Glamorganshire, March 1. 1850.
_Death-bed Superstition._--When a curate in Exeter I met with the
following superstition, which I do not remember to have seen noticed
before. I had long visited a poor man, who was dying of a very painful
disease, and was daily expecting his death. Upon calling one morning to
see my poor friend, his wife informed me that she thought he would have
died during the night, and consequently she and her friends unfastened
_every lock in the house_. On my inquiring the reason, I was told that
any bolt or lock fastened was supposed to cause uneasiness to, and
hinder the departure of the soul, and consequently upon the approach of
death all the boxes, doors, &c., in the house were unlocked. Can any of
your readers tell me whether this is in any way a general superstition
amongst the lower orders, or is it confined to the West of England?