See also:

• COFFIN (from Lat. cophinus, Gr. K64wos, a coffer, chest or basket, but never meaning " coffin " in its present sense)

COFFIN (from See also:

• LAT

Lat. cophinus, Gr. K64wos, a See also:

• COFFER (Fr. coffee, O. Fr. cofre or cofne, Lat. cophinus, cf. " coffin ")

coffer, See also:

• CHEST (Gr. Kiarl, Lat. cista, O. Eng. cist, test, &c.)

chest or See also:

• BASKET

basket, but never meaning " coffin " in its See also:

• PRESENT

present sense)  , the receptacle in which a See also:

• CORPSE (Lat. corpus, the body)

corpse is confined . The Greeks and See also:

• ROMANS
• ROMANS, EPISTLE TO THE

Romans disposed of their dead both by See also:

• BURIAL

burial and by See also:

• CREMATION (Lat. cremare, to burn)

cremation . See also:

• GREEK
• GREEK, ETRUSCAN AND

Greek coffins varied in shape, being in the See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of an See also:

• URN (Lat. urna, either from root of urere, to burn, being made of burnt clay, or connected with urceus, Gr. I5pxa, jar)

urn, or like the See also:

• MODERN

modern coffins, or triangular, the See also:

• BODY

body being in a sitting posture . The material used was generally burnt See also:

• CLAY (from O. Eng. claeg, a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Klei)
• CLAY, CASSIUS MARCELLUS (1810-1903)
• CLAY, CHARLES (1801–1893)
• CLAY, FREDERIC (1838–1889)
• CLAY, HENRY (1777–1852)

clay, and in some cases this had obviously been first moulded See also:

• ROUND (O. Fr. rond, Lat. rotundus, the Fr. is the source also of Du. rond; Ger., Swed., Dan. and Nor. rond)

round the body, and so baked . Cremation was the commonest method of disposing of the dead among the Romans, until the See also:

• CHRISTIAN
• CHRISTIAN, WILLIAM (1608-1663)

Christian era, when See also:

• STONE
• STONE (0. Eng. shin; the word is common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Stein, Du. steen, Dan. and Swed. sten; the root is also seen in Gr. aria, pebble)
• STONE, CHARLES POMEROY (1824-1887)
• STONE, EDWARD JAMES (1831-1897)
• STONE, FRANK (1800-1859)
• STONE, GEORGE (1708—1764)
• STONE, LUCY [BLACKWELL] (1818-1893)
• STONE, MARCUS (184o— )
• STONE, NICHOLAS (1586-1647)

stone coffins came into use . Examples of these have been frequently dug up in See also:

• ENGLAND
• ENGLAND, THE CHURCH OF

England . In 1853, during excavations for the See also:

• FOUNDATIONS

foundations of some warehouses in See also:

• HAYDEN, FERDINAND VANDEVEER (1829–1887)

Hayden Square, Minories, See also:

• LONDON

London, a See also:

• ROMAN

Roman stone See also:

• COFFIN (from Lat. cophinus, Gr. K64wos, a coffer, chest or basket, but never meaning " coffin " in its present sense)

coffin was found within which was a leaden See also:

• SHELL
• SHELL (O. Eng. scell, scyll, cf. Du. sceel, shell, Goth. skalja, tile; the word means originally a thin flake,. cf. Swed. skalja, to peel off; it is allied to " scale " and " skill," from a root meaning to cleave, divide, separate)

shell . Others have been found at Whitechapel, See also:

• STRATFORD
• STRATFORD, JOHN DE (d. 1348)

Stratford-le-See also:

• BOW (pronounced " bo ")

Bow, Old See also:

• KENT
• KENT, EARLS AND DUKES OF
• KENT, JAMES (1763-1847)
• KENT, WILLIAM (1685-1748)

Kent Road and See also:

• BATTERSEA

Battersea See also:

• FIELDS, JAMES THOMAS (1817-1881)

