A Grave Concern: Three Legs of Mann

The symbol in the lower right hand corner of Andrew McCaa is the three legs of Mann, a symbol of the Isle of Man that appears on its flag, coat of arms, and money. The symbol is a triskelion of three legs (usually shown as encased in plate armor including spurs) joined at the thighs.

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The Importance of Place

If you look at the vast majority of tombstones, there isn’t much information there. So anything that is on there must be important. Particularly in older graveyards, there is a significant emphasis on place – place of birth, place of residence, or place of death.

In Erie Street Cemetery, we are provided almost a map of movement westward with the grave of Esther Clampett, formerly of New Jersey and then Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The Kepplers were immigrants from Germany and France.

Immigrant John Cubben was born on the Isle of Man.

Does place hold the same significance for us now, in a world where I could visit the places listed on all three of these markers in a matter of days with an ambitious flight itinerary and money for the tickets?

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