated out s i de the mai n c o m me r c i al dist r ict of a town [Fi g. 2]. Co ncerns abo ut publ ic health stemming fro m ove r c rowded urban burial places, the de ve lo p me nt of ro m a nt ic discourse on the emot i o n al impact of nat u r al sc e n e r y, and a n x i eties abo ut ap p ro p r i ate ve n e r ation of the dead resul ted ina move me nt to reloc ate bur- i al grounds from congested urban sites to more rural sett i n g s .6 O b s e r vers of the New H aven Burying Ground, including Dwight , p r ai s ed the pro p r i etors for their orderly and we lllaid out grounds ba s ed upon a geo met r ic plan, with each fe n c ed lot fa s h i o n ed in the
