Funeral directing has changed a lot since it first emerged as a profession over two hundred years ago. For years, funerals were arranged by people who just did it part time alongside their day job, who often did it just because they were friendly with the family who had lost someone. 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 the ‘layers out’ were very often the same women who worked as midwives. Over the years, 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.
Once the coffin was made, it was then taken to the house of the deceased. 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 was done because it was felt that it was essential that the body remain at the home of the deceased prior to the funeral.
The family of the deceased chose the front room as the final resting place for their loved one, who would be laid out in their best clothes and left there until the day of the funeral. This was the norm for many decades. The Chapels of Rest that we are familiar with in funeral establishments today did not come into use until the late 1950s.
With the coffin set on trestles in the parlor, candles would be arranged either side and a small altar set up at the foot of it. 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 to place fragrant flowers around the room to absorb any unpleasant odors.
The funeral normally took place 3 or 4 days after the death, and on this day friends and family lined 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.
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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.
