The History Hare - August 20, 2009

PALLBEARERS

by footnoteMaven

A garland fresh and fair
Of lilies there was made
In sign of her virginity
And on her coffin laid
Six maidens all in white
Did bear her to the ground
~ Unknown ~

Often the use of a word becomes so commonplace we take it for granted never questioning its origins. Such is the word “pallbearer.”

Today the accepted definition of pallbearer is someone who helps carry the casket of a deceased person from a religious service, memorial service, or viewing to a cemetery or mausoleum, or to and from the hearse.

Pallbearer is comprised of two words; pall and bearer. Bearer, one who bears or carries is easy to recognize, but what is a pall? A Glossary of Liturgical and Ecclesiastical Terms defines a pall as “A covering of velvet, charged with a cross, placed over a hearse or over the coffin itself at the time of burial. In ancient times such an "ornament" existed in every parish for the general benefit of the faithful. It was frequently purple, but no one colour was generally adopted.” Illustration at left.

Originally the duty of the pallbearer was to carry the cloth or velvet pall that covered the coffin—hence the name, pallbearer. Later pallbearers walked with the casket holding the hem of the pall as the casket was borne by assistants of the clergy of the church where the funeral was held.

The custom developed into a more important duty—participants actually carried the casket into and out of the church and were selected from among the most intimate friends of the deceased.

In Victorian times there were two categories of pallbearers, honorary and active (a custom that is still practiced today). If the deceased were a member of a union, fraternal organization, a wealthy, or highly respected citizen there would be honorary pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers did not bear the casket. Active pallbearers actually carried the casket.

The pallbearers, dressed in deepest black, frock coat, trousers, vest, tie, and gloves all matching, walked two by two before the casket, the immediate family following the casket. The number of pallbearers varied from no less than six to as many as eighteen.

Recently I purchased this cabinet card photograph of six women dressed in white wearing dark sashes (probably red) and a ribbon reading “Pallbearer.” Other than military funerals I have never personally seen women pallbearers. Was the pallbearer duty strictly masculine? Historically is there evidence of women pallbearers and what is the earliest reference to the practice?

The photograph was taken by Frank Kelly, Photographer, South Whitley, Ind.
Mr. Kelly’s work as a photographer and the clothing of the women
indicate a date somewhere in the 1880s.

The first reference to female pallbearers I found in my research comes to us by way of William Shakespeare’s burial of Ophelia in Hamlet. Ophelia is carried to the grave by six maidens, often represented on stage as dressed completely in white.

In 1624, Ellen Love of Baldesmere, Kent, specified in her will that at her funeral four maids were to carry her corpse to church. Her wishes were carried out.

A description of the 1821 Delaware funeral of Miss Mary Vining in the Historical Register and Monthly Gazette of the Patriotic-Hereditary Societies of the United States of America read; “An elderly friend of mine, Miss Sarah Black, was a pallbearer at Miss Vining's funeral, and she described the ceremonies to me. At that time it was customary to have lady pallbearers, and Miss Vining being unmarried the pallbearers must be the same. As Miss Vining had outlived her compeers, six young girls were chosen. They had never seen her face and they may be pardoned if their gay young hearts were not much oppressed with grief.”

In 1897, the New York Times reported on the death of Miss Elizabeth B. Hildebrand of New Brunswick. She was borne to the grave by six young women who were friends and fellow members of the Children of Mary.

Emily Holt in the 1915 edition of the Encyclopaedia of Etiquette wrote the following; “For a young person—a girl or a very young man—it is the custom now to appoint this guard from among the most intimate friends of the deceased. Six young ladies in white would suitably serve in honor of one of their own sex and age, while an equal number of young men would officiate at the funeral of a young man.”

Emmeline Pankhurst, the British suffragist’s 1928 funeral saw her coffin carried by ten women pallbearers. Many references can be found in the early 1900s to women pallbearers. Often the references were justified by the necessity of the use of women due to the loss of men during the war.

My favorite justification for women acting as pallbearers came from an August 7, 1932, New York Times article from Columbus, Georgia. The article stated that women in Columbus had long been competing with men in numerous capacities, but now they had usurped another duty that had formerly been considered strictly masculine. The paper cited the fact that in the last few months there had been several funerals at which there had been women pallbearers.

This New York Times article was incorrect. History does not bear out their assertion that until 1932 serving as a pallbearer was a strictly masculine duty. Women pallbearers have been around for a very long time.

If you have instances of women pallbearers in your family history, I'd love to know about it. Please add it to the comments below.

Sources:

Books:

Browning, Charles. Historical Register and Monthly Gazette of the Patriotic-Hereditary Societies of the United States of America. Philadelphia: Historical Register Publishing Company, 1895.

Crissman, James K. Death and Dying In Central Appalachia: Changing Attitudes and Practices.Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1994.

Earle, Alice Morse. Two Centuries of Costume in America. New York: Macmillan, 1903.

Gittings, Clare. Death, Burial and The Individual In Early Modern England. London: Taylor & Francis, Inc., 1988.

Holt, Emily. Encyclopaedia of Etiquette : What To Write, What To Do, What To Wear, What To Say: A Book of Manners For Everyday Use.

Lee, Frederick George. A Glossary of Liturgical and Ecclesiastical Terms. London: Bernard Quaritch, 1877.

Sangster, Margaret E. Good Manners For All Occasions. New York: The Christian Herald, 1909.

Simons, Algie Martin. The International Socialist Review.Chicago: Charles H. Kerr & Co., 1901.

White, Annie Randall. Polite Society At Home and Abroad: A Complete Compendium of Information Upon All Topics Classified Under The Head Of Etiquette. Chicago: Monarch Book Company, 1891.

Newspapers:

Women Act as Pallbearers. New York Times, Aug 7, 1932. Online Archives. http://www.proquest.com : 2009.

Women As Pall Bearers. New York Times, Dec. 27, 1897. Online Archives. http://www.proquest.com : 2009.

Photograph:

Women Pallbearers. Frank Kelly. Photograph (Cabinet Card). ca. 1880. Privately held by the footnoteMaven, Preston, Washington. 2009.