Evidently, pirates were (are?) much more religious than we thought. Originally, the skull-and-crossbones was a symbol of resurrection, which is why Georgian-era tombstones are often decorated with the image.
Don't worry, though, it's still creepy - the "crossbones" are there so the person can dig their way out of the grave. Brrrr. The hourglass with wings represents the passage of time until the resurrection, not an early version of Red Bull (or feminine hygiene products. Sorry. Just me).
In other news: Hampstead actually had a pretty decent poorhouse, as compared to the really scary ones the rest of Dickensian England avoided; Jane Austen's aunt was named Philadelphia, and her cousin Eliza (Philly's daughter) was a) possibly illegitimate, b) probably Jane's inspiration for several characters and stories, and c) eventually married to her own cousin (Jane's brother - although in everybody's defense, this was not such a big deal back then); and it was fairly common for families to keep re-opening graves to bury family members one on top of the other. Now THAT'S togetherness!
See all the things you can learn wandering around an old graveyard on a Saturday morning? Come visit! I'll give you a tour! (No, seriously. After the tour I signed up to be a volunteer tour guide in the area. I'm a theatre student - I can TOTALLY make up all kinds of interesting "facts"!)
In conclusion, pirates were either metaphorically hoping for a better life in the world to come, or using a scary picture to encourage the arrival of a better life in this one. Your call.
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