Fields, and in See also:

• GREAT

great See also:

• NUMBERS, BOOK OF
• NUMBERS, PARTITION OF

numbers at See also:

• COLCHESTER
• COLCHESTER, CHARLES ABBOT, 1ST BARON (1757-1829)

Colchester, See also:

• YORK
• YORK (HOUSE OF)
• YORK, EDMUND OF LANGLEY, DUKE OF (1341-1402)
• YORK, EDWARD
• YORK, FREDERICK AUGUSTUS, DUKE OF (1763-1827)
• YORK, RICHARD, DUKE

York, Southfleet and Kingsholme near See also:

• GLOUCESTER
• GLOUCESTER (abbreviated as pronounced Glo'ster)
• GLOUCESTER, EARLS AND DUKES OF
• GLOUCESTER, GILBERT DE CLARE, EARL OF (1243-1295)
• GLOUCESTER, RICHARD DE CLARE, EARL OF (1222-1262)
• GLOUCESTER, ROBERT, EARL OF (d. 1147)
• GLOUCESTER, THOMAS OF WOODSTOCK, DUKE

Gloucester . In See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early England stone coffins were only used by the nobles and the wealthy . Those of the Romans who were See also:

• RICH, BARNABE (c. 1540-1617)
• RICH, CLAUDIUS JAMES (1787-1821)
• RICH, JOHN (1692-1761)
• RICH, PENELOPE, LADY (c. 1562–1607)
• RICH, RICHARD, 1ST BARON RICH (1490?-1567)

rich enough had their coffins made of a See also:

• LIMESTONE

limestone brought from Assos in Troas, which it was commonly believed " See also:

• ATE

ate the body "; hence arose the name See also:

• SARCOPHAGUS (Gr. vapsorg yos, literally " flesh-eating," from vapt, flesh, ¢ayeiv, to eat)

sarcophagus (q.v.) . The coffins of the Chaldaeans were generally clay urns with the See also:

• TOP (cf. Dan. top, Ger. Topf, also meaning pot)

top See also:

• LEFT

left open, resembling immense jars . These, too, must have been moulded round the body, as the See also:

• SIZE

size of the mouth would not admit of its introduction after the clay was baked .

The See also:

• EGYPTIAN

Egyptian coffins, or sarcophagi, as they have been improperly called, are the largest stone coffins known and are generally highly polished and covered with See also:

• HIEROGLYPHICS (Gr. iepos, sacred, and'yXv ni, carving)

hieroglyphics, usually a See also:

• HISTORY

history of the deceased . See also:

• MUMMY (from the Persian mumiai, pitch or asphalt)

Mummy chests shaped to the form of the body were also used . These were made of hard See also:

• WOOD, ANTHONY A2 (1632-1695)
• WOOD, JOHN GEORGE (1827—1889)
• WOOD, MRS HENRY [ELLEN] (1814—1887)
• WOOD, SEARLES VALENTINE (1798—188o)

wood or See also:

• PAPIER

papier mdche painted, and like the stone coffins See also:

• BORE

bore hieroglyphics . The Persians, Parthians, Medes and peoples of the See also:

• CASPIAN

Caspian are not known to have had any coffins, their usual See also:

• CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom being to expose the body to be devoured by beasts and birds of See also:

• PREY (0. Fr. preie, mod. proie, Lat. praeda, booty, from prae and the root hed—seen in prehendere, prendere, to grasp)

prey . Unhewn See also:

• FLAT (a modification of O. Eng. flet, an obsolete word of Teutonic origin, meaning the ground beneath the feet)

flat stones were sometimes used by the See also:

• ANCIENT
• ANCIENT (also spelt ANTIENT; derived, through the Fr. ancien, old, from the late Lat. antianum, from ante, before)

ancient See also:

• EUROPEAN

European peoples to See also:

• LINE

line the See also:

