The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-11-20
Graveyard Superstiti0ns.

Ir Is seldom that one hears nowadays
of the observance of the quaint funeral
customs which formerly existed in many
an English country village, the DID,
world notions which gave rise to them
having died out. owing perhaps to the m
PRODUCTION of railways and school boards.
Thus in the north Of England it was Gus
tomary, only a few years ago, TO carry
:. the dead with the sun " to the grave
practice corresponding with the High
land usage of making "the deazll" or
walking three times round a person &C.
cording to the course of the sun. On
one occasion, in the village of Stranton,
near West Hartlepo0l, the vicar was
standing at the church-vard gate, await
inc the arrival of the funeral procession
when, much to his surprise, the entire
oroup. who had come within q few
yards of him, suddenly turned back and
marched round the church.yard wall,
thus traversing its west, north and east
boundaries. On inquiring the reason OF
this extraordinary procedure, one me, Of the
mourners quickly replied, why, ye
wad no haze them carry the dead again
the sun: the dead maun ay 20 WI the
SUM-" This is not unlike a Welsh GUS
tom mentioned by Pennant, who tells US
that when q corpse was conveyed to the
church-yard from any part Of the town n
, GREAT care was always taken that it
, should be carried the whole distance on
the rieht.hand side of the road. From
, time immemorial there has been a
. strong feeling of repugnance among the
inhabitants of rural parishes nj, !! :.
t burial " without the sanctuary" Inns
does not mean in unconsecrated
n ground, but on the north side OF tht
9 Church, or in . remote corner OF tnt
I church.yard. The origin of this preju
|. dice is said to have been the notion tina
}. the northern part was that which wa
Il appropriated to the interment OF unoaP
tied infants, communicated persons
or such as had laid violent hands upo,
themselves. Hence it was POPULAR
known as "the wrong. side OF tn
O. church." In many parishes: tnere e'.S;'
in this spot remained unoccupied' VIM!
IN the remaining portion Of the church
G, ward was crowded. White, in h
in iHistory of Selborne, abiding to tn
ne superstition, says that rs most peop
wished to be buried on the south side
to the church.yard, it became such ma
#, of mortality that no person could DC j
,g TERED "without disturbing or dlspla
in inc the bones of his ancestors" Gre
n attention has generally been paid, OILS
he to the position of the grave, the pop
tic lar one being from east to west, WIN
X. that from north to south has been co
I'D sidercd not only dishonorable' but u
~o lucky. w.,
rs, funerals is termed the "parso'
er. penny" After reading the burial ST
ere Vice in the church, the clergyman sta!
M behind table while q psalm IS oei
it'll SING. In the mean time each OF
int mournevs places q piece OF money
up. the table for his acceptance. This c
Of emony is regarded as token OF resp
ted to the deceased, although it was
We doubt originally intended to compens
ice the clergyman for praying, for
md soul Of the departed. In SO
in welsh parishes, also, a similar custo
nil called !.spsds-money," is kept up. i,
,uld tor the corpse has been committed
'uld its resting.place, the grave-digger T
Or . SCENTS his spade as q receptacle lot
one nations, these offerings, which Of
be Amount to goodly sum, being resar
dis. 90 his nerouisite. In Yorkshire, at
funerals of the rich in former days
we was customary to hand "barnt WINE
Ter the company in silver tlagon, GU
rom which eyery one drank. This bever
the seems to have been heated prep
per ton of port-wine with sugar ana So
orty and should any remain, it was
rust , round in the Aagon to the house
own friends for distribution. This OF cou
,uls- was 3 species Of funeral feast, Gale 9,
cunt the north of England an "arval'
,uire lingering survival Of the offerings
'hra- originally were made to the ghost OF
thick deceased. .m
four Among the superstitions that still (
luare to the c6urch.yard may be ment''
es q one that has existed from the mos
! fur. mote period, and which has invest
mt to with an atmosphere OF G1eau-.I ia
than been generally supposed tnss inc!
every haunted by sPecters ana apPa1.
}. As Indeed, it has been truly Polnteo o'
J, the Mr.. Tylor that through all tne en-
coal of religious thought from nrst 10 u
stion, the course of human history: tne n
lsand inc ghosts of the dead make the
.pular night battle-ground aplace ~nere !
desh creeps with terror.