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| A Corpse Road |
They
are known by many names: coffin
roads, church-ways, funeral paths, corpse roads – all leading from a remote
English village to the lych gates of the Mother church, many miles away.
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| A Coffin Way |
Corpse
roads came about during medieval times when villages were locating farther and
farther afield. Canon law of the
period stated that a parishioner must be buried on the grounds of the Mother
church, no matter how far away from their village or how dangerous the travel.
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| Coffin Stone |
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| Funeral Procession |
Eight
men would take turns carrying the body along the corpse road. Four men, one at
each corner, would carry the deceased until they came to a coffin stone. These stones were laid out along the
road at set intervals and designated as a place to lay the bier. Then the other
four men would step in and continue carrying the deceased while the first four
followed with the funeral procession, and rested.
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| Burial Road |
Corpse roads were usually straight as they were the most direct route from the village to the burial grounds. Some were only a couple of miles long;
others were close to ten miles long. Fields with a church-way passing through were left unplowed. It was believed that any field used as a coffin road would fail to
produce good crops. And, they were
also associated with spirits, wraiths and ghosts.
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| Running Water on a Corpse Road |
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| Stream Running on a Coffin Road |
Although fences, walls, and buildings were not
allowed to obstruct the corpse roads, usually at least one stream, river or
marsh could be found crossing a coffin road. Legend said that by carrying the deceased over running
water, they could not return home.
The dead were also carried with their feet pointing away from their
home, so that they could not return and haunt the living.
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| Corpse Candle |
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| Corpse Light |
Many
times corpse lights or corpse candles would be seen traveling these paths,
flitting low to the ground. It was
believed that the sprits of the dead traveled close to the earth in a straight
line that connected the village and the cemetery. Some said that the lights would travel to the dying person’s
house the night before the death, then return to the cemetery and disappear
into the ground where the burial would take place.
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| Spirit of the Dead |
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| Will-o' the Wisp |
Other
phenomena related to corpse roads include will-o’ the wisps, also known as
foolish fire, or Jack o’ lanterns.
Travelers saw these ghostly lights at night. Folklore stated that these flickering lights were the
spirits of the dead, trying to lead travelers astray. Some legends identified them as the spirits of unbaptized or
stillborn children caught between heaven and hell.
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| Crossroad |
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| Witch Ball |
Crossroads,
where two roads intersected each other, were also considered dangerous on a
corpse road because they were viewed as a location where the world and the
underworld met. It was believed
that the Devil could appear at a crossroad. Crosses were placed at
intersections – hence cross roads,
to protect those passing from the Devil and wayward spirits. Later, witch balls
were also hung along the road. A
witch ball was a bottle or enclosed circle of glass that contained threads and
charms inside. These were used to
catch and tangle passing spirits, trapping their evil or negative energy
inside.
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| Cross on a Church-Way |
To counter the superstitions, crosses were also set along the burial roads every mile or so. These were used as places for followers and mourners to stop
and pray for the dead.
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| Lych Gate |
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| Lych Gate |
Once the funeral procession arrived at the burial
ground, they would proceed to the lych gates. (Lych is the Old English word for corpse.) Located at the
entrance to the church property, the lych gates were constructed like a porch
with a roof over them. Clergy
would meet the mourners at these gates and assume responsibility for the body,
preparing it for the burial service.
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| Snow on a Corpse Road |
Today, corpse roads are still visible throughout
England, the Netherlands, and Ireland.
Although it has been centuries since they have been used for their
original purpose, the rockiness and remoteness of these burial roads might
still make it preferable to stay clear of the paths at night.
As Shakespeare said in A Midsummer’s Night Dream:
Now it is the time of night,
That
the graves all gaping wide,
Every
one lets forth his sprite
In
the church-way paths to glide.
~ Joy
