An English view of Death
************************

The pre-Christian custom of burying men and women, fully clothed with weapons, dress fittings and 
other equipment, ended abruptly in the 680s. This sudden end of furnished burials coincided almost 
exactly with Theodore of Tarsus, Archbishop of Canterbury (AD 669–690). Theodore effected a truly 
comprehensive shift which brought the lives of everybody in Anglo-Saxon England into a common 
framework defined by the anticipation of how their body would be treated in death, and not even the 
Viking invasions and conquests two centuries later would alter this very much until the late 1940s 
when cremation finally overtook burial in the graveyard as the most popular method of disposal. 

The term 'graveyard' usually means the grounds of a church, whereas the term 'cemetery' means a place 
of burial not connected with a church, such as a local authority cemetery or private cemetery. Burials 
often occurred without a funeral, especially where children or poor people were concerned.

Before embalming and other sanitary measures, graveyards were often littered with bones and bits of 
charnel. Shallow graves allowed maggots and scavengers to dig up and scatter the remains along with 
any contagion they might also carry. Despite this unhealthiness, the living used churchyards as social 
centres where they conducted markets, played games, and, in Scotland, prepared for that massive 
corpse-producing activity known as war by practising archery or other weapons drills. The English 
Parliament suspected that these poor funeral and burial customs played a role in spreading the Black 
Death epidemics. In 1665, Parliament legislated against unnecessary visits by friends and children, 
large funerals, and, most importantly, graves less than six feet deep.

Around this time The practice of selling the same grave several times over was pioneered by church 
sextons who were faced with a huge demand for and a limited supply of burial plots. Pocketing the 
jewellery and other valuables they found with the corpses was a lucrative side profession for these 
caretakers. 

Sometimes though, the corpse was not quite as dead as it might be...

  "Margaret Halcrow Erskine, of Chirnside Scotland, "died" in 1674 and was buried shallowly 
  so the sexton could go back and steal her jewelry, a not uncommon occurrence at that time. 
  While the sexton was trying to cut off her finger to remove a ring, she awoke. Not only 
  did she go on to live a full live, but she also produced two relatively famous sons, Ralph 
  and Ebenezer Erskine, founders of the original Secession Church of Berwickshire." 
  No one knows what became of the sexton...

Versions of this "lady with the ring" story have been found to exist in several countries, including 
Germany, the Netherlands, France, Scandinavia, Italy, England, Scotland, and Ireland. It may or may 
not be wholly factually accurate, but it does go someway to proving that premature burial was a fact 
of life in the period.

Most early burials took place in the local graveyard, but from the 1850s municipal cemeteries were 
introduced to meet the demand for burial plots following a massive increase in the population.

Even today, burial still accounts for around 25% of all 'disposals' in Britain. In the intervening 
period the burial ground has witnessed severe overcrowding, efforts at moral reform and attempts at 
social climbing, the practice of folk customs and the imposition of legislation, the scandalous 
activities of the Resurrectionists and the 19c move from the churchyard to the suburban, municipally 
owned 'Garden Cemetery.'

More lately the typical English cemetery has experienced neglect and decay as post-War Western society 
has largely come to prioritise the welfare of the living over that of the ancestors; that said, the 
emerging practice of so-called 'green burial' suggests that the dead are keeping pace with the times.


Records
*******

A Death Record
 -is a certificate that states the date and place an individual died. These records are available from 
1837 onwards as published by the GRO. You can also order a copy of a death certificate if you need to, 
which can show you full information about the birth.
	
A burial record
 -is a any type of record or certificate that states the date and place an individual was buried. 
These records are often available from 1538 onwards, and are recorded in Parish Registers.

Burial records before 1538 are practically non existent. Manorial records may help where the deceased 
was a copyhold tenant, otherwise unless your ancestor was wealthy and owned a large estate, or left 
a Will, there is unlikely to be any record of the death.

From 1538, when parish records began, burial records were kept on pieces of paper with baptism records. 
When books were introduced in 1598 the burial records were often entered on the opposite page to 
baptisms, but in some parishes they were still mixed in amongst the baptism records. This makes them 
more difficult to read. You should always check every page.

The information recorded varies according to each parish. At first only the name of the person being 
buried and the date of burial was recorded. It wasn't until the 17th century that burial records 
relating to children mentioned the name of the parents, and then often only the name of the dead 
child's father. Later the mother's name was included, but age at death wasn't entered until the late 
18th century, and in some parishes, not at all before 1813.

