What's a MORTCLOTH?

[CarolBurns]

I have some records from another rellie of the Horsburgh Family and on the parish records for various areas I have found " money for mortcloth for --------'s child"

Is this is a form of burial cloth?

Carol

[julianb]

Explanation here:

http://freepages.folklore.rootsweb.com/~bldr/funerals.html

JULIAN

[MaryA]

Had a google for you Carol



        In rural areas the undertaker was usually the local joiner. The most expensive funeral involved the use of the hearse, drawn where possible by black horses wearing plumes. Most families could not afford this and the coffin was carried by relatives and neighbours on a litter or was transported in a trap or cart.

         

        The coffin would be covered by a mortcloth, a black, usually velvet, piece of cloth. This cloth, as was the hearse, was owned by the parish and a charge was made for it. Sometimes even a coffin was too expensive and the body was simply wrapped in a sheet.


From Funeral Customs Scotland http://freepages.folklore.rootsweb.com/~bldr/funerals.html

Mary

[MaryA]

Records sound extremely useful

Mortcloths were hired out by the kirk session to cover a coffin, and the mortcloth index for Coldingham parish in Berwickshire covers almost 4000 burials. The index entries give the name of the deceased person, where he or she was living, and extra details such as if a child, a woman dying in childbirth or a stranger to the area. Causes of death are often indicated, such as people falling from rocks or drowning by swimming. The ages of older people are often given and occupations are a common extra piece of information.

From Viv Dunstan's indexes - Coldingham mortcloth index, 1694-1759
http://www.vivdunstan.co.uk/indexes/coldmort.html

Google mortcloth and the parish you are interested in, there seems to be a fair few indexes knocking about.

[CarolBurns]

Thanks for all that info especially the sites

Poor Patrick had to have 4 between June 1745 and Oct 1746 and I don't know who they were for but it states 2 were for Pat's child, then it gives the amounts for 2 of them - £2 & 2 lib (?). The last one I think could have been for his wife as he remarried again.

Interesting reading are these - baptisms, marriages etc. Even a couple of rellies (I think) from the late 1600's - William and George (brothers)

In April 1668 William is charged with fornication with a jonnet Robinson. he was "upon his knees with tears professed his sorrow for that sin with the above named Jonnet Robinson. They spent 3 days upon the pillary of repentance.
In Jan 1675 george is upto the same thing and was up in court for it. This time the woman bessie Sleigh was pregnant. On Jan 24 george and Bessie recieved in cold sama and proclaimed. On feb 4 1675 they were made to marry and had a child in March

I can't prove 100% that these are the same brothers as are in our tree but what fun that would be to write about lol

Carol