Part 12

Other old and significant terms associated with the premonition of death are the "dead-watch," or "dede-chack," really the peculiar clicking noise made by wood-worms; and the "dede-drap," which was the rather eerie sound made by the intermittent falling of a drop of water from the eaves; and "dead-bell," a tingling in the ears, believed to announce a friend's death.

Other expressions of a similar nature are the "dede-spall," which is the semi-molten part of the grease of a candle (so called from its resemblance to wood-shaving) when it falls over the edge in semi-circular form, and which, if pronounced, and turning with an appearance of persistence toward some person in particular, was supposed to indicate the approaching hand of death.

Another curious term is the "dede-nip," whose origin is a little more puzzling. It is described as a blue mark which appears on the body of a person about to die and without the physical explanation of a blow. It is also associated with the "blew-spot" of witchcraft already described.[30]

The following selected verses from "The Death of Dear-meal Johnny," by the Bard of Corrie (Dumfriesshire), are quoted on account of their reference to several of these old-world superstitious terms:--

"Oft his wraith had been seen gliding 'Mang the meal sacks i' the spence, Till the house, folks scarce could bide in, Terrified maist out o' sense.

'Neath his head the death-watch tinkled, Constant as the lapse of time; Frae his bed the dead licht twinkled, Wi' its blue and sulphurous flame.

'Neath the bed auld Bawty[31] scrapit, A' day, thrang as thrang could be; Made a hole, sae grave-like shapit, Folk glowered quaking in to see.

On the dreary kirkyaird road, aye By night he raised sic eldritch howls; Weel he kenned his maister's body Soon must mix amang the mools.

Frae the wattles dead-draps spatter'd; At the can'les dead-speals hang; Pyets rave the thack, and chatter'd; In folk's lugs the dead-bell rang."

The last class of warnings to be noticed are special appearances and portents occurring before death in well-known local families.

In the family of Kirkpatrick of Closeburn the tradition was, that when a death was about to take place in the family a swan invariably made its appearance on the loch that surrounded the castle. "The last omen of this nature on record saddened the nuptials of Sir Thomas, the first baronet, when marrying for the third time. On the wedding-day his son, Roger, went out of the castle, and, happening to turn his eyes towards the loch, descried the fatal bird. Returning, overwhelmed with melancholy, his father rallied him on his desponding appearance, alleging a stepmother to be the cause of his sadness, when the young man only answered 'Perhaps ere long you may also be sorrowful,' expiring suddenly that very night."(71)

The death of a member of the family of Craigdarroch is believed to be heralded by a sudden and simultaneous peal of household bells.

In Western Galloway there lingers a tradition concerning the old church of Kirkmaiden (in Fernes), the ancient burying-place of the M'Cullochs of Myrton, whose lands, in 1682, passed to the Maxwells of Monreith. When the parish ceased to exist as a separate parish and was joined to that of Glasserton, the pulpit and bell were removed to be taken across Luce Bay, there to be placed in the new church of the same name of Kirkmaiden. Although the day was fine and the wind fair, a storm sprang up, and down went boat and bell to the bottom, for, as true believers knew, the bell had been consecrated, and on no account could it ring 'neath the rafters of a Presbyterian building. Yet, ring it did not cease to do, for on the approaching death of any of the representatives of the old family of Myrton a solemn knell comes up from the watery depths to record the passing of the soul to the vast unknown.

"An' certes, there are nane, I trow, That by Kirkmaiden bide, Will, when they hear the wraith-bell jow, Gae oot at Lammastide."

[Illustration: A MIDNIGHT REVEL.]

_CHAPTER VI._

DEATH CUSTOMS AND FUNERAL CEREMONY.

"Or ever the silver cord be loosed." --_Ecclesiastes xii. 6._

When that sure hand called Death knocked at the cottar's or laird's door, or stalked with unhalting step into moorland farm or upland home to beckon away some weary inmate, the actual decease, or passing, was of itself associated with significant observance.

