A Look At The Funeral Proceedings Of Yesteryear

Funeral directing has changed a lot since it first emerged as a profession more than two hundred years ago. For years, funerals had been arranged through individual people, who often did it just because they were friendly with the family who had lost someone. Funeral were then very simple affairs though, and just involved finding someone to prepare the body (called ‘the layer out’), a coffin maker, and a church minister.

Funerals were strongly community-centered and the ‘layers out’ were very often the same people who acted as midwives. Now, the role of the undertaker has evolved into a profession in itself and the majority of those involved in funeral directing today are in firms with a long, established family history.

Once completed, the coffin would be taken back to the house of the deceased by the undertaker and his men. If the doorway was too narrow, as it often was in those days, the undertaker’s carpenter had to remove windows and then replace them after the coffin had been taken inside. This was done because it was felt that it was essential that the body remain at the home of the deceased prior to the funeral.

Families chose the front room or parlor as the last resting place for their loved one, who would be wearing their best clothes and left with the family until the funeral. During this time relatives and family members would come to pay their respects. The Chapels of Rest that we are familiar with in funeral establishments today did not appear until the 1950s.

With the coffin set on trestles in the front room, candles were arranged either side and a small altar set up at the foot of it. As embalming in those days was reserved only for very wealthy clients, the undertaker would make regular visits to the house to ensure that the body remained in a bearable condition. It was common practice for families to place fragrant flowers around the room to absorb any unpleasant odors.

The funeral normally took place 3 or 4 days after the death, and on this day family and friends would line up outside of their homes. With curtains drawn, out of respect, they would stand silently as the cortege passed. If the deceased had to be carried beyond parish boundaries at any stage, be it during removal or in the course of the funeral itself, a fee had to be paid. This made it quite expensive if someone died away from home.

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With origins dating back to 1853, E.F. Box are one of the oldest funeral directors within the UK. They offer a range of funeral director services across a variety of faiths, beliefs and ways of celebrating life.

This entry was posted on 20/03/2010 at 02:53 pm and is filed under Death Dying. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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