Friday, 3 April 2015

A-Z Challenge 2015: C is for Corpse Way

Yes, you read it right; C is for Corpse Way - and we are talking dead bodies here.  Churchyards were attached to churches, and the deceased might have died some way away from it (but still within the parish),
A-Z Challenge: 'C'
so the coffin would have to be transported several miles, in some instances.

So 'corpse ways' started (also known as 'corpse roads', 'bier roads', 'burial roads', 'coffin roads'), and became traditional, mixed with superstition. The people who moved the body were afraid that if they went any other way, the ghost of the deceased would come back to haunt them.


Coffin Stone
Coffin stone at Grasmere; courtesy geograph.co.uk
Unless the deceased had been wealthy, the body in its coffin would have to be carried.  Large stones ('coffin stones') were placed along the route:
a) so that the coffin bearers could have a rest! and
b) so that the coffin would not touch the ground and ruin it for any future crops.


© 2015 Ros Haywood. All Rights Reserved
Posted by at

9 comments:

  1. Hilary Melton-Butcher3 April 2015 at 09:47

    Hi Ros - I don't think I've ever seen a Corpse Road ... but can believe the lore you've told us ... I hadn't realised it all before. Gallows Roads are quite common ... cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  2. Ros Haywood3 April 2015 at 10:14

    I hadn't heard of Gallows Roads before; but it all adds to my store of trivia. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. ScotSue3 April 2015 at 19:49

    This was all new to me, so thank you for sharing the information.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Birgit3 April 2015 at 20:02

    I never heard of this before but is that why, in olden days people would follow the coffin that was being carried?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ros Haywood3 April 2015 at 20:44

      Don't know when the custom of following the coffin came about, but it is still done nowadays (think of Princess Diana's funeral). There are lots of customs, rituals, and traditions around funerals. They go back to Roman times (and probably beyond), when they used to pay professional mourners sometimes! (to weep and wail and make out the deceased was HUGELY beloved).

      Delete
  5. Ros Haywood3 April 2015 at 20:40

    To be honest, it was new to me as well. But one of the things I love is learning weird and wonderful - and NEW - things.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Matthew MacNish3 April 2015 at 20:55

    This is so creepy, but such an awesome topic! I think I've visited here on previous A to Z challenges. Nice to see you again, Ros!

    2015 A to Z Challenge Co-Host
    Matthew MacNish from The QQQE

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ros Haywood3 April 2015 at 21:06

      Hello again Matthew! You think *that* was creepy? There were several icky superstitions I had to wade through and edit out...

      Delete
  7. Wendy7 April 2015 at 16:06

    Very interesting tradition and superstition.
    Late in visiting AtoZ

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Copyright

You may NOT use the contents of this site for commercial purposes without explicit written permission from the author and blog owner. Commercial purposes includes blogs with ads and income generating features, and/or blogs or sites using feed content as a replacement for original content. Full content usage is not permitted.

You Might Also Be Interested In

Total Pageviews

Blog Archive