a 'silent' burial

[Andrew Tarr]

How would you interpret the comment attached to Lydia's entry below?  Will it mean a deaf-mute?

Note her mother died a couple of weeks later ....

[dawnsh]

possibly a Quaker?

try google for quaker silent funeral

[Melbell]

Could it say 'infant' rather than 'silent'?
Just a thought,
Melbell

[groom]

How old was she?

Look at this link, if I'm reading it correctly, it seems to mean that it was a burial without bells etc and was connected to suicide, especially female suicides.

http://www.rootschat.com/links/01jav/

You need to scroll down for the whole article.

[stanmapstone]

A Silent Burial probably means there was no religious service.
Before the 1880 Burial Laws Amendment Act no body could be buried in consecrated ground except with the service of the Church, which the incumbent of the parish or a person authorized by him was bound to perform; but the canons and prayer-book refused the use of the office for excommunicated persons, for some grievous and notorious crime, and no person able to testify of his repentance, unbaptized persons, and persons against whom a verdict of felo de se had been found.

Stan

[mazi]

Lydia was 5 years and two months old, mum must have been a recent widow as there was a three year old born to her also.

Mike

[stanmapstone]

She might have been unbaptized

Stan

[Andrew Tarr]

Lydia was 5 years and two months old, mum must have been a recent widow as there was a three year old born to her also.

Thanks to all for interesting replies.  Yes, Samuel Gaskill was buried in the previous November, so maybe Lydia died as a consequence; though if she was only 5 that seems unlikely.

This is the only example of a Silent burial I have found in about 600.  One or two have been annotated as 'Romon' who presumably were buried grudgingly according to statute.

[LizzieW]

Before the 1880 Burial Laws Amendment Act no body could be buried in consecrated ground except with the service of the Church, which the incumbent of the parish or a person authorized by him was bound to perform; but the canons and prayer-book refused the use of the office for excommunicated persons, for some grievous and notorious crime, and no person able to testify of his repentance, unbaptized persons, and persons against whom a verdict of felo de se had been found.

How very unChristian these church people used to be - or was it down to the government if the 1880 Act was an Amendment?  How can it possibly be a child's fault that it's not been baptised and to then bar them from having a burial in consecrated ground is unthinkable.