Burial Practices in the 19th Century in England

Burial Practices in the 19th Century in England

While burial practices may seem like something that should always be performed with utmost respect for the deceased, this was not always a priority. In the post-medieval era (1550’s - 1850’s), the memorialization of the deceased began to gain popularity, and many of this is owed to Henry VII and his newfound dedication to Protestantism. This religion shed light on proper burial practices that soon won over many. However, such was not always the case. Before this, many were buried without coffins and left to rot in the ground. As one can imagine, this came with an array of issues (1).

Even with the new popularity of bodies being buried in honor, this still brought a variety of problems, and a lot of this is owed to its risk of disease and overpopulation of burial areas in inner-city cemeteries. According to “A History of Burial in London,” not only did the residents near these cemeteries begin to notice a wretched smell which could result in sickness, the individuals involved, known as “gravediggers” were at a major risk for disease. To make

(Image 1)
Cemetery at Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London, 1866

matters worse, the areas began to fill at a rapid rate, causing  the gravediggers to dig up the corpses and dismember them in order to make room for more. Due to major health concerns, Burial Acts were eventually integrated, in which areas away from the city were used, as well as cremation becoming another legal practice, which started in 1885 (1).

Delving into more specifics of the issues with overcrowding in these small, insufficient areas, the irony of this should be evident- a practice that was meant to honor the dead instead resulted in complete chaos and disrespect, such as coffins being stacked on top of each other, broken chunks and pieces being sold for firewood, and other unethical situations continued to arise (2). In reference to “Death in the city: the grisly secrets of dealing with Victorian London's dead,” an unnamed person said, “I saw them chopping the head of his coffin away; I should not have known it if I had not seen the head with the teeth; I knew him by his teeth; one tooth was knocked out and the other was splintered; I knew it was my father’s head, and I told them to stop, and they laughed..” Any sane individual would get chills from reading that, and to imagine that this terrible situation undoubtedly happened to others is proof of the opposite effect burial practices had (2.)

Among these burial practices were also ways in which people reacted to them. Family pictures were often taken, except the member that has passed remains as the center focus of the shot. This practice may seem unethical, but at the time it was just another way of honoring the deceased. This is called a “memento mori” and can also be done in other ways, such as placing a lock of hair from the deceased in a locket. 

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(Image 2)

“Both the parents in this picture are slightly blurred from movement; only their daughter is captured crisply.”

It is also interesting to note that coffins had been created with tubes and mirrors in order for gravediggers to take note of any movement, if there was any (3). While these practices or even the history of burial practices would scare off the people of today, it should be established that all of this had to happen. Had none of this occurred, our wakes and funerals would be very different and perhaps not serve the purpose that we wish for, which is to simply honor our loved ones in their passing.

Bibliography

(1.) Dunning, Hayley. “A History of Burial in London.” Natural History Museum, 31 May 2017, www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/a-history-of-burial-in-london.html.

(2.) Jackson, Lee. “Death in the City: the Grisly Secrets of Dealing with Victorian London's Dead.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 22 Jan. 2015, www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/jan/22/death-city-grisly-secrets-victorian-london-dead.

(3.) Lang, Leslie. “13 Fascinating Victorian Funeral Customs.” Ancestry Blog, Family History, 30 July 2014, blogs.ancestry.com/cm/13-fascinating-victorian-funeral-customs/.

Image 1: Dunning, Hayley. “Cemetery at Bunhill Fields, Finsbury, London, 1866.” A History of Burial in London, 21 May 2017.

Image 2: George, Phillip. Both the Parents in This Picture Are Slightly Blurred from Movement; Only Their Daughter Is Captured Crisply. The Conversation, 21 June 2015.