Do many families still do this?

[wendilla]

I know this was quite common years ago taking your loved one back to house a few days before the funeral.but was surprised to see some families still do this. This has happened with a gentleman in my street.His wife has brought him back home till the funeral.

[mollykins]

I know someone whose grandma died and he was living with his grandpa who brought her back . . .

[Sqad]

Interesting.....I thought that had stopped.
When I was 14yrs old, my grandad, who brought me up, died and he was left in the house until the funeral and I had to pass through the bedroom where he was lying to get to my bedroom. This scared the sh1t out of me and I would hurry past as quickly as possible. My auntie who was staying at our house also died and one of my tasks was to take people in to see her body........that scared me too.
A barbaric practice and hard on the survivors in my opinion.

I have instructed Mrs sqad to have "none of it"......keep me in the fridge until the funeral.

[boxtops]

Many houses don't have front doors which would accommodate a coffin these days - mine wouldn't. It seems instead that the hearse comes with the coffin and stops outside the house - and also people can go to the chapel of rest (or equivalent) and pay their respects if they want to.

[whiskeryron]

Hi Sqad, If she pops you in the fridge will she have to remove the other contents 1st & won't the milk go off & the butter go rancid ? Ron.

[boxtops]

She'd have to take the shelves out, ron.

[Prudie]

We certainly had the hearse leave from her house with my mother to the funeral but that's all. I do have friends who only 10 years ago had their grandad in the front room for days before the funeral. The family sat round him each evening and it was someone's role to apply the 'substances' to the body to stop the smell etc. I'd have found it very macabre. I've never seen a dead person.

[wendilla]

Yes Prudie I expect that is what they are doing as I have looked out if I have to get up in the night and the lights are all on downstairs all night .

[wendilla]

Boxtops that is right. Would not have gone through their front door but was taken through the back gate which had to draw up beside all the garages. Must remember to get my car out early Tuesday morning.

[starone]

I agree with sqad it is a barbaric practice. I suppose that in the past there were no funeral parlours and people had no option. The first dead body I ever saw was that of a school friend who died of meningitis. I was about ten and another school friend of mine insisted on dragging me into the house to see the body. I have never forgotten it. Not a pleasant memory.

[Sqad]

Boxtops/ Ron..LOL

[wendilla]

Lol to boxtops and Ron too. They say don't worry the dead won't harm you it is the living you have to worry about . lol

[seadogg]

What is equally barbaric is having the poor wife standing at the door when the hearse appears . It took two of us to hold my sis up .

[Whickerman]

we still wake people in this manner in Ireland. It's a huge comfort to the family.

[JeniPeni]

this is still a tradition in Scotland too, particularly with Catholic families

[wendilla]

Thank you all for replies and yes I believe this family is Scottish.

[woofgang]

We were offered viewing and having the hearse come to the house when my Mum died and declined both.

[Prudie]

I declined the viewing of my mum and don't regret it one tiny bit

[woofgang]

If we had agreed to a viewing or the hearse at the door my mum would have been waiting in the afterlife with a rolling pin!