The nearest relative bent down to the dying face to receive the last breath. The door was kept ajar,[32] although not too wide, that the spirit might be untrammelled in its flight.[33]

The spirit fled the poor dead eyes were closed, also by the nearest relative, and generally kept so by means of copper coins placed upon them.

The looking-glass in the death-chamber was covered with a white cloth. The clock was stopped, or at least the striking-weight removed. The daily routine of work was discontinued, such days of enforced idleness being known as the "dead days." On the farm, for example, no matter the season, the appropriate labour of ploughing, seed sowing, or even harvest, at once ceased. The household companions of dog and cat were rigidly excluded from the stricken house; indeed, it was not uncommon for the cat to be imprisoned beneath an inverted tub, for it was believed that if either of these animals should jump or cross over the dead body, the welfare of the spirit of the deceased would certainly be affected.

The body was then washed, and dressed in its last garments, the hands of females being crossed over the breast, those of the other sex being extended by the sides. Last of all a plate of salt was placed upon the breast, either from the higher idea of future life being signified by the salt, which is the emblem of perpetuity, or from a more practical notion, however unlikely, that by this means the body would be prevented from swelling.

Of the curious custom of "sin-eating"--that is, the placing of a piece of bread upon the salt by a recognised individual known as the sin-eater, who, for money reward, at the same time partook of it, thereby, as it was believed, absorbing to himself all the sins of the deceased--there is little to be gleaned in this district. The term "dishaloof" still exists, however, as a vestige of the custom in lowland Scotland.(72)

There falls to be mentioned here a quaint superstition associated with "bee folklore," as described by the late Patrick Dudgeon, Esq. of Cargen, Kirkcudbrightshire, who specially studied this matter. The custom was, when a death took place, to at once go to the bee-hives, or skeps, and whisper the tidings of the sad event to the bees. This was followed by "putting the bees in mourning"--that is, attaching black ribbons to each of the skeps.[34]

Mr Dudgeon, in a paper on the subject,(73) observes that "the custom was very general some time ago, and several of my correspondents mention instances of old people having seen it observed. It is not altogether extinct yet."

The last toilet completed, it was the usual custom for friends and neighbours to manifest their sympathy by watching, or "waulking," the dead. Through the long hours of night, by the glimmering candle-light at the silent bedside, this was really a service that called for some resolution, as tales of dead bodies coming back to life were fully believed in these superstitious days. Occasionally special candles were used for "the watching," known as Yule candles. These were the remains of specially large candles burned at Yule, and extinguished at the close of the day, what was left of the candle being carefully preserved and locked away, to be burned at the owners' own "waulking."

Visiting the house of the dead for the sake of seeing the corpse was a regular practice, and, it may be added, that to touch the corpse was considered a sure safeguard against all eerie dreams of death and ghostly trappings, as well as a counter-influence to illness and disease.

With the encoffining, or "kistin'" of the dead, a further, stage was reached. The ceremony was apparently religious, and one of deep solemnity, the minister, or one of his elders or deacons, attending to see the remains of the deceased placed in the coffin, to offer up prayer, and generally to console and sympathise with the bereaved. In reality, the official presence of the minister, elder or deacon, was directly due to an Act of Parliament,[35] actually framed and passed, incongruous as it may appear, for the "improvement of Linen manufacture within the Kingdom." The clerical representative was present in the house of mourning, to be fully satisfied that "the corpse was shrouded in home made linen, and that not exceeding in value twenty shillings per ell."

This curious Act had as curious a sequel, for, prompted by an evident spirit of fair dealing, the Linen Act was rescinded in the first Parliament of Queen Anne in favour of a "Woollen Act," insisting upon the exclusive use of "wool" as a material for shrouds, under exactly the same pains and penalties as the previous Act laid down to compel the use of linen. In course of time such rigid intrusive conditions, despite the law, came to be disregarded, and people shrouded their dead as they thought best, and in material of their own choice. It was, however, usual for the undertaker to safeguard those concerned in any such infringement by charging half the statutory fine in his account, taking credit to himself for the other half as being the informer against himself. This was usually entered as the first item of his undertaking expenses, being expressed in his bill against the relatives as: "To paying the penalty under the Act for burying in Scots Linen."

