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From: "LBoswell" <>
Subject: [APG] burial positions
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:26:16 -0400


A discussion with a caretaker at a cemetery last weekend (where I was
photographing headstones) brought out something I'd missed before. I was
asking him about a couple of small 'brick' sized stones almost lost under a
covering of grass, laid on the left and right side of the foot of the grave
that were carved 'mother' and 'father' respectively. The stone had clear
details of names and dates about the individuals buried there, and because
it was a large plot I was wondering if additional family members were there.
But he pointed out that husbands are normally buried on the left, wives on
the right but in this case the preference had been the reverse, hence the
added markers.

He said that left and right burial based on gender has a long history. I'm
wondering where it originated from? Religious concept? I know that in
Britain back as far as the Iron age burials of males had them lying on their
left side, while females were buried lying on their right sides. I wonder
if that could be related

Larry

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