What Lies Below...
The stone shown here has become tilted and has pushed a bit higher than the probable height of the original stone. This allows the viewer to see the carver's name (MOSES DAVIS) and hometown (NASHVILLE NH), as well as a portion of the base of the stone that would have been buried. What might it say further down under ground? How big were the early slate stones?
Many early gravestones of slate slabs used the ratio of ⅔ to ⅓.
Meaning that ⅔ s of the stone was displayed above ground, and ⅓ of the stone was embedded into the ground for stability.
It is the portion below the ground that can provide some interesting clues about the stonecutter’s profession:
● Some early stones show practice carvings of letters or numbers.
● Some stones show the cost of the stone, for example: $2 for a simple child’s stone. Such a stone would already have a decoration at the top, above-ground portion and space to include lettering at additional charge.
● Other stones display words such as “hard” or “soft” to assist the stonecutter in determining the degree of difficulty in carving the headstone.
● Some stones have the initials or name of the stone carver and sometimes the hometown of the carver. Check out the stone displayed here for hidden information.