Arcades Blog
Funeral directing has come a long way since it first emerged as a profession over two centuries ago. For years, 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. 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 people who worked 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 by hand from solid oak, elm or mahogany, and then sealed with wax or bitumen. A generous supply of wood shavings was then spread within the inside of the coffin 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.
Families chose the front room or parlor as the last resting place for their loved one, who would be laid out in their best clothes and left with the family 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 appear until the late 1950s.
With the coffin set on trestles in the front room, 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 hide the unpleasant odors which naturally arose.
On the day of the funeral, which usually took place three or four days after death, the family and friends lined up outside of their homes. With curtains drawn, out of respect, they would stand silently as the cortege passed. The body was nearly always buried in the nearest churchyard, as a fee had to be paid to move the body outside of a town’s boundaries.
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 · February 26th, 2010 · Comments (0)
Nowadays, more than ever before, the role of the funeral director is continuing to evolve in order to keep up continual changes in cultural expectations. The profession has significantly moved on from its beginnings, way back in the eighteenth century.
Over the past couple of decades, society has started to think about death differently, and the role of the funeral director has adapted to meet these new needs. These days, funeral homes are more of a ‘one stop shop’, offering the full range of services, from lasting keepsakes to floral tributes.
For an increasing amount of people, whilst grief is obviously still at its core, the funeral of a loved one has become an opportunity to celebrate their life, rather than focus on mourning. Strictly black attire and solemn hymns have begun to give way to subtle introductions of color and pop songs liked by the deceased. The funeral director has needed to adapt to this cultural drift and offer a broader range of services.
Since the option of pre-payment was introduced around thirty years ago, pre-paid funeral plans have steadily been on the increase. A growing number of people also go beyond this, not only paying for their own funeral in advance, but also planning the actual ceremony, so the family approaches the funeral director knowing the full wishes of their loved one.
To act as efficient as they can, funeral directors also need to be aware of the shifting business of life. In addition to dealing first-hand with grief and loss, they can offer counseling, help with legal matters and financial guidance, and signpost families to support groups and aftercare services. Rather than the ‘body-centered’ service of the past, today the profession is significantly more knowledge-based.
As we moved into the twenty-first century, so we saw a continuing rise in the number of dispersed families. When it comes to handling the death of a loved one, many people therefore simply welcome convenience. The role of the funeral director has evolved to take this into account, using the Internet to streamline its services and help to ease the burden of loss.
From a financial perspective, funeral directors have seen profit margins reduce quite significantly. This has led to many expanding their range of services and products, including online obituaries and creative keepsakes.
Funeral directors will need to continue adapting their services in the future. However, whatever changes the future may bring, their role will remain sensitive, practical and comforting.
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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 services across a variety of faiths, beliefs and ways of celebrating life.
Tags: death, Family, funeral directors, funerals, society
Posted in Dying · February 3rd, 2010 · Comments (0)