Does this sound like a Wake ??

[Black Sheep]

I found out my Great Grandmother died in 1936 at Nell Lane Withington (not sure if it was a hospital then) Her address was Queen Street Hulme on the certificate.

My Cousin remembers quite clearly being a small child visiting her Grandmother only to find her Great Grandmother lay down on the Sofa. My cousin was encouraged to kiss her only to find out she was dead !!

We always thought she had died at the house of her daughter but not so, was this the wake that is remembered and why was she not in a coffin

Black sheep

[xtonaud]

I have no explanation to offer - but this posting reminds me of one of my mother's earliest memories (and she was born 1928 so similar timeline) in that she had to kiss a dead infant, a neighbour, prior to burial and the memory of doing so has been an unpleasant memory throughout life.
Superstition played a part in this ritual.

Audrey H.

[woodydog]

Hi Audrey- Have come across this which might help a little-

"Only when dead could the body be looked at and touched. Among the labouring poor, Roberts reminds us, appearances were everything: hands, faces, outer clothing, doorsteps and entrances were kept spotless, as were reputations. Death offered a rare and valued opportunity for display. All but the destitute aspired to the horses, ostrich plumes and procession of the funeral cortege, while the laying out of the body, visitors coming to call, look and touch, were the gestures and rituals of a communal spectacle which formed a carapace of feeling".

Will have a further look to see if I can find anything more.
Hope it helps
Rose

[xtonaud]

Thanks for that Rose, it's interesting to hear the different rituals over time.

Audrey

[Black Sheep]

Thanks for your replies Audrey and Rose.

I had not heard of this before and it is very interesting to hear about not being able to look or touch them until they are dead.

If she had died in the Workhouse, would they have still had Wakes if they were so poor ??

Very Interesting...

Black Sheep

[xtonaud]

This thread is awakening "forgotten" memories!
My paternal grandmother was born 1877 - had my father late in life and he was 12/13 years older than my mother, hence some 28/30 years difference in the ages of my two grandmothers.
When I joined the Marie Curie nursing service it was hard to express the fulfillment of the role and very difficult to explain how it wasn't always doom and gloom, far from it. A great aunt dolefully remarked "she gets it from her grandma" and apparently my paternal grandmother used to be the local "death visitor" of our village, getting corpses washed and "laid out". I know it was frowned upon to use rooms of repose - coffin and corpse always in "front room" or "parlour" prior to the funeral.
I was born 1950 and it seems now so very different and hard to explain life before central heating or the thrill of using a fridge for the first time!!!! I digress but thanks for the memories.

Audrey

[sarah]

I was reading my book last night "Don't wake me at Doyles" about an Irish Family who moved to Birmingham in the mid war period. Maura talks about "Kissing the Corpse" withs some horror and adds that..

I often had to represent the family at funerals. Years ago, when someone died, every household was represented by somebody. You would go with an offering for the dead and leave it on the table next to the coffin. It would be for the church really. My father would send me off to funerals with two shillings and I'd tear along the lanes on my bicycle

Sarah