Winged Skulls on Old Gravestones: What They Mean
What winged skulls ('death's heads') on colonial gravestones mean — mortality and the soul's flight — and how they gave way to cherubs and urns.
Family historians in New England and the Maritimes often meet the "death's head" — a skull with wings.
Meaning
| Image | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Winged skull (death's head) | Mortality, with the soul taking flight |
| Winged cherub (soul effigy) | The soul rising to heaven — a gentler image |
| Urn and willow | Mourning — the later style |
History
Winged skulls were common on 17th- and 18th-century slate and sandstone stones. Over the 18th century they softened into winged cherub faces, then gave way to the urn and willow in the early 19th century.
Reading these stones
Old slate and sandstone are fragile. Use safe methods — see how to read a worn headstone. Common old abbreviations are in headstone abbreviations.
Where to see winged skulls today
The finest winged-skull ("death's head") stones survive in colonial burying grounds of New England — Boston's Granary and King's Chapel burying grounds, and old town grounds across Massachusetts and Connecticut. Around the 1760s–1800s the image gradually softened into a winged cherub face (a "soul effigy") and then into the urn and willow of the early 1800s, so a stone's carving can help date it.
These slate and sandstone stones are fragile: photograph them, never take rubbings without permission, and don't clean them yourself. See our Boston and Connecticut guides.
Where to see winged skulls today
The best examples survive in the old burying grounds of New England, where slate carvers worked from the late 1600s to the mid-1700s. Notable places to visit:
- Boston's Granary and King's Chapel burying grounds.
- Old Burying Ground in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- Historic graveyards in Plymouth, Salem and Newport.
These stones are fragile. Photograph them in raking light rather than doing rubbings, which can damage slate. See how to photograph a headstone.
Key Takeaways
- Winged skulls symbolise mortality and the soul's flight.
- They evolved into cherubs, then urns and willows.
- Handle old stones gently.
Next Step
See hourglass meaning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a skull with wings mean on a gravestone?
Mortality, with the wings suggesting the soul's flight.
Why do colonial gravestones have skulls?
Puritan-era carvers used the death's head as a reminder of mortality.
What replaced winged skulls on gravestones?
Winged cherubs, then the urn-and-willow motif.
Can a winged skull help date an old gravestone?
Yes — in New England, winged skulls generally predate winged cherubs, which in turn predate the urn-and-willow style of the early 1800s.
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