Natural Burial in the UK

Britain could be leading the way globally in natural burials according to recent research conducted by researchers at Durham and Bath Universities.

With natural, or woodland, burials, people are typically buried in woodland settings in an environmentally friendly, biodegradable coffin or shroud, and without having been embalmed.  This method of burial is becoming increasingly popular in the UK, with over 260 natural burial sites now in operation.

Reasons cited for the increase in natural burial include concerns over the environmental impact of other kinds of funeral,such as cremation, the cost compared with a traditional funeral, the burden on the family of maintaining a traditional grave, and the desire to reconnect with nature.  

The findings have been published as a book, Natural Burial: Traditional-Secular Spiritualities and Funeral Innovation by Professor Davies and Dr Rumble, one that will no doubt soon be gracing the shelves of the Carfax Library!

See the full story here.

Sex Ghosts of the Palermo Catacombs

This week, the Last Tuesday Society hosted a most fascinating lecture on Sex Ghosts of the Palermo Catacombs by Dr Paul Koudounaris.

The upbeat and colourful lecture with accompanying photo slide show recounted stories of some half a dozen lascivious ghosts, showing that the dead entombed in the catacombs in Palermo do not all rest in peace.  

The stories included those of a jilted bride, whose lustful ghost is known to haunt men who stand too long in front of her remains, a phantom knicker-thief, a pervy doctor ghost who chews his victims’ pubic hair ‘like a cow chews the cud’, and the spirit of a young girl who died from severe haemorrhaging after being forced by her circus performer husband to perform bestial acts in front of a well-paying crowd.  

Dr Paul Koudounaris is an author and photographer from Los Angeles, and has recently published a beautifully presented tome, The Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses.

Cadavers in the Cloisters: The Medieval Way of Death

Tonight saw the popular annual Summer Death Lecture by Brompton Cemetery guide Robert Stephenson, held in the Grade II Listed Anglican Chapel in Brompton Cemetery, where we were met at the door by the Grim Reaper himself.

The talk was an exposition on the attitudes and customs associated with death in medieval Britain, as practised by royalty and commoners alike.  Accompanied with slides, various subjects were discussed including:

       - The book of hours and the rituals surrounding death.

        - Purgatory, and visions of Hell, and people’s beliefs in how to avoid them,
          including by visiting the tombs of saints.

       - Transi, or cadaver tombs, where a sculpture of the decaying body sits on top of the tomb.

       - The dance of death, showing death as a lively creature.

The lecture examined how attitudes towards death have changed, and perhaps suggested that death in England was once much more a part of daily life than it is today.

Brompton Cemetery, consecrated by the Bishop of London in June 1840, is one of the Britain's oldest and most distinguished garden cemeteries. The cemetery was one of seven large, modern cemeteries founded by private companies in the mid-19th century (sometimes called the 'Magnificent Seven') forming a ring around the edge of London.

Robert Stephenson is a qualified City of London guide and a tour leader at Kensal Green and Brompton cemeteries.  He teaches on London and Death Studies, and is also vice-chairman of the City of London Archaeological Society.

For more information about Brompton Cemetery and their events, visit www.brompton-cemetery.org.

Death is not the opposite of life, but a part of it.

 - Haruki Murakami