482 EEPORT — 1897. 



526. Portlogan. — When one was dying, it was the custom to keep the 

 door of the house wide open. 



527. Kirhnaiden. — It is the custom to stop the clock when one dies. 

 My informant has seen this done within three years. 



528. When the eyes of a dead person do not close, penny pieces are put 



over them. 



529. Balmaghie. — To ' straucht a corpse ' is to lay out a dead body. 



530. Kirhnaiden. — The dead body always lies on the bed on which 

 the death takes place, till it is dressed and put into the coffin. 



531. It was not an unusual thing for a woman to spin the thread of 

 her own grave-clothes. 



532. My informant, a carpentei', is in the habit of washing his hands 

 after putting the dead body into the coffin. It was at one time the usual 

 custom to do so. 



533. A plate containing a little salt was till lately placed on the 

 breast of the dead body. 



534. The dead body, except for some special reason, is usually kept 

 unburied for five or six days. 



535. Till about twenty years ago it was the usual custom that a few 

 neighbours, both men and women, met at the house of death about 10 

 o'clock at night. Refreshments were usually served as they arrived, and 

 when they left in the morning. For these refreshments some brewed their 

 own beer. A good deal of time was spent in reading the Bible, in singing 

 psalms, with prayer occasionally. 



536. Balmaghie. — One ought never to refuse to 'see a boddie's dead' 

 when asked to look on a dead body. 



537. J/oc/irMwi.— Invitations to a funeral used to be given till within 

 a few years ago by a messenger. A common form of invitation was : — 

 ' Your company is requested to the funeral of at 

 o'clock. 



538. Kirkmaiden. — The messenger that called the people to a funeral 

 almost never entered the house of those invited, but stood outside the 

 door and gave the message. If he did enter the house, he did not sit 

 down. On finishing his round, he returned to the house of death. 



539. Refreshments till within a few years ago were given to those 

 that attended a funeral. In the case of a farmer or any of his family the 

 guests assembled in the barn. Men were appointed to hand round the 

 refreshments, and they were called ' service men.' There are generally 

 four or five, and at times as many as six ' services.' Commonly a ' service 

 man ' stood at the door and proffered a glass of whisky to each one on his 

 arrival. When all were assembled, the ' service men ' began their work. 

 First came a ' service ' of whisky with bread and cheese — ' funeral bread,' 

 i.e., oaten cakes baked for the funeral. The second consisted of sherry 

 and port wine with short-bread, or small ' bakes,' i.e., biscuits, or ' dollar 

 biscuits.' The third might be of rum or brandy, and the fourth of gin, or 

 whisky, or beer. 



When the custom fell into disuse, many of the old-fashioned folk 

 expressed their displeasure, and said that ' a beerial was na worth 



going to 



540. Mochrum. — At a funeral sometimes whisky and a bake were given 

 at the church door. 



541. Kirkmaiden.— Aitev the funeral, some of the relatives, a few 

 friends and near neighbours, with the one that had invited the people to 



