Gone but not forgotten: sporting heroes, heritage and graveyard commemoration

Following the death of a sportsperson, his or her tombstone sometimes became a highly significant material form, publicly summarising and commemorating past sporting life. This necro-cultural study explores the way in which such tombstones expressed sporting meaning. It emphasises the importance of context, and uses iconology and iconography to deconstruct the tombstones' images and their interactions with accompanying inscriptions. It examines the problems associated with determining their commissioning and production, and the ways they shed light on themes such as class, gender, religious faith and sporting fame. Cemeteries provide a context for the examination of key questions about the changing reception of such memorials over time. The paper concludes by arguing that such material sources and locations can usefully engage with sports' history and cultural commemoration, and can stimulate a more critical appreciation of its historical impact.