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Funeral directing has changed a lot since it first emerged as a profession over two hundred years 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.
There was a strong sense of community 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 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 by hand from solid oak, elm or mahogany. 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. 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 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 final resting place for their loved one, who would be wearing their best clothes and left there until the day of 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 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 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 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 friends and family lined up outside their homes. Curtains would be drawn as a mark of respect, and 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, all this is taken care of by the highly-trained funeral director, whose services can range from pre-paid funeral plans to jewelry made from the cremated remains of the deceased.
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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 2nd, 2010 · Comments (0)
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