• GRAVE

grave . One was placed at the bottom, others stood on their edges to form the sides, and a large slab was put on top, thus forming a See also:

• RUDE, FRANCOIS (1784–1855)

rude See also:

• CIST (Gr. ,dorn, Lat. cista, a box; cf. Ger. Kiste, Welsh kistvaen, stone-coffin, and also the other Eng. form " chest ")

cist . In England after the Roman invasion these rude cists gave See also:

• PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place to the stone coffin, and this, though varying much in shape, continued in use until the 16th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century . The most See also:

• PRIMITIVE

primitive wooden coffin was formed of a See also:

• TREE (0. Eng. treo, treow, cf. Dan. tree, Swed. Odd, tree, trd, timber; allied forms are found in Russ. drevo, Gr. opus, oak, and 36pv, spear, Welsh derw, Irish darog, oak, and Skr. dare, wood)
• TREE, SIR HERBERT BEERBOHM (1853- )

tree-See also:

• TRUNK (Fr. tronc, Lat. truncus, cut off, maimed)

trunk split down the centre, and hollowed out . The earliest specimen of this type is in the See also:

• COPENHAGEN (Danish Kjobenhavn)

Copenhagen museum, the implements found in it proving that it belonged to the See also:

• BRONZE

Bronze See also:

• AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

Age . This type of coffin, more or less modified by planing, was used in See also:

• MEDIEVAL

medieval See also:

• BRITAIN (Gr. Hperavuml vi7vot, Bperravia; Lat. Britannia, rarely Britannia)

Britain by those of the better classes who could not afford stone, but the poor were buried without coffins, wrapped simply in See also:

• CLOTH

cloth or even covered only with See also:

• HAY
• HAY (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages; cf. Ger. Heu, Dutch hooi; the root from which it is derived, meaning " to cut," is also seen in " to hew "; cf. " hoe ")
• HAY, GEORGE (1729—1811)
• HAY, GILBERT
• HAY, JOHN (1838–1905)

hay and See also:

• FLOWERS, ARTIFICIAL

flowers . Towards theend of the 17th century, coffins became usual for all classes . It is See also:

• WORTH
• WORTH, CHARLES FREDERICK (1825-1895)

worth noting that in the Burial Service in the See also:

• BOOK

Book of See also:

• COMMON

Common See also:

• PRAYER (from Lat. precari, entreat; Ital. pregaria, Fr. priere)
• PRAYER, BOOK OF COMMON

Prayer the word " coffin " is not used .

Among the See also:

• AMERICAN

American See also:

• INDIANS, NORTH AMERICAN

Indians some tribes, e.g. the Sacs, Foxes and See also:

• SIOUX

Sioux, used rough hewn wooden coffins; others, such as the Seris, sometimes enclosed the corpse between the See also:

• CARAPACE (a Fr. word, from the Span. carapacho, a shield or armour)

carapace and plastron of a turtle . The Seminoles of See also:

• FLORIDA

Florida used no coffins, while at See also:

• SANTA

Santa See also:

• BARBARA, SAINT

Barbara, See also:

• CALIFORNIA
• CALIFORNIA, LOWER (Baja California)
• CALIFORNIA, UNIVERSITY OF

California, canoes containing corpses have been found buried though they may have been intended for the dead See also:

• WARRIOR

warrior's use in the next See also:

• WORLD

world . Rough stone cists, too, have been found, especially in See also:

• ILLINOIS

Illinois and See also:

• KENTUCKY

Kentucky . In their tree and See also:

• SCAFFOLD
• SCAFFOLD, SCAFFOLDING (from the O. Fr. escafaut, originally escafalt, modern echafaud, a corruption of the Italian or Spanish calafalco, a platform, especially a canopy over a bier, a catafalque; this word is composed of O. Span. altar, O. Ital. catare, t

scaffold burial the Indians sometimes used wooden coffins, but oftener the bodies were simply wrapped in blankets . Canoes mounted on a scaffold near a See also:

