Daily AncestorHourglass
An hourglass on a gravestone stands for time running out; on its side, it means time has stopped for the person buried there.
The hourglass is one of the oldest mortality symbols on American stones, carved beside skulls and coffins on Puritan markers. The sand running through it told passers-by that their own time was passing.
It stayed in use into the Victorian period, when clocks and watches stopped at a particular hour also appear. An hourglass lying on its side is read as time having stopped for the deceased. With wings added, it becomes the separate winged hourglass.
As seen in a recordNew England burying ground, 1690 to 1780
Hourglass carved in each shoulder of a slate stone: Here lyes ye Body of Mrs. Mehitable Ashcraft, Decd Janry 4th 1738
Sources
- Early American Gravestones: Introduction to the Farber Gravestone Collection, by Jessie Lie Farber (American Antiquarian Society)
- Gravestones of New England (Westport Library resource guide)
- Messages in Stone: Symbolism on Victorian Grave Markers, by Loren N. Horton (The Palimpsest, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1989)
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Hourglass." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/gravestone-symbols/hourglass. Last checked 2026-10-15.