Pellicano Articles
Funeral directing has come a long way since it first began to emerge as a profession over two centuries ago. For years, funerals were arranged by people who just did it part time alongside their day job, 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 those preparing the bodies were very often the same people who acted as midwives. Over the years, the role of the undertaker has evolved from this community base and the majority of those involved in every aspect of a funeral work for companies. Rather than being your typical impersonal companies though, they are typically small family ones with a long established history.
Coffin-making was once a long job, as each one was made to size by the undertaker’s men, generally from solid oak, elm or mahogany. A generous supply of wood shavings was then spread over the inside of the coffin to form a mattress and pillow before it was finally lined with sheeting.
Once completed, the coffin would be taken back to the house of the deceased. They would often find that the doorways were too narrow, in which case the undertaker’s carpenter had to remove windows for the coffin to be 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.
The family of the deceased chose the front room as the last resting place for their loved one, who would be laid out in their best clothes and who would be left there until the day of the funeral. This was the norm for many decades. The Chapels of Rest that we are familiar with in funeral establishments these days did not appear until the late 1950s.
With the coffin placed on trestles in the parlor, candles would be arranged either side and a small altar set up at the foot of it. As embalming in those days was too expensive for most families, the undertaker would need to make regular visits to the house to ensure that the body remained in a bearable condition. It was common to place fragrant flowers around the room to absorb any unpleasant odors.
On the day of the funeral, which usually took place three or four days after death, the friends and family would line up outside 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.
Today, what used to be need to be arranged by families is now done by a highly trained funeral director, which means that the family of the deceased can spend their time grieving for their loved one without any distractions.
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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.
Tags: culture, death, family, funerals, Society
Posted in Dying · March 3rd, 2010 · Comments (0)
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