LHS GRAVES ?

[norfolkbird]

Not sure which catagory this comes under.

I recently attened my grans grave and noticed about 40 grave stones all the same type along the backwall.
Look at them they were from approx 1886 - 1894 mainly sailors of various ranks, even some "pensioners" in their 70's ,

what does lhs stand for.... ?
what are these graves ?

[jake-the-peg]

IHS not LHS

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christogram

[norfolkbird]

ohh is it... was written in lower case.

so does that mean you know?

[Canary42]

Jesus

[mike11111]

It's short for Iesus Hominum Salvator, Jesus, Saviour of Men.

[norfolkbird]

ok, so thats the meaning of the ihs

but why on these graves ...and why these dates?

[Maydup]

There's usually a list of gravestones either in the church or with the cemetery officials. But if they were mostly sailors, it sounds like a ship was lost at sea. Are you near the coast? Is there any indication on them as to the name of the vessel?

[jackthehat]

Where is the graveyard?

[mike11111]

You will often see IHS on altar cloths and pulpit falls in Anglican churches, RC ones too. I was told as a child that it could also stand for In His Service, though this is a fabrication.

[Mosaic]

Sometimes gravestones in urban cemeteries look similar because the same stonemason provided them - the best value basic memorial, which he would reproduce dozens of times.