The custom of relatives and intimate friends being at the encoffining or "kistin'" is to some extent associated with the "lykewake," or "latewake," of Roman Catholic usage. Although now quite unknown among adherents of the Scottish Presbyterian Church, such wakes were at one time common enough, even after the Reformation. They were, however, attended by such unseemly behaviour that in 1645 the General Assembly passed an edict to suppress them.

[Illustration: FUNERAL HOSPITALITY. Sketch by J. Copland, Dundrennan.]

That the custom still continued is brought out by the knowledge that in 1701 it was found necessary to revive and enforce the statute against the practice.

The culminating feature of the rites of bereavement, the funeral ceremony, was in these old days (particularly between the years 1700 and 1800) an occasion altogether outstanding in social importance. It was an occasion, however, very often marred by the profuse liberality and use of stimulants, lavish hospitality in the house of mourning being too frequently followed by ludicrous and extraordinary results as the body was being conveyed to its last resting-place. "A funeral party," for example, "had wended their way for miles through deep snow over Eskdale Moor, bound for Moffat Churchyard. On arriving at the burial-ground it was actually discovered that they had dropped the coffin by the way, the back having fallen from the cart on which it was being conveyed."(74)

Ten o'clock in the morning saw the commencement of the funeral ceremonies, this being so generally understood that no special hour was mentioned in "the bidding to the buriall." The setting-out for the churchyard, however, or the "liftin'," as it was termed, did not, as a rule, take place for several hours later, and in many instances not until well on in the afternoon. This delay, as well as giving ample time to partake of refreshment, was really meant to enable all the guests to gather together, many of them travelling long distances, which were not made shorter by bad roads or inclement weather. A precaution sometimes taken before the company moved off was to send someone to the top of the nearest height to signal when the horizon was clear and no more guests in sight.

The place of entertainment was usually the barn. Planks laid along the tops of wooden trestles formed a large table, on which were piled up a superabundance of food and drink, while a constant feature of the entertainment was an imposing array of tobacco pipes already filled by the women who had sat beside, or watched, the dead body. It was not considered seemly for the women of the house to mingle with the male guests. The usual custom in Galloway and Nithsdale was for the women folk to sit together in a room apart.

As the company gathered they formed themselves into relays--for the number of guests as a rule exceeded the accommodation of even the largest barn--and entered the place set aside for refreshment. This took the form of what were known as "services," and these in their usual order were, after each guest had been proffered a pipe of tobacco:--

(a) Bread and cheese, with ale and porter.

(b) A glass of whisky, with again bread and cheese.

(c) A glass of rum and biscuits.

(d) A glass of brandy and currant bun.

(e) Wine and shortbread (or burial bread).

It was not, be it mentioned in passing, a very unusual thing for some of the company to enter the barn again, and undertake the "services" a second time.

The natural consequence of all this is obvious, but to a certain extent the situation could be saved by the use of a private receptacle called the "droddy bottle," into which the liquor could be poured to be taken home, or at least carried outside. Before partaking of each individual "service" it was solemnised by the minister offering up an appropriate prayer, a clerical task which must have been trying in the extreme.

As instancing the prodigality of preparation in the way of food, notice may be taken of a funeral in the parish of Mochrum, where two bushels (160 lbs.) of shortbread were provided, and it is quite unnecessary to suggest that the supply of spirits would be in proportion.