Occasionally the date of death is recorded, but this is rare as well.


Infant mortality
****************

Before the 19c child deaths accounted for almost half of all burials. Infant mortality (death before 
aged 1 year) was at least 100 times higher than today. Between 1700 and 1800, 5% of children died 
within the first few days of birth and 20% died before age 10. In some cities at the end of the 18c 
half the children died before they were five years old; in London before they were three years old.

Infants often did not have their own grave. Early in the middle ages they were not treated in the same 
way as adults, often thought to have been discarded in spoil heaps, middens and even rivers. They 
were sometimes wrapped in a woollen cloth and placed in the same coffin as a random adult being buried 
at the same time. This all helped to keep the cost down for poor families. Although there was no 
individual grave, where the child had been baptised the burial was usually recorded. The practice of 
burying them in anothers grave continued well into the mid 20th century.

It is thought that some early societies did not regard children as fully human until they have passed 
a particular developmental stage, and thus were treated differently in death. On the basis of the types 
of grave goods included in pre-Christian graves and documentary evidence from the Christian period, 
it appears that this distinction was usually made between 10 and 12 years of age. Later in the middle 
ages, the new Christian church placed a higher emphasis on the burial of the remains of infants and 
children with the remainder of the community in a graveyard, or in deeper graves of their own.


Burials not recorded
********************

Between the 1550s and the 1640s about a quarter of all burials were not recorded. This was often down 
to the forgetfulness of the parish priest, although the latter years were affected by the English civil 
war. Burials went unrecorded during epidemics such as smallpox and cholera. 

Hospitals often had their own burial grounds although the burials were usually recorded in the parish 
record. Workhouses sometimes recorded the death of inmates in their own records, and buried paupers 
in their own burial ground, but some sent the bodies to the local church to be buried. Again, it is 
important to check all available records.


Specific things to look out for in parish records
*************************************************

Two children with the same first (or given) name, baptised to the same parents, usually means that 
the first child died.

A gap of more than 2-4 years in the normal baptism cycle for a family usually means a stillbirth or 
miscarriage.

Ages recorded at death should be treated as only a guide. Many illiterate people didn't know exactly 
when they were born, and after they were dead the record relied on information provided by relatives 
or friends.

Widows were often recorded as 'wife of' even though the husband may have been dead for sometime.

Names can vary; it was common for a person to be baptised with one spelling of their surname, married 
with another and buried under yet a third variation.

Marriage certificates do not always show that the father of the bride or groom is dead. Do not presume 
that the father is still alive just because the certificate does not refer to him as 'deceased'.

In the mid-17c the rise of non-conformity led to many baptisms of children well after their birth, 
and some have been recorded being baptised well into their teens and even as adults. You must beware 
of assuming birth dates in this period being close to baptism dates.


Important point about the calendar
**********************************

Up until 1752 in England, new years day was celebrated on 25th March not 1st January; eg. December 1750 
would be followed in the parish records by January 1750. It is therefore easy to dismiss burial records 
listed in date order (eg. IGI or National Burial Index) because they seem to be at the wrong time.

An example of how this can lead to a burial being ignored would be where a child was baptised in 
December 1750, and buried in January 1750. On first viewing this burial would be dismissed as being 
11 months before the child was born, when in fact it could be no more than a few weeks after the birth.

Military burials
****************

Soldiers and sailors who died abroad were usually buried either in a mass grave near where they died 
or at sea, as appropriate; only very wealthy and high ranking servicemen were sent home to be buried 
(ie. Lord Nelson, preserved in a barrel of Brandy, the lucky fellow). The Commonwealth War Graves 
Commission holds records of all servicemen who died in the First and Second World Wars. 

The General Register Office has a register of Army deaths from 1796 to 1987, Navy deaths from 1837 
and RAF deaths from 1920.


Headstones
**********

Headstones in graveyards often provide a wealth of information. Stones from the 16c or earlier are 
rare, but some dating back to the early 17th century are still just legible. Headstones are one of 
the few sources before 1813 for the age of a person at death, although the information should always 
be treated with caution until verified by other evidence. Headstones would not be erected for some 
time, even years, to allow the soil to settle. This can lead to some inaccuracies.

Traditionally, Christian graves lie east-west, with the person's head at the western end, in front of 
the headstone (a remnant of Pagan sun-worshipping days) but clergy were buried the other way around. 
Always check both sides.

Older stones may only show the deceased's initials and the year, but later stones usually contained 
much more information such as details of the husband, wife, and in many cases one or more of their 
children.

