Detail of the Osmand memorial, Brompton cemetery, London, UK © Carole Tyrrell

As you walk through a Victorian cemetery, flowers will be everywhere and not just as floral tributes on memorials and monuments. These are the permanent flowers, carved onto headstones and memorials and are often more than just pretty decoration. Ivy, roses and passion flowers are among the most popular and it’s the latter that I want to discuss this month as it is a deeply symbolic flower. The passionflower is a pretty trailing, climbing flower which lends itself to being carved on monuments and crosses. It is called a passionflower as it is believed to symbolise Christ’s suffering on the cross.

The Sayer headstone, Brompton Cemetery, London, UK. ©Carole Tyrrell

Floriography or the language of flowers is very pertinent to the study of Victorian funerary symbols and explains why flowers were so popular. However, over time the meanings have been lost although the meaning of a single rose as expressing true love still survives.

Portrait of Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, by Jonathan Richardson the Younger painted in 1725. Shared under Wiki Commons.

Floriography is a way of communicating through flowers. It has been used for thousands of years in various cultures, most notably in 17^th century Turkey, where it is believed to have originated, as a way for illiterate harem women to communicate. It was introduced to Europe by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu who was the wife of the British Ambassador in Constantinople, now known as Istanbul during 1716 – 1718.

It reached its zenith in Victorian England.  The Victorians love of flowers coincided with their love of cyphers and coded messages.  Anyone who has ever watched BBCTV’s Antiques Roadshow jewellery expert, Geoffrey Munn, revealing the hidden meanings behind the seemingly innocuous combination and arrangement of stones in a brooch will know what I mean.

The strict etiquette of the 19^th century that was expected of the upper and middle classes meant that people had to find other, more secretive means to express feelings and messages that couldn’t be openly shared. Floral decoration was already extremely fashionable in the home with William Morris’s wallpapers, for example, so flowers became the preferred choice.

This is an example of a 19th century floral dictionary and was published in 1877. Shared under Wiki Commons.

Floral dictionaries were extremely popular.  The first official one, entitled ‘The Language de Fleurs’, was published in Paris in 1819. It was written by Louise Contambert who wrote under a pen name. However, in 1879 a Scotswoman, Miss Carruthers, wrote one that rapidly became an essential guide. The one meaning that has survived is that of a single rose which is still associated with true love.

The Passionflower is a symbol of faith and suffering.  It is believed that it is so named, because of  Jacomo Bosio, a scholar in Rome, who was writing a treatise on the Crucifixion.  A Mexican friar showed him a passionflower and Jacomo included it in his work.

These are the symbols of Christ’s Passion within the passionflower:

The unique corona	Christ’s crown of thorns
The sepals and petals	The Apostles excluding Judas and peter who distanced themselves from Christ before the Crucifixion.
The five anthers	The five wounds on Christ’s body.
The three stigmas	The three nails that pierced Christ’s body on the Cross
The leaves	The spears that pierced Christ’s side
The tendrils	The scourges which flayed Christ’s flesh.

The Sayer headstone showing well carved passionflowers and leaves © Carole Tyrrell

So the next time you are exploring a Victorian cemetery, take a closer look at the permanent flowers that may be blooming on memorials and monuments. Floriography can be a fascinating subject.

© Text and photos Carole Tyrrell

References:

Passion flower | Description, Species, Symbolism, & Facts | Britannica

Exploring the Mystical Meanings of Passion Flowers – Petal Republic

Passion Flower Meaning and Symbolism – Flower Flourish

Lady Mary Wortley Montagu – Wikipedia