The following account of funeral expenses, drawn from a Wigtownshire farmer's book of expenses in 1794, may here be included, as it affords an excellent illustration of how the expenses of an ordinary funeral were swelled by the amounts paid for alcoholic liquor:--

Mrs G.--One gallon brandy £0 18 0 15 gills gin 0 7 6 Six bottles of wine 0 17 0 One gallon rum 0 16 0 To the coffin 1 5 0 To the mort-cloath and grave digging 0 2 0 To bread 0 5 9 J. C. for biding and walking and other attendance 0 4 0 J. S. for whiskie and ale at sitting up 0 3 1

Of the expenses of funerals in a higher rank of life those incurred on the deaths of Grierson of Lag and his third son, John Grierson, afford full and interesting information. Mr John Grierson, third son of the Laird of Lag, died early in 1730, and to one Jean Scott the purveying of the meat and drink considered requisite for the friends attending the funeral was entrusted. The bill came to about £160 Scots.[36] When the Laird himself died, on the last day of the year 1733, there was a repetition of the feasting and drinking at the house of the deceased, at the kirkyard, and at an adjoining house, which had evidently been requisitioned for the accommodation of several of the gentlemen, among whom were Lord Stormonth, Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, Maxwell of Carriel, and others who had come from a distance to assist. The account begins two days before the death of the Laird, and ends on January 14. In round figures the cost of the meat and drink consumed at the Laird's funeral came to £240 Scots.

The following are the detailed accounts:--(75)

ACCOTT. OF THE FFUNERALS OF MR JOHN GRIERSONE.

1730. _To Jean Scott._

Feb. 23rd. 2 bottels clarit to these as set up all night wt ye corps £0 3 0

do. 1 bottel of brandy for do. 0 1 6

Feb. 24th. 1 bottel of clarit when the sear-cloath[37] was put on 0 1 6

do. 1 bottel clarit when the grave-cloaths was put on 0 1 6

do. At the in-coffining where the ladys was, 1 bottel clarit, 2 bottels white wine, and 1 bottel Cannary 0 6 2

do. In the beg room wt the Gentelmen before the corps was transported--2 bottels white wine 0 3 0

do. When the company returned--10 bottels clarit 0 15 0

do. 2 bottels brandy for Gentelmen's Servts. 0 3 0

do. 2 bottels clarit to Sir Robert's Servts. 0 3 0

Feb. 26th. 1 bottel clarit to Sir Robert's Servts. 0 1 6

March 2nd. 1 bottel clarit to Sir Robert's Servts. 0 1 6

March 4th. 1 bottel clarit to Sir Robert's Servts. 0 1 6

March 5th. In the two rooms when at meat 22 bottels clarit 1 13 0

do. ffor the Servts. and Gentelmen's Servts., 4 bottels of brandy 0 6 0

do. at night when the Gentelmen returned--25 bottels of clarit 1 17 6

do. 2 bottels brandy to Rockhall wt bottels 0 3 0

March 6th. 2 bottels clarit at dinr wt Sr Walter Laurie and Cariel 0 3 0

do. Ale from the 23rd of ffebr., till this day 1 19 6

do. To 1 baccon ham 0 9 0

do. To a rosting piece of beef 0 6 6

do. To a rost pigg 0 2 6

do. To 2 rost gease 0 3 0

do. To 1 rost turkey 0 4 0

do. To a calf's head stwed wt wine and oysstars 0 3 6

do. To 2 dish of neats' tongues 0 8 0

do. To 2 dish of capons and fowls 0 6 0

do. To a passtie 0 7 0

March 6th. To a dozn. of tearts 0 6 0

do. To 2 dozn. of mincht pys 0 8 0

do. To 1 quarter of rost mutton 0 3 6

do. To rost veal 0 3 6

do. To 1 barrel of oysters, 6 limmons, and other pickels 0 4 0

do. To eating for Tennents and Servants 1 0 0

The following is a note of some of the items of expenditure at the funeral of the notorious Sir Robert Grierson of Lag himself:--

1733.