Poor families usually could not afford a headstone, and most graves only had wooden crosses. If your 
family were wealthy they may have a memorial tablet inside the church. These are usually in good 
condition and with some families can provide a potted, if slightly disjointed, history of the family 
through several generations.

Most old headstones have been removed from graveyards for safety reasons, as they become unstable 
after long periods in the ground. In 2008 as many as a million gravestones and memorials had been 
defaced or removed by over-zealous health and safety officials. Often they are laid flat or just 
pushed over and left strewn across the base, sometime causing them to break. Thankfully the inevitable 
outcry over this has caused some councils to rethink their policy and have begun reinstating some 
headstones at their own expense The government intends to issue advice to councils... but don't hold
your breath.

However, even where they are still in place the comparatively small number of gravestones in some 
churchyards can belie the number of bodies buried there. The churchyard of St Martin-in-the-Fields, 
London was only 200 feet (60 metres) square yet, in the early 1840's, was estimated to contain the 
remains of between sixty and seventy thousand people. 


Common Gravestone Icons and Symbols
***********************************

These are some of the most common and defined icons you may encounter in a cemetery or graveyard.

    Anchor		Hope (Hope is the anchor of the soul).
    Angel		Messenger between God and man; guide.
    Angel (flying)	rebirth.
    Angel (trumpeting)	A call to resurrection.
    Angel (weeping)	Grief.
    Arrows or darts	Mortality, the dart of death.
    Birds		The soul.
    Coffins		Mortality.
    Column (broken)	Sorrow, life cut short.
    Cross		Salvation.
    Dove		Holy Ghost.
    Father Time		Mortality.
    Flame (burning)	Life.
    Flower		The frailty of life.
    Flower (broken)	Death.
    Garland		Victory in death.
    Gourds		The coming to be and the passing away of earthly matters; the mortal body.
    Hand (pointing up)	Ascension to heaven.
    Handshake		Farewell to earthly existence.
    Heart		The abode of the soul; love of Christ; the soul in bliss.
    Ivy			Memory and fidelity.
    Lamb		Christ the redeemer; meekness; sacrifice; innocence.
    Laurel		Victory.
    Lilly		Resurrection, purity.
    Palls/drapery	Mortality.
    Pomegranate		Immortality.
    Portals		Passageways to the eternal journey.
    Rose		Sorrow.
    Scallop shell	The resurrection, a pilgrim's journey, the baptism of Christ.
    Scythe		Time or time cut short.
    Skull (winged)	The flight of the soul from the mortal body.
    Skull & crossbones	Death.
    Sun (rising)	Renewed life.
    Sun (setting)	Eternal death.
    Sword		Martyrdom, courage.
    Torch (burning)	Immortality, truth, wisdom.
    Urn			Mortality (a receptacle for the bodily remains).
    Wheat		time; the divine harvest (often used to denote old age).
    Willow		Grief.


Memorial Inscriptions
*********************

The oldest surviving inscriptions are on brasses and around effigies inside churches. Inscriptions 
can often be found in the floors of churches and chapels, so don't forget to lift the odd rug or two. 

The majority were for peers, knights and church dignitaries. In the 16c the custom spread of burying 
the gentry and more prosperous merchants inside the church building and the number of memorials on 
the walls and floor increased accordingly. However an interior memorial does not mean that the deceased 
was buried in the church, the clergy objected to this and so the actual burial was often in the 
church yard with a memorial stone or plaque set inside the building for posterity.

Burial ground monuments are of many kinds; wooden deadboards, vertical headstones, footstones, horizontal 
ledger stones and tombs of many types. In the 17c the oldest churchyard inscriptions, except for the 
wealthy, were probably all engraved on wooden boards supported by wooden posts. Stone and slate gradually 
came into use, local materials and craftsmen for the carving were normally used.

It was in the 18c that the inscriptions became the most fulsome, and informative, with names, dates, 
place of residence commonplace.

Memorial inscriptions tend to give more information than the parish register but are more prone to 
error because normally a stone cannot be put in place until about a year after the burial to allow 
the earth to settle. Details should therefore be checked with the registers.

Sadly, many individual MIs have become illegible through weathering or vertical stones have fallen, in 
some cases whole sections of older cemeteries have the headstones cleared to one side - as we outlined 
above. The MIs in many churchyards and cemeteries have now been transcribed, and often indexed, by 
Family History Societies and are available for purchase from them. 


