If you have ever attended a Church of England funeral you will probably have heard the words ‘In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life’ – either at the graveside while earth is being thrown onto the coffin or as the curtains close around the coffin at a Crematorium. They point toContinue reading “‘In sure and certain hope…’: Church of England funeral rites from the Tudors to Today”
Tag Archives: Death
‘Two Years of Sable Gloom’: The Stages of Victorian Mourning
Chris Woodyard The two years of the title is often cited as the required time for a widow to mourn for her husband – there’s a popular trope that all Victorian widows wore full black with crape veils for two solid years. The reality is much more nuanced, depending on the year and the etiquetteContinue reading “‘Two Years of Sable Gloom’: The Stages of Victorian Mourning”
Archaeology of Coffins & Shrouds in Colonial North America
In case you missed very interesting discussion on Oct 9th 2023, Grave Matters has asked me to prepare a blog post of my talk! I’m Robyn Lacy, a PhD Candidate in historical archaeology at Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador. My research focuses on 17th-century burial grounds and burial landscape development in the colonial northeastContinue reading “Archaeology of Coffins & Shrouds in Colonial North America”
“Sleep today, O early fallen”: Grief and the Good Death in the Music of the American Civil War
Of the more than ten thousand songs published between 1861 and 1865, hundreds dwelt on the topic of death and mourning. Many more songs remained unpublished but circulated in popular repertories nonetheless, and a countless number of these pieces dealt with similar matters. Across five Aprils, the American Civil War claimed upwards of 650,000 lives,Continue reading ““Sleep today, O early fallen”: Grief and the Good Death in the Music of the American Civil War”
Mocking the Medium and Scoffing at Spirits: Reading Humour in Spiritualism Literature
Let us take a moment to glance at the brighter side of death and peer ‘beyond the veil’ at some amusing narratives emanating from the Victorian séance room. In considering light-hearted episodes from Punch, a scathing dramatic monologue from Robert Browning, and a mischievous scene from a popular Spiritualism memoir, we can glimpse the humorousContinue reading “Mocking the Medium and Scoffing at Spirits: Reading Humour in Spiritualism Literature”
Call for Speakers 2023
We are looking for speakers for Grave Matters: Death Studies Discussion Group for 2023. Each session follows a loose theme with three ten-minute papers followed by questions and discussion. Proposed dates for 2023 are (all sessions run from 6pm to 7pm GMT): Monday 6 March 2023 Monday 24 April 2023 Monday 5 June 2023 SuggestedContinue reading “Call for Speakers 2023”
Standing to the Last: Extreme Embalming as a Practice of Resistance
It seemed like a regular day at Tato’s Heart Ambulance in July of 2010. Edgardo Velázquez Velázquez was in the driver’s seat of one of the fleet’s vehicles. Velázquez Velázquez seemed ready to go, but he would not be driving off the company premises. He would actually be interred at the end of the day.Continue reading “Standing to the Last: Extreme Embalming as a Practice of Resistance”
Corporeal Encounters: The Corpse in Contemporary Art
WARNING: This post contains images of and explicit discussion regarding the human corpse. The corpse in contemporary art is a transgression of boundaries. It is a taboo not often seen in a gallery setting, let alone in our everyday lives. When we engage with artworks that involve the corpse – as subject matter or mediumContinue reading “Corporeal Encounters: The Corpse in Contemporary Art”
Valley of the Victorians: Egyptianising Mortuary Structures in Victorian England.
If you happened to wander around a Victorian garden cemetery in England, it’s not unlikely that you would stumble upon an Ancient Egyptian style (or ‘egyptianised’) grave. Whilst moss-covered obelisks and pyramids might seem a curious sight in predominantly Christian burial grounds to the modern viewer, it reflects a society that took delight in allContinue reading “Valley of the Victorians: Egyptianising Mortuary Structures in Victorian England.”
Hair Work: A Meditation
Hair is deeply personal and something expected to be attached to a person’s body. But in many museum collections, antique stores, and family collections one can encounter complex, knotted, sculptural wreaths constructed out of human hair. These objects, known as hair wreaths, hair work, or hair art, are fascinating objects that can reveal much aboutContinue reading “Hair Work: A Meditation”
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