Decr. 29th. 2 bottles small clarit £0 3 0

do. 2 flint glasses 0 1 4

Decr. 30th. 4 bottles small clarit 0 6 0

1734.

Janr. 1st. 12 bottles strong clarit 1 4 0

do. 3 bottles ffrantinak 1 6 0

do. 3 bottles shirry 0 5 6

do. 1 bottle more brandy 0 1 6

Janr. 7th. 18 double flint glasses

do. 1 £ double refined shugar

Janr. 8th. 4 dozn. strong clarit to the lodgeing 4 16 0

do. 6 bottles ffrantinak do. 0 12 0

do. 6 bottles shirry do. 0 11 0

do. 6 more double flint glasses to ye lodgeing

do. 12 bottles strong clarit sent out to the burying place 1 4 0

do. 12 bottles more strong clarit at night to the lodgeing 1 4 0

Janr. 9th. 4 wine glasses returned from Dunscore

Janr. 12th. 2 bottles strong clarit to the lodgeing 0 4 0

do. 10 bottles strong clarit wt Carriel & more Gentelmen 1 8 0

Janr. 14th. 2 bottles clarit wt Carriel 0 4 8

8 dozn. empty bottles returned

The Wines amounts to 14 5 5

The Entertainments to 6 10 0

1734. ACCOMPT. OF HORSSES.

Janr. 9th. 2 horses of Lord Stormonds, 2 nights' hay, oats, & beans £0 5 0

do. 2 horses 2 nights, hay, oats, & beans, Sr Thomas Kirkpatrk 0 5 0

do. the smith for Sr Thomas' horsses 0 2 0

Pyd. to Charles Herisse, smith, for iron work to the Hearse 0 5 6

Mr Gilbert's horsses 1 4 6

Grim legend clings around the account of Lag's last illness and his funeral. "During the latter part of his life Sir Robert had taken up his abode in his town-lodging in Dumfries. It was an ancient pile of building of singular construction, facing the principal part of the High Street of the town, known as the 'Plainstones.' This old house was called the 'Turnpike,' from the spiral staircase, a characteristic of it, as of many of the old Edinburgh houses; it was situated at the head of what was called the Turnpike Close, and little more than two hundred yards from the Nith. The best known of the many legends regarding Lag is this: that when he came near his end, and was sorely tormented with gout, he had relays of servants posted so as to hand up from one to another a succession of buckets of cold water from the Nith, that he might cool his burning limbs--but the moment his feet were inserted into the water it began to fizz and boil.

In this old Turnpike house[38] Sir Robert died on the 31st December, 1733. It is related that on this occasion a 'corbie' (raven) of preternatural blackness and malignity of aspect, perched himself on the coffin, and would not be driven off, but accompanied the funeral cortège to the grave in the churchyard of Dunscore.

Moreover, when the funeral procession started, and had got some little way on the Galloway side of the Nith, it was found that the horses, with all their struggles, and dripping with perspiration, from some mysterious cause could move the hearse no further. Sir Thomas Kirkpatrick, of Closeburn, the old friend and comrade of Lag (and his relative), who was believed to be deep in some branches of the Black Art, was one of the mourners. This gentleman, the stoutest of Non-jurors, on this occasion swore a great oath that he would drive the hearse of Lag 'though ---- were in it!' and ordered a team of beautiful Spanish horses of his own to be harnessed in place of the others. Sir Thomas mounted and took the reins, when the horses instantly dashed off at a furious gallop that he could in no wise restrain, and abated nought of their headlong pace till they reached the churchyard of Dunscore, where they suddenly pulled up--and died."(76)

When the funeral cortège did start, as already indicated, curious though quite consequent sequels were far from uncommon. Solemnity and deep drinking only too frequently ended in unaffected hilarity or even dissension.

MacTaggart, in his _Gallovidian Encyclopædia_, has caught and well recorded the boisterous spirit of this grim funeral festivity, as the following graphic description amply shows:--