Angels
******

Visions of angels, of dead saints, of departing souls, and of the Other World were numerous in the 
Middle Ages. Angels mande revelations to saints, talked with them, aided them in danger; they were 
seen by them in conflict with demons. People saw one or many angels standing by holy men at their 
devotions. The Venerable Bede says of St. Cuthbert that he was often allowed to see and converse with 
angels, and when hungry was refreshed by food prepared by the Lord. St. Columbia was said to have 
received many "sweet angel visits," when sleepless or in solitude.

Visions of the soul leaving the body, as a dove, for example, or of the soul being carried to Paradise 
by angels were very common. On the death of St. Martin, chanting voices were heard in the air, those 
of angels carrying his soul to Paradise. Similarly, demons were often seen carrying off souls of the 
departed to Hell.

Angels were believed to carry the soul to Paradise, or demons to transport it to punishment, or angels 
and demons to dispute for it, according to its state - ideas borrowed from Judaism. Hence there are 
many stories of angels or demons seen by the dying or their watchers, or of appearances of the Saviour, 
the Virgin, saints, and martyrs to them. Pope Gregory cites many of these, and says that when the 
vision is that of angels or the blessed the room is filled with light and sweet fragrance, and the 
music of Heaven is heard. When sinners die the visions are terrifying. Demons, as black men, crows, 
or vultures, with cruel faces and breathing fire, crowd round and insult the dying. Or a dragon twines 
itself round the body, with mouth thrust into mouth to draw out the breath. A lad who had refused to 
be a monk was thus attacked. The monks bade him make the sign of the Cross, but he could not. Then 
they prayed for him and the dragon fled. With such edifying stories as these were medieval folk bidden 
to prepare for death.

While the stories and art of the medieval period generally represent the soul in some of these forms, 
there are occasional descriptions of a different kind. Caesarius of Heisterbach, who depicts the soul 
as having bodily form, or as a beautiful boy, gives other accounts of it in his book. Thus he says 
that the soul was declared by Master Rudolph of Cologne to be like a spherical glass vessel, with 
eyes before and behind. He also speaks of a female visionary who declared the soul freed from the body 
to be a spiritual substance, spherical, in likeness to a lunar globe, adding that it could see in every 
part. Nevertheless, when an angel or a soul appears to men it has corporeal lineaments. A distinction 
is thus drawn between visionary and actual appearances. Roger of Wendover (d. 1236) also reports a 
vision, seen by Ailric, who dwelt with St. Godric near Carlisle. At Ailric's death Godric saw his soul 
as a kind of spherical body like a hot and burning wind, which shone like most transparent glass in 
the midst of an incomparable whiteness... 	


Some old superstitions, just for interest
*****************************************

Curtains would be drawn and clocks would be stopped at the time of death. Mirrors were covered with 
crepe or veiling to prevent the deceased's spirit from getting trapped in the looking glass. A wreath 
of laurel, yew or boxwood tied with crepe or black ribbons was hung on the front door to alert passers
by that a death had occurred. The body was watched over every minute until burial, hence the custom 
of 'waking'. The wake also served as a safeguard from burying someone who was not dead, but in a coma.  
Most wakes also lasted 3-4 days to allow relatives to arrive from far away. The use of flowers and 
candles helped to mask unpleasant odours in the room before embalming became common. In the 19c the 
dead were carried out of the house feet first, in order to prevent the spirit from looking back into 
the house and beckoning another member of the family to follow him. The other explanation is that as 
you 'come into the world head first, you go out feet first.' Family photographs were also sometimes 
turned face-down to prevent any of the close relatives and friends of the deceased from being possessed 
by the spirit of the dead.

Grave robbery by the 'Resurrectionist Men', often doctors themselves, was a problem in the 19c as 
medical schools needed fresh cadavers for dissection classes. 'Bricking-over' a grave was a way of 
guaranteeing some security after death. The fear of a loved one being buried alive inspired coffin 
makers to design warning systems such as a bell on the grave which was connected by a chain to the 
inside of the coffin in case of premature burial, thus the expression, 'Saved by the bell.' Small 
cakes, known as 'funeral biscuits' were wrapped in white paper and sealed with black sealing wax and 
given to guests as favors. Lavish meals, or collations, were often served after internment. Burial 
usually followed four days after death.

