Savery Carvers

Lemuel Savery (1757 - abt 1796) of Plymouth most likely learned from William Coye who married Savery's sister. Savery became a skilled carver and he influenced Plymouth carvers Amaziah Harlow Jr and Nathaniel Holmes. Savery carved life like winged heads which are widely distributed on Cape Cod. Identifying characteristics of the winged heads include round eyes, eyelids which taper to the sides, realistic nose & mouth, three feathers in each wing and a two layered scallop border. Another style of winged head had a top knot in the hair and more than three feathers in each wing. He also carved winged skulls but the bulk of his work after 1782 was winged heads.

Recent research published by James Blachowicz (AGS Quarterly - Summer 2000) suggests that Samuel and Nehemiah Burbank possibly apprenticed under Savery in the early 1790's and carved or lettered some of the gravestones listed below (also see Burbank carvers). Both Burbanks stopped carving when Savery died about 1796. Literature sources confirm several of the following gravestones as produced by the Savery shop. However it also is possible that some of the following were produced by William Coye or Amaziah Harlow Jr. in Plymouth.

Winged Head & Portrait Gravestones

George Brown (1767) - Wellfleet Cem.
Hemand Crocker (1773-or 1793?) - Barnstable Marstons Mills Cem.
Sarah Higgins (1774) - Orleans Cem.
Sarah Hopkins (1775) - Orleans Cem.
infant Allen (1776) - Brewster Cem.
Joseph & Ezra Bourn (1776) - Falmouth Cem.
Samuel Higgins (1776) - Orleans Cem.
Samuel Higgins footstone (1776) - Orleans Cem.
Exekiel Holbrook (1776) - Wellfleet Cem.
Samuel Holbrook (1776) - Wellfleet Cem.
Ruth Taylor (1776) - Orleans Cem.
James Higgins (1777) - Orleans Cem.
Jacob Taylor (1777) - Barnstable Hyannis Cem.
infant Lewis (1780) - Wellfleet Cem.
Betsey Howes Thatcher (1780) - Yarmouth Cem.
Joseph Crowell (1783) - West Yarmouth Woodside Cem.
Elexander Crocker (1785) - Barnstable Marstons Mills Cem.
Thomas Sturges (1785) - Barnstable Lothrop Hill Cem.
Benjamin Freeman (1786) - Brewster Cem.
John Goodspeed (1786) - West Barnstable Cem.
Temperance Fish (1787) - Sandwich Cem.
Seth Knowles (1787) - Orleans Cem.
Mary Crosby (1789) - Brewster Cem.
Thomas Gould (1789) - Orleans Cem.
Marcy Hamblin (1789) - Barnstable Ancient Cem.
Samuel Bourn (1791) - Falmouth Cem.
Ebenezer Crocker (1791) - Barnstable Marstons Mills Cem.
Stephen Nye (1791) - West Barnstable Cem.
Mary Chipman (1792) - West Barnstable Cem.
William Chipman (1792) - Barnstable Marstons Mills Cem.
Ebenezer Dyer (1792) - Truro Old North Cem.
Hannah Hinckley (1792) - Barnstable Lothrop Hill Cem.
Sarah Shaw (1792) - West Barnstable Cem.
Jemima Snow (1792) - Wellfleet Cem.
Cornelius Tobey (1792) - Sandwich Cem.
Prince Bodfish (1793) - West Barnstable Cem.
Hemand Crocker (1793) - Barnstable Marstons Mills Cem.
Stephen Fessenden (1793) - Sandwich Cem.
Levi Freeman (1793) - Sandwich Cem.
Mehitable Freeman (1793) - Sandwich Cem.
Mercy Goodspeed (1793) - West Barnstable Cem.
Seth Hall (1793) - Harwich Cem.
Bethiah Bursley (1794) - West Barnstable Cem.
Ruth Dillingham (1794) - Sandwich Cem.
Sarah Fessenden (1794) - Sandwich Cem.
Joseph Freeman (1794) - Sandwich Cem.
Thankful Nye (1794) - Sandwich Cem.
Hannah Freeman (1795) - Orleans Cem.
William Newcomb (1795) - Wellfleet Cem.
Zenus Crowell (1796) - West Yarmouth Woodside Cem.
Mary Paine (1797) - Provincetown Cem.
Phylander & Joshua Bangs (1797, 98) - Brewster Cem.
Jonathan Young (1799) - South Wellfleet Cem.
Joseph Bodfish (1800) - Sandwich Cem.
Thankfull Crowell (1803) - West Yarmouth Woodside Cem.
Lucretia Roby (?) - Chatham Cem.

Winged Skulls

Jonathan Cole (1791) - Eastham Bridge Road Cem.
Benjamin Snow (1793) - Truro Old North Cem.
William Chipman (1795) - Wellfleet Cem.


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