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Submitted by: Mark Thomas Walters
Funeral directing has come a long way since it first began to emerge as a profession more than two centuries ago. For a long time, funerals were arranged by people who just did it part time alongside their day job, who often did it just because it had become their family’s traditional role within the community. They arranged for someone to prepare the body (often referred to as ‘the layer out’) and organized the coffin maker and grave digger. Finally, the funeral service would be conducted in a churchyard by a minister.
Funerals were strongly community-centered and those preparing the bodies were very often the same women who worked 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.
Coffins used to be made at the home of the undertaker and each coffin was made by hand from solid oak, elm or mahogany, and then sealed with wax or bitumen. A generous supply of wood shavings was then spread over the inside of it to form a mattress and pillow and it was then lined with a bed sheet.
Once completed, the coffin would be taken back to the house of the deceased by the undertaker and his men. They would often find that the doorways were too narrow, in which case the undertaker’s carpenter had to remove windows and then replace them after the coffin had been taken inside. This process then had to be repeated when the coffin was later removed for the funeral.
The family of the deceased chose the front room or parlor as the last resting place for their loved one, who would be laid out in their best clothes and left with the family until the funeral. This was the norm for many decades. The Chapels of Rest that we are familiar with in funeral establishments today 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. As embalming in those days was reserved only for very wealthy clients, the undertaker would need to make regular visits to the house to check that conditions were as bearable as possible for the mourners. It was common practice for families 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 family and friends would line up outside of their homes. With curtains drawn, out of respect, they would stand silently as the coffin passed. The body was nearly always buried in the nearest churchyard, as a fee had to be paid to move the body outside of a town’s boundaries.
Nowadays, all this is taken care of by the highly-trained funeral director, which means that the family of the deceased can spend their time grieving for their loved one without any distractions.
About the Author: 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.
Source:
isnare.com
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