In many cemeteries, the vast majority of graves are oriented in such a manner that the bodies lie with 
their heads to the West and their feet to the East. This very old custom appears to originate with the 
Pagan sun worshippers, but is primarily attributed to Christians who believe that the final summons to 
Judgement will come from the East. Personal stationery and handkerchiefs carried a black border, with 
a wide border indicating a very recent death. White was a popular colour for the funeral of a child. 
White gloves, ostrich plumes and a white coffin were the standard.


Victorian Mourning
******************

The rigid rules of mourning dress were made to protect the privacy of the family, primarily the women, 
during their time of grief.  As the man of the house could not afford to retire from society and his 
business concerns, a simple black crape armband on sleeve or hat was a satisfactory outward sign of 
a death in the family.

The required year and one day for a widow's 'weeds' of dull black crepe began as a fashion in the 
aristocracy which trickled down over the 19c to the poorest levels of society. Those who could not 
afford mourning would dye dresses black and go into debt to give the deceased a proper funeral. The 
funeral supply industry reached its zenith in the mid-19c. With the death of Prince Albert and Queen 
Victoria's heavy grief, the code of ritual became even more pronounced and would continue to be observed 
in most part until the 1920s.

A widow could, after a year and a day, go into 'half mourning' and wear a touch of white or grey, some 
jewellery and black fabric with a sheen. Jet, vulcanite, bog oak, gutta percha, onyx, and other black 
stones were considered appropriate, sometimes relieved by small seed pearls, which symbolised fallen 
tears. The town of Whitby, North Yorkshire was the centre of the true jet industry and still produces 
the lightweight inky black petrified wood jewelry. Eventually, the widow might progress to lavender, 
and finally into colours after two years. Young children were often put into white, or white trimmed 
out in black or grey with even their dolls put into mourning.


Why Yew trees are planted in Churchyards?
*****************************************

In 1656 a Church of England clergyman wrote: "Our forefathers were particularly careful in preserving 
churchyard Yews which by reason of their perpetual verdure were emblematical ... of the immortality 
of the soul." Such is one tradition. 

What are the facts? Nobody really knows for sure, but here are a few thoughts...

The linking of evergreens with immortality goes back in time. In Wales the tradition of the yew as 
such a symbol is linked with ancient Druid beliefs and customs. In England long before the Christian 
era, yew trees were planted on pagan temple sites, and they were eventually adopted by the church as 
"a holy symbol". Traditions die hard, and although Non-conformists did not follow the trend, modern 
British cemeteries still feature yew trees in their flora.

Some Yew trees were actually there before the church was built as the preacher often preached under a 
Yew tree if the village could not afford a church.

In 1307 King Edward I ordered Yew trees to be planted in churchyards to offer some protection to the 
buildings. Traditionally a church has only two or three Yew trees - one or two on the gateway to the 
main door and one on the path to the minor door.

Yews are poisonous so by planting them in the churchyards cattle that were not allowed to graze on 
hallowed ground were safe from eating Yew.

Yew was the traditional wood used for making long bows - planting in churchyards ensured availability 
in times of need.

Yew branches on touching the ground take root and sprout again - this became the symbol of death, 
rebirth and therefore immortality.


Strange lore and customs
************************

There are literally hundreds of these little sayings and superstitions, some seem to have a vague 
amount of common sense at the root, others are just wierd!
Here is a selection:

If the deceased has lived a good life, flowers would bloom on his grave; but if he has been evil, 
only weeds would grow (although more likely if he was popular his grave would be tended, if not it 
would be ignored and become overgrown). 

If several deaths occur in the same family, tie a black ribbon to everything left alive that enters 
the house, even dogs and chickens (if you can catch them!). This will protect against deaths spreading 
further.

Wear black to appear as a 'shadow' rather than a body so the dead person's spirit won't enter your 
body.

Never wear anything new to a funeral, especially shoes. The point here is not to instill the new 
shoes with death as your first act wearing them or it may follow you around.

You should always cover your mouth while yawning so your spirit doesn't leave you and the devil 
never enters your body.
 
It is bad luck to meet a funeral procession head on. If you see one approaching, turn around.  
If this is unavoidable, hold on to a button until the funeral cortege passes.

Large drops of rain warn that there has just been a death.

Stop the clock in a death room or you will have bad luck.

To lock the door of your home after a funeral procession has left the house is bad luck. It may hold 
any spirits in there.

If rain falls on a funeral procession, the deceased will go to heaven.

If you hear a clap of thunder following a burial it indicates that the soul of the departed has 
reached heaven.

If you hear 3 knocks and no one is there, it usually means someone close to you has died. 
The superstitious call this the 3 knocks of death. 

