History of the Corpse Road

They
are known by many names: coffin roads,
church-ways, funeral paths, corpse roads – all leading from a remote English
village to the lych gates of the Mother church, many miles away.

Corpse
roads came about during medieval times when villages were locating farther and
farther afield.  Canon law of the period
stated that a parishioner must be buried on the grounds of the Mother church,
no matter how far away from their village, or how dangerous the travel.

Eight
men would take turns carrying the body along the corpse road. Four men, one at
each corner, would carry the deceased until they came to a coffin stone.  These stones were laid out along the road at
set intervals and designated as a place to lay the bier. Then the other four
men would step in and continue carrying the deceased while the first four
followed with the funeral procession and rested.

Corpse roads were usually straight since they were the most direct route from the village to the burial grounds.  Some were only a couple of miles; others were
close to ten miles long. It was believed
that any field used as a coffin road would fail to produce good crops. And, they were also associated with spirits,
wraiths and ghosts. 

Although fences walls and buildings were not
allowed to obstruct the corpse roads, usually at least one stream, river or
marsh could be found crossing a coffin road. 
Legend said that by carrying the deceased over running water, they could
not return home and haunt the living.

Many
times corpse lights or corpse candles would be seen traveling these paths,
flitting low to the ground.  It was
believed that the sprits of the dead traveled close to the earth in a straight
line that connected the village and the cemetery.  Some said that the lights would travel to the
dying person’s house the night before the death, then return to the cemetery
and disappear into the ground where the burial would take place.

Other
phenomena related to corpse roads include will-o’ the wisps, also known as
foolish fire, or Jack o’ lanterns. 
Travelers saw these ghostly lights at night.  Folklore stated that these flickering lights
were the spirits of the dead, trying to lead travelers astray.  Some legends identified them as the spirits
of unbaptized or stillborn children caught between heaven and hell.

Crossroads,
where two roads intersected each other, were also considered dangerous on a
corpse road because they were viewed as a location where the world and the
underworld met.  It was believed that the
Devil could appear at a crossroad. Crosses were placed at intersections – hence
cross roads, to protect those passing
from the Devil and wayward spirits. Later, witch balls were also hung along the
road.  A witch ball was a bottle or
enclosed circle of glass that contained threads and charms inside.  These were used to catch and tangle passing
spirits, trapping their evil or negative energy inside.

Once the funeral procession arrived at the burial
ground, they would proceed to the lych gates. 
(Lych is the Old English word for corpse.) Located at the entrance to
the church property, the lych gates were constructed like a porch with a roof
over them.  Clergy would meet the
mourners at these gates and assume responsibility for the body, preparing it
for the burial service.

Today, corpse roads are still visible throughout
England, the Netherlands and Ireland. 
Although it has been centuries since they have been used for their
original purpose, the rockiness and remoteness of these burial roads might
still make it preferable to stay clear of the paths at night.

~ Joy

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