Death in the Victorian Era part 11: Sin Eater

Death in the Victorian Era part 11: Sin Eater

A relic from times predating the Victorian era, the sin eater was part of a long-held tradition that continued well into the nineteenth century. Sin eaters were men, usually of the lowest socioeconomic status, who were paid to enter the house of the deceased and eat bread and salt from a plate that rested upon the chest of the dead during the wake. It was believed that, by consuming the food, the sin eater would take upon himself the sins of the deceased, which had magically transferred into the meal placed upon their chest.

It was quite common for sin eaters, after finishing their meal, to be beaten severely by family members, abused by onlookers, and generally treated with disdain by gathered mourners.

After the sin eater left the building, the mourning family would stand on one side of the coffin and hand pieces of "Arval" cake across the corpse to mourners. The cake would then be washed down with port or spiced ale. Once this ritual was complete, the pallbearers could begin their duties.

Some members of the upper classes used special "mazer" bowls to place the sin eater's food upon the body. These bowls were highly decorative, and some were commissioned well in advance of death, allowing the deceased to rest assured that their funeral arrangements would reflect the social status they wished to project. After the funeral, the bowls often became treasured family heirlooms, passed down through generations.

By the end of the Victorian era, funeral customs and etiquette had begun to change dramatically, and sin eaters were close to being forgotten. Funerals now featured small "funeral biscuits", symbolising the earlier Arval cakes. In America, these eventually evolved into what became known as funeral cookies.

The wealthier elite, rather than serving the more modest funeral biscuit, often provided cakes somewhat similar to a ladyfinger. These cakes were wrapped in paper, sealed with black wax, and could be taken home after the funeral to be eaten later.

The following is a contemporary description of a funeral in Yorkshire:

"Funeral of the richer sort: They had burnt wine and a paper with two [Lady Finger] biscuits sealed up to carry home for their families. The paper in which these biscuits were sealed was printed on one side with a coffin, cross-bones, skulls, picks, spades, hourglasses, etc., and sealed with black wax."

One of the last recorded sin eaters was an unidentified man who stood beside the grave of Richard Munslow in Shropshire, England, in 1906. After eating bread and drinking ale, he reportedly spoke the following words:

"I give easement and rest now to thee, dear man. Come not down the lanes or in our meadows. And for thy peace, I pawn my own soul. Amen."

The common folk of many European villages believed that sin eaters possessed mystical powers. Not only did they consume the sins of the dead, but they were also thought capable of preventing spirits from returning as wandering ghosts.

Sin eaters were shunned by society. Becoming one was considered the lowest of occupations, and the townspeople of the villages in which these unfortunate individuals lived often went out of their way to avoid them. Yet those same people would summon a sin eater without hesitation to consume the sins of a loved one and help secure their passage into Heaven.

Believe it or not, the practice of sin eating survives to this day in some areas of Germany, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, and other Balkan nations.

Next Week: Death in the Victorian Era, Part 12: Frozen Charlotte

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