If you leave something that belongs to you to the deceased, that means the person will come back to 
get you.

If a firefly/lightning bug gets into your house someone will soon die.

If you smell roses when none are around someone is going to die.

If you don't hold your breath while going by a graveyard you will not be buried.

If you see yourself in a dream, your death will follow.

If you see an owl in the daytime, there will be a death.

If you dream about a birth, someone you know will die.

If it rains in an open grave then someone in the family will die within the year.

If a bird pecks on your window or crashes into one that there has been a death.

If a sparrow lands on a piano, someone in the home will die.

If a picture falls off the wall, there will be a death of someone you know.

If you spill salt, throw a pinch of the spilt salt over your shoulder to prevent death.

Never speak ill of the dead because they will come back to haunt you or you will suffer misfortune.

Two deaths in the family means that a third is sure to follow.

The cry of a curlew or the hoot of an owl foretells a death.

A single snowdrop growing in the garden foretells a death.

Having only red and white flowers together in a vase (especially in hospital) means a death will 
soon follow.

Dropping an umbrella on the floor or opening one in the house means that there will be a murder in 
the house.

A diamond-shaped fold in clean linen portends death.

A dog howling at night when someone in the house is sick is a bad omen. It can be reversed by 
reaching under the bed and turning over a shoe.

Passing a cemetery, a person must hold their breath when passing a cemetery or they will breathe in 
the spirit of someone who has recently died.

Tuck your thumbs into your fists when passing a cemetery to protect your parents.

If a red breasted robin flies into a room through a window then death will follow shortly.

If a clock which has not been working suddenly chimes there will be a death in the family. You will 
have bad luck if you do not stop the clock in the room when a death occurs.

All windows should be opened at the moment of death so the soul may have a speedy journey to the 
other side

On the night after November 1st a candle should be lit for each deceased relative and placed in a 
window.

Mirrors in the house with a corpse should be covered or the person who sees himself will die next.

If a mirror should fall from the wall and breaks itself then someone in the house will die soon.

If a person's left eye twitches there will soon be a death in the family.

Thunder following a funeral means the person's soul has reached heaven.

Pregnant women attending a funeral and walking on the grave will result in a child with club feet.

If three people are photographed together the one in the middle will die first.

If thirteen people sit down at a table to eat one of them will die before the year is over.

Dropping an umbrella on the floor means there will be a murder in the house.

A hearse stopping at someone's door on the way to the funeral is a death omen for the householder.

Collecting epitaphs from tombstones is unlucky and will result in losing your memory.

Being near or in an open grave cures all manner of illness including toothache, boils, and
incontinence.

The first person buried in a cemetery is unlucky. The last person buried in a cemetery must forever 
have their spirit stand watch over all the others.

Tying a piece of black ribbon around plants on someone's death will prevent the plant from dying too.

Never speak ill of the dead or their spirit will come back to haunt you.

A witch must be buried face down to prevent the community further supernatural spells. If this 
doesn't work, unbury them and turn their clothes inside out, then re-bury them face down. This 
should do the trick.

One crow = Bad luck. Two crows = Good luck. Three crows = Health. 
Four crows = Sickness. Five crows = Death.

When a bell rings it means an angel received their wings.

An old Mexican belief is that if a dish or pot falls and breaks for no reason, someone in your 
family is dead.

A funeral procession should never return from the cemetery the same way they came to prevent 
the spirit of the deceased from following them home again.

When you experience a chill up your spine someone has just walked over your future grave site.

Leaving shoes on the table will bring sickness and possibly death by hanging.

Hearing a hen crow means death unless you kill the hen. (Who knew a hen could crow!)

If coffee grounds in the bottom of a cup form a long straight line you can anticipate a funeral.

If you touch a loved one who has died you won't have dreams about them.

Some cultures believe placing a tombstone on the grave keeps the ghosts weighed down.

Mazes were placed at some cemetery entrances to prevent spirits from returning to the world as 
it was known that ghosts could only travel in a straight line.




Sources:
J.A. MacCulloch "Medieval Faith and Fable"
(Boston: Marshall Jones Company Publishers, 1932)
Mary Ellen Stubb
www.alsirat.com
Lawrence Gash
www.gwoodward.co.uk
www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ukwales2/hicks3.html
www.british-history.ac.uk/
familysearch.org/learn/
www.friendsofoakgrovecemetery.org
www.encyclopedia.com/
www.longparish.org.uk
www.projectbook.co.uk/