A headstone, tombstone or gravestone (grave marker) is a marker, normally carved from stone (granite), placed over or next to the site of a burial in a cemetery or elsewhere.

Use

The stele (headstone, tombstone, gravestone, grave marker), as they are called in an archaeological context, is on of the oldest forms of funerary art. Originally, a tombstone (headstone, or grave marker) was the stone lid of a stone coffin, or the coffin itself, and a gravestone (grave marker) was the stone slab that was laid over a grave. Now all three terms are also used for (grave) markers place at the head of the grave. Originally graves in the 1700s also contained footstones to demarcate the foot end of the grave. Footstones were rarely carved with more than the deceased’s initials and year of death, and many cemeteries and churchyards have removed them to make cutting the grass easier. Note however that in many UK cemeteries the principal, and indeed only, (grave) marker is placed at the foot of the grave.

Graves and any related memorials are a focus for mourning and remembrance. The names of relatives are often added to a gravestone (headstone, tombstone, or grave marker) over the years, so that one (grave) marker may chronicle the passing of an entire family spread over decades. Since gravestones (headstones, tombstones, or grave markers) and a plot in a cemetery or chruchyard cost money, they are also a symbol of wealth or prominence in a community. Some gravestones (headstone, tombstones, or grave markers) were even commissioned and erected to their own memory by people who were still living, as a testament to their wealth and status. In a Christian context, the very wealthy often erected elaborate memorials within churches rather than having simply external gravestones (headstone, tombstone, or grave marker).

Crematoria frequently offer similar alternatives for families who do not have a grave to mark, but who want a focus for their mourning and for remembrance. Carved or cast commemorative plaques inside the crematorium for example may serve this purpose.

Materials

Most types of building materials have been used at some time as (grave) markers. The more usual materials include.

Fieldstones. The earliest (grave) markers for graves were natural fieldstone, some unmarked and others decorated or incised using a metal awl. Typical motifs for the carving included a symbol and the deceased’s name and age.
Granite. Granite is a hard stone and traditionally has required great skill to carve by hand. Modern methods of carving include using computer-controlled rotary bits and sandblasting over a rubber stencil. Leaving the letters, numbers and emblems exposed on the (granite) stone, the blaster can create virtually any kind of artwork or epitaph.
Iron. Iron grave markers (headstones, tombstones) and decorations were popular during the Victorian era in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, often being produced by specialist foundries or the local blacksmith. Many cast iron headstones (tombstones, grave markers) have lasted for generations while wrought ironwork often only survives in a rusted or eroded state.