Burial Practices in England

Where did ideas surrounding funerals come from?

Queen Victoria (Source: Wikipedia) (5)

A large number of funeral/mourning practices in England were started when Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, died of typhoid. During this time in 1861, there weren't any common practices carried out when a loved one died. To show their love and loss for Prince Albert, Queen Victoria and her entire court dressed in full mourning for three years following his death. This sparked a trend of how to mourn for a passed loved one all over the world, including styles of dress, burial arrangements, and how long the mourning period should be.

Before Burying the Body:

When someone in a family dies, there are a certain rituals that must be done while taking care of the body. Before removing the deceased family member, the curtains must be drawn shut and the mirrors covered, preventing the deceased person's image imprinting onto the glass forever. Once this is done, the body of the loved one must be carried out of the house feet first, to prevent them from looking back and calling out for someone who is still alive to join them in the afterlife. If this wasn't done correctly, it was believed that the family member that was beckoned out to will pass away shortly after the first one.

People of this time wanted a way to remember their loved ones, so they came up with a unique way to do so. They practiced "momento mori," which involved everyone in the family gathering to take a photo with the deceased. In certain cases, some families even drew on pupils to the deceased eyelids to mimic the appearance of life!

After Burying the Body:

The Wake with the Casket (Source: Wikipedia) (8)

A huge part of the funeral process for the people of 19th century England is the The Wake. Either before the burial or after the body has been buried, the family holds a gathering in their home to celebrate the life of that person. They often discuss memories they've shared with that person, focusing on all the good times they've experienced together. It offers a way for family member to grieve together, but also remember their loved one in a positive manner.

One interesting fact from this time period is that some coffins were made with pipes and mirrors, allowing people to peer into the coffin and check for movement. Since the medicine at this time wasn't as developed as it is today, there was a chance that someone could have been buried alive. The tubing allowed gravediggers to look into the coffin and check to make sure the individual was indeed deceased.

Funeral Differences Between the Rich and the Poor:

During this time in history, funerals were considered a huge expense. As Laqueur said in Bodies, Death, and Pauper Funerals, "For the same reasons that the well-appointed funerals of the wealthy and prominent came to signify their pre-eminent position in society, the ignominious funerals of the poor came to signify the opposite-their absolute exclusion from the social body" (Laqueur 109). The rich made funerals a lavish experience, sparing no penny on making sure the decorations were just right and purchasing a beautiful tombstone. The poor experienced the opposite, being reminded of their economic status by their bland funeral. Since this was also a time of high child mortality, families saved up money in preparation for the chance of the child's passing. It wasn't viewed as unnatural or bizarre, it was the common thing to do at the time.

Expensive Tombstone (Source: City Monument Company) (2)

Cheaper Tombstone (Source: Stoneletters) (7)

Recap:

Overall, funerals during 19th century England don't differ much to funerals held today. The influences from Queen Victoria still dominate the views and practices while mourning a loved one. Aside from some ideas that are viewed negatively in today's spotlight, many funerals are almost identical to the ones being held during that specific time period. 



Works Cited:

(1) "A Short History of Funerals in Britian." The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 15 Feb. 2018, www.telegraph.co.uk/financial-services/retirement-solutions/funeral-plans/history-british-funerals/.

(2) "Granite Headstone Purchased by Cayman Island Husband and Wife." City Monument Company, www.citymonumentcompany.com/node/1197.

(3) Lang, Leslie. "13 Fascinating Victorian Funeral Customs." Ancestry Blog, 30 July 2014,    blogs.ancestry.con/cm/13-fascinating-victorian-funeral-customs/.

(4) Laqueur, Thomas. Bodies, Death, and Pauper Funerals. University of California Press, 2011.

(5) "Queen Victoria." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Oct. 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria.

(6) "The History and Traditions of Funerals in the UK." History Is Now Magazine, Podcasts, Blog and Books | Modern International and American History, www.historyisnowmagazine.com/blog/2017/5/14/the-history-and-traditions-of-funerals-in-the-uk#.W8aLMmhKiMo=.

(7) View, Exploded. "A Tasteful List of Headstone Epitaphs." Stoneletters, stoneletters.com/blog/memorial-quotes-headstone-epitaphs.


(8) "Wake (Ceremony). "Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 July 2018, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wake_(ceremony).