The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-12-06
THE CORNISH
FUNERAL RITES.
The Peculiar ChGriShing Of M0urnful
Customs.
In Every Little Hamlet There Is the Car.
penter and Joiner, Who Is, by Favor
and Custom, the Undertaken.

CRowAN, Cornwall. Nov. %, 1871
always love to come into rough and hearty
old Cornwall. Physically it has two inter
esting aspects. the mo0rland, mineland in
terror barrenness; ard the weird and WON
drous coastwise scenic glory.
There are three kinds of folk and life in
Cornwall. The mines and miners largely
occupy the barren interior Between these
and the coast are the farms and farmers OF
the tiny combes and wales. And everybody
on the coast is a fisherman, fisnwife, or in
some way profits from the endless harvest
ing Of the deep. Yet these Cornish
folk are all one. They are one in
sentiment and tradition; in everyday life
and custom; in ceaseless labor and integ-
rity; in countless quaint and curious super
sttions; i'll dislike and distrust of every
English person and thing outside of Corn
wall aud they are one in an almost uni
versal piety. They are nearly all Meth
Gdists OF the first, firm sort They are all
God-fearing, spOOk-belieying honest-deal-
ing folk, VINO believe TINT liquor is as good
for the body as is religion for the soul,
scrimpiDg neither, induIging In neither to
excess, and, withal, savoring their rugged,
everyday lives with mutual helpfulne5s
that is noble and a generous hospitality to
no bounds.
Cornwall has few large towns People live
in miners cottages, farmh0uses and fishers
huts, which are huddled by thu half dozen
to perhaps a score. in tiny hamlets. In these,
Cornish life may be seen to-day precisely
as il has remained for hundreds of years.
Perhaps there is no event among these
people more Illustrative of character, traits
and the peculiar cherlshing OF mournful
customs than the Cornish funeral. No
=, hall Of ilae
roundabout, on funeral days. All festive
or political occasions fail to draw together
such Cornish crowds as the burial of the
loWliest man or woman OF Cornwall The
assemblGges never number less than many
hundreds, and usually comprise many
thousands OF Cousin Jacks" as all Corn
ishmen are called. and all call each other;
while the burial of Cornish farmer, miner
or fisherman will often attract far greater
crowds than that of the greatest and noblest
lord. 10 illustrate this singular outpour-
ing On funeral occasions, In 1870 the body OF
a Praze miner who had emigrated to
Colorado and had been accidentally killed
In one of the mines of that State was
brought back here for burial. The entire
population Of Cornwall is less than half
million souls, yet more than 100000 Cornish
folk attended this funeral.
Every little hamlet has its carpenter and
joiner. From time immemorial this person.
age has possessed extraordinary dignity
from the fact that by favor and custom, he
is also the undertaken. His shop, which is
also his home, where his apprentice lives
with him, is regarded with extreme awe.
1t contains the funeral tackle, the neces-
sary implements for burial, which have
been handed down through generations, and
in whose preservation himself and his wife
exercise and display extraordinary anxiety
and pride. The people are universally
superstitious regarding all these articles,
and III accidentally gpan living ahOnt
they exhibit
GENUINE AWE AND FEAR.
In fact, they are intensely and heredi-
tarily keen in all death pOTtents. attach the
greatest significance to the slightest token,
and, it is said, can smell funeral from
Bcdmm 10 Penzance."
At the discovery of the fainteSt aroma of
coffin varnish in any Cornish hamlet, every
body is astir. Men and women gather in
the streets, and women rush into each
others houses with the welcome-mOurnful
news.
"Oa, jimmy" the breathless visitor will
gasp, "Iommy's Che joiner maxim box,
yonp'
You is added to nearly every CONVEX
sau0nal exclamation, inquiry, answer or
sentence in Cornwall.
Howst ee knaaw, You?"
Cost ee smell unw
The joiner is quite as keen in keeping in
formed regarding the progress of any neigh
borhood Illness, and is not likely to be
caught unprepared when his services are
finally required; for there is not only thirty
shlllnsS, OF a tTifle over seven American
dollars to be got for tho ordinary Cornish
coffin, but death ushers in the joiner's abso-
lutte reign for at least forty-eight hours
During that period lie is the undertaken, the
greatest man il Cornwall; and in all COM
niands aud behests no car was ever more
implicitly obeyed.
But he cannot provide against accidents
in the mines. If in the night time a knock
ing is heard at his door his good wife jimmy
is the first to waken, with Tommy, sum-
budy's Jack be dead. Go t'dooa.w
Descending, he greets the swarthy "paird-
| ner' of the dead miner with q solemn WIS.,
age, calculating tho while il the lumber and
| coffin furniture are ready, when this brief
| but comprehensive cOlloQuy may be heard
'Wass matter, coden (cousn) Jack,
you2"
Thee cosn't guess whose dead, you"
mo, no. cuden Jack; who es %
Jacks Billy's dead, you. Hawl (hole in
| the 'mine-pitch9 went oaff about un n
| smash I'm all to seats"
Thee doesn't say 80 ?'
Yea. yes, you. Thees nuns max box
for unI'
All is now hustle in the little shop. The
measure for the box has been brought
with the aid of ''strop" OF string; or the
undertaken secures it by an extraordinary
oCiicS VI pih4CoolOudl ABOUT the
person Of the "pairdner," who as cautiously
admits certain comparisons regarding his
own stature and that OF 'un" who was
Smashed all to seats"
Then the sleepy prentice is bundled
out of bed and hurried off TO Prazs Helstou
or Penzance for the coffin handles and plate,
the latter always being huge enameled af-
fair more than a foot square.
The country undertaken will complete his
bog by the next evening. 1t is always the
same in Cornwall, of pine, stained a rich
dark cherry, with two heavy handles on
each side, the huge enameled plate on top,
upholstered with carpenters shavings and
cheap white muslin, pnd provided with a
stout rope handle, like that on an emigrant
chest, at the head and foot. There
ARE NO HORSES IN THIS LAND.
No carts, wagons or carriages are aver seen
here at a funeral, unless ii be at one of some
member of noble family.
The delivery of the coffin for "layin' out"
has therefore been for generations matter
Of Importance and rude ceremony and
always by hand. From the universal dread
OF these people to come in any manner of
contact with anything pertaining to the
dead. "carryin' the box" is attended with
some mystery and more difficulty. Usually
the undertaker's old cronies, who know that
liquor and perhaps shilling besides Is at
the end Of the journey, are engaged. These.
u.
set out on their lugubrious journey, which
Is often one of many miles.
On arrival at the place of destin alton the
box" is set down some distance from the
house. In accordance with long custom he
enters alone and announces his mission.
Through just as old custom a short period
of wailng is then the rule. This ceases as
abruptly as it began; when the undertaken
always asks of the widow: well, jimmy.
hast ee got any lickerp The chaps oui
theirs little 'frald." She will Invariably
reply, Yes, my son. plenty. plenty" He
then repairs to the thirsty helpers with the
remark. NC fear boys. long o. Jack. jim.
ny's got plenty licker"; and they will as
cheerily reply, "All right, Tommy, we can
| stand I'm nowp'
These matters, essential from time i'm
memorial. being once adjusted, they are fol-
lowed by great amount of officious meas
urement; for from first to last every posi-
bic opportunity for simple impressiveness
and effect is made most of. Sometimes the
"heading" of the little stairway is removed.
IA