• RIVER

river were used as coffins by some tribes, while others placed the corpse in a See also:

• CANOE (from Carib. candoa, the West Indian name found in use by Columbus; the Fr. canot, boat, and Ger. Kahn, are derived from the Lat. canna, reed, vessel)

canoe or wicker See also:

• BASKET

basket and floated them out into the stream or See also:

• LAKE
• LAKE, GERARD LAKE, 1ST VISCOUNT (1744-1808)

lake (see FUNERAL See also:

• RITES

RITES) . The See also:

• ABORIGINES

aborigines of See also:

• AUSTRALIA

Australia generally used coffins of bark, but some tribes employed baskets of wicker-See also:

• WORK

work . See also:

• LEAD
• LEAD (pronounced iced)

Lead coffins were used in See also:

• EUROPE

Europe in the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle ages, shaped like the mummy chests of ancient See also:

• EGYPT

Egypt . See also:

• IRON [symbol Fe, atomic weight 55.85 (0=16)]

Iron coffins were more rare, but they were certainly used in England and See also:

• SCOTLAND
• SCOTLAND, CHURCH OF
• SCOTLAND, EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF

Scotland as See also:

• LATE

late as the 17th century, when an See also:

• ORDER
• ORDER (through Fr. ordre, for earlier ordene, from Lat. ordo, ordinis, rank, service, arrangement; the ultimate source is generally taken to be the root seen in Lat. oriri, rise, arise, begin; cf. " origin ")
• ORDER, HOLY

order was made that upon bodies so buried a heavier burial See also:

• FEE

fee should be levied . The coffins used in England to-See also:

• DAY (O. Eng. dreg, Ger. Tag; according to the New English Dictionary, " in no way related to the Lat. dies")
• DAY, JOHN (1574-1640?)
• DAY, THOMAS (1748-1789)

day are generally of See also:

• ELM

elm or See also:

• OAK (O. Eng., (lc)

oak lined with lead, or with a leaden shell so as to delay as far as possible the See also:

• PROCESS

process of disintegration and decomposition . In See also:

• AMERICA

America See also:

• GLASS
• GLASS (O.E. glees, cf. Ger. Glas, perhaps derived from an old Teutonic root gla-, a variant of glo-, having the general sense of shining, cf. " glare," " glow ")
• GLASS, STAINED

glass is sometimes used for the lids, and the inside is lined with See also:

• COPPER (symbol Cu, atomic weight 63.1, H=1, or 63.6, O = 16)

copper or See also:

• ZINC

zinc . The coffins of See also:

• FRANCE
• FRANCE, ANATOLE (1844– )

France and See also:

• GERMANY
• GERMANY (Ger. Deutschland)

Germany and the See also:

• CONTINENT (from Lat. continere, "to hold together "; hence " connected," " continuous ")

continent generally, usually differ from those of England in not being of the See also:

• ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary hexagonal shape but having sides and ends parallel . Coffins used in cremation throughout the civilized world are of some See also:

• LIGHT

light material easily consumed and yielding little ash .

Ordinary thin See also:

• DEAL

deal and papier mdche are the favourite materials . Coffins for what is known as See also:

• EARTH
• EARTH (a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Erde, Dutch aarde, Swed. and Dan. jord; outside Teutonic it appears only in the Gr. 'pq'e, on the ground; it has been connected by some etymologists with the Aryan root ar-, to plough, which is seen in
• EARTH, FIGURE OF
• EARTH, FIGURE OF THE

Earth to Earth Burial are made of wicker-work covered with a thin layer of papier mdche over cloth . See also FUNERAL RITES; CREMATION; BURIAL AND BURIAL ACTS; See also:

• EMBALMING (Gr. 06Xaaµov, balsam; Ger. Einbalsamiren; Fr. embaumement)

EMBALMING; MUMMY, &C .