MR. GATTY'S observations (Vol. iii., p. 499.) regarding the funeral of
an Irish labourer, have reminded me that while on a visit some years ago
to a brother in the city of Hamburgh, we one Sunday spent the day with a
worthy pastor of a small village a few miles from that city, where we
went early enough to attend morning service in the village church; and
in the afternoon, while indulging with our pipes and coffee in an alcove
in the pastor's garden, I observed a funeral approach the churchyard
gate, and understanding that the ceremony was different to what I had
been accustomed to, I laid down my pipe and walked into the churchyard
to observe what passed, and my movement induced my brother and another
or two to become spectators also. The funeral party having arranged
themselves at the entrance, the ceremony commenced as follows. The
parish clerk or verger walked first, having a lemon in one hand and a
bunch of evergreen in the other; he was followed by six choristers or
singing boys, then six men as bearers carrying the coffin, and after
them the mourners and other attendants. As soon as the cavalcade moved
off, the clerk or verger gave out a strophe of some psalm or hymn, which
he and the boys chanted while moving round the churchyard; and thus
chanting they followed a green path, which I discovered was kept close
mown for the purpose; and I observed our worthy pastor had joined the
cavalcade, though alone, and at some little distance from the mourners.
I understood it was customary thus to move three times round, but being
a very sultry afternoon, the party made two turns serve, when coming to
the open grave the bearers let down the coffin into it, and then another
strophe was chanted, which ended, the mourners took a last look at the
coffin, and silently dropped their sprigs of evergreen upon it; the
bearers then each took a spade, already provided for them, and quickly
filled up the grave, and adjusted its form, when the funeral party
returned silently home as they came. The pastor had now retreated again
to the alcove in his garden, where we soon joined him, and he told me
that as we had gone to witness the ceremony, it would have been thought
disrespectful had he not also shown himself, though it did not appear
that his attendance was necessary. The general practice here observed of
the bearers filling up the grave, shows that the Irish labourers had
some more general custom for their practice than MR. GATTY appears to be
aware of.