|
Source: (consider it)
|
Thread: Christened over the coffin
|
North East Quine
Curious beastie
# 13049
|
Posted
My great grandmother died two days after the birth of my great aunt, and family lore states that my great aunt was "christened over the coffin."
It occurs to me that although I have heard this phrase used of several people, I don't know what it means.
Does it mean that the funeral and baptism were combined into one service, or was the baby literally held over its mother's coffin to be baptised, possibly a couple of days before the funeral?
Or does it just mean that the baptism took place in the interval between the death and burial, rather than literally involving the coffin? A figure of speech?
My late grandmother was present when her youngest sister was so baptised, but it's many years too late to ask her what actually happened. I do know that the memory was a painful one, but that might have been the general distress of her mother's death, rather than a specific memory of her sister being held over her mother's coffined body.
Does anyone know?
[ 22. November 2015, 17:34: Message edited by: North East Quine ]
Posts: 6414 | From: North East Scotland | Registered: Oct 2007
| IP: Logged
|
|
Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829
|
Posted
In the days of the open coffin in the house (sorry, I'm assuming that this was customary in Scotland too), it could even have been with the coffin open...
ETA - Celtic Knotweed has just piped up over my shoulder to state that she thinks the mother Knotweed might know someone who might know. She'll poke her once they're back from Parts North.
AG
[ 22. November 2015, 17:36: Message edited by: Sandemaniac ]
--------------------
"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869
Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007
| IP: Logged
|
|
North East Quine
Curious beastie
# 13049
|
Posted
I had envisaged it with the coffin open, in the house, and the baby literally held over its mother's body, but I realise I have no factual evidence that this was so.
Posts: 6414 | From: North East Scotland | Registered: Oct 2007
| IP: Logged
|
|
Mudfrog
Shipmate
# 8116
|
Posted
In my family tree one of my x-times grandfathers buried his wife on the day that his daughter was baptised. presumable she died in childbirth.
I imagine the poor man carrying his baby daughter into the church behind his wife's coffin and the baptism taking place in the same service.
How heartbreaking must that have been?
--------------------
"The point of having an open mind, like having an open mouth, is to close it on something solid."
G.K. Chesterton
Posts: 8237 | From: North Yorkshire, UK | Registered: Jul 2004
| IP: Logged
|
|
rolyn
Shipmate
# 16840
|
Posted
We've had a quick google on this interesting topic and found that the saying 'Christened over the coffin' was literally true on some occasions.
Babies were Christened straight away if they weren't expected to live, and given that the Mother hadn't survived childbirth then yes, it sounds as if the baby was indeed baptised over the body of it's mother. It was believed the mother could be in some way *present* at the proceedings if this was done.
--------------------
Change is the only certainty of existence
Posts: 3206 | From: U.K. | Registered: Dec 2011
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
Printer-friendly view
