Articles Temple
Funeral directing has changed a lot since it first emerged as a profession more than two hundred years ago. For a long time, funerals had been arranged through individual people, who often did it just because it had become their family’s traditional role within the community. 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.
There was a strong sense of community 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.
Coffins used to be made at the home of the undertaker and each coffin was made to size by the undertaker’s men, generally 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 the coffin to act as the mattress and pillow before it was finally lined with sheeting.
Once the coffin was made, it was then taken 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 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.
Families chose the front room or parlor as the final resting place for their loved one, who would be laid out in their best clothes and who would be 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 are used to to temporarily hold the bodies of deceased people today did not come into use until the late 1950s.
With the coffin set on trestles in the parlor, 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 to place fragrant flowers around the room to hide the unpleasant odors which naturally arose.
On the day of the funeral, which usually took place three or four days after death, the friends and family would line up outside of their homes. Curtains would be drawn as a mark of respect, and they would stand silently as the coffin 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, 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.
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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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