Gentlemen Only Funerals in Wales - Why?

[nanny jan]

Visiting my in-laws in Yorkshire in 1970s, reading the local newspaper and many death announcements had "men only" funerals. 

[Romilly]

I found the same thing for my late Uncle’s funeral announcement in Swansea in 1930. It just seems to have been the custom in Wales.

Romilly

[Wexflyer]

Quare folk over there in Wales!

[SMJ]

Still quite common when I lived in Bargoed, Mid Glamorgan, Wales in 1980-1990.

[Rena]

The requirement for a funeral when I was young was that tongue sandwiches were served.   Widows wore "widows weeds", which meant that they wore dark mourning clothes for at least one year.

The other custom regarding women was new mothers had to be "churched" before they started visiting people again.  One of my mother's cousins (born early 1900s) recounted how she had knocked on the door of an aunt to show her her baby, but instead of her aunt welcoming her she was vigorous in telling her to get off her doorstep and not come back until she'd been cleansed at church.

Regarding adoption in earlier centuries.  I have a widowed mother of several young children who married again.  Her new husband didn't want the youngsters of the previous husband in his newly acquired house and demanded they be sent to live with paternal relatives up in Yorkshire..  The document is signed by a few named men who guaranteed to safely take the children to their paternal relatives up in Yorkshire. 

[Andrew Tarr]

Experienced this in 2005 in Scotland. Tradition.

Perhaps it has its roots in days when a coffin might have to be carried a long distance to a church over a 'corpse road' ? Quite likely in rural Wales or Scotland, where parishes were large, hilly and sparsely populated.

On the other hand, an anecdote from industrial south Wales (woman speaking, Welsh accent) : "not a good funeral, only a cup of tea and a sandwich".

[Andrew Tarr]

Widows wore "widows weeds", which meant that they wore dark mourning clothes for at least one year.

As many still do in Mediterranean countries, for the rest of their lives.

[iolaus]

Tradition

Women stayed at the house

I remember it with my husband's great aunt's funeral in 2000  (born 1911)- we both went to the house with her coffin in the front room for the service, but only the men were allowed to go to the internment, apparently it was her wish

My husband remembers the same for her brother (his great grandfather) funeral in the 1980s

[Rena]

Widows wore "widows weeds", which meant that they wore dark mourning clothes for at least one year.

As many still do in Mediterranean countries, for the rest of their lives.

My paternal grandmother wore widows weeds from the time my grandfather died in 1928 to the day she died in 1942.  As most things were rationed in WWII, I have no idea how she managed it.
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