Followed to church ? What does this phrase mean ?

[congletonian]

I have been reading through a couple of old family diaries and noticed a few entries written a few days after a funeral where the family member wrote eg " followed dad to church " written by my dad some days after the death and funeral of his father . I wondered if anyone else had come across this and if anyone knows what it actually means . The diary entries I found were mostly from diaries written in the 1940s and 50s .
Thanks for looking
Liz

[Caroline]

Would it have been them walking behind the hearse, even if not actually recorded on the day of the funeral?

[SmallTownGirl]

Agree with Caroline.

STG

[congletonian]

No I don't think so Caroline. It seems to definitely be something separate from the funeral. I'm completely puzzled . My dad wrote the one about his father, my great aunt wrote an entry several days after the funeral of my grandmother and another entry in a diary about 3years before that some 2 weeks after the funeral of my great grandmother . All have details written on the day of the funeral anyway such as who came to church , where they went afterwards etc . It's puzzling !

[Janet in Yorkshire]

I have childhood memories (1950's) of people attending evensong on the Sunday following the funeral of one of their family members, even though they were not regular churchgoers. Never thought to ask why; it was just something that happened. Perhaps it was a northern custom, a mark of respect, a way of finishing things off, having just seen them off on their final journey. Think it had died out by the mid 60's.

Jay

[JudithM]

There used to be a custom, in this next of the woods at least, of bereaved family members, even though not usually churchgoers, attending a Sunday church service in the week(s) following the funeral. Could this be what was meant?

[congletonian]

Now I wonder could that be it ? In the case of my grandmother, on the 7th January her sister writes that the burial was that day then on 18th January she writes "followed Emily to church today , church very cold " . This was in Cheshire and all the family were regular church goers so was it a special service for bereaved families ?
So interesting and helpful to get input from others on here , I have no one left to ask ! Thank you
Liz

[Barbara Dodds]

I have childhood memories (1950's) of people attending evensong on the Sunday following the funeral of one of their family members, even though they were not regular churchgoers. Never thought to ask why; it was just something that happened. Perhaps it was a northern custom, a mark of respect, a way of finishing things off, having just seen them off on their final journey. Think it had died out by the mid 60's.

Jay

A couple of years ago I attended a day time church service on the Sunday after my OH's great grandmother was buried., so not quite died out yet. It was at a very traditional church on the Duke of Portland's estate so that may have had some bearing as well.

[congletonian]

Thank you Barbara so it may still carry on in some places then .
Liz

[Chrissie Smiff]

I am not a churchgoer but my mother was. When she died in 1990 the vicar who had officiated at her burial made a point of contacting me to tell me which Sunday evening her name would be read out, so that I could attend. He also asked me if I would like to pay for a tree to be planted in her memory in the churchyard, which I did. Apparently it was common practice for the names of churchgoers who had died to be read out at a Sunday evening service one or two weeks after the funeral.

[tms11]

My father died in April 1961 and was cremated. A few weeks after we received an invitation from the Crematorium to attend a Memorial Service for those who had been cremated there during April, so not only a church practise back then.

I don't know if this Service is still going on due to the number of people who are cremated, cremations every half hour at that Crematorium these days.


Ian

[congletonian]

Thank you Chrissie and Ian
I think that is probably the explanation then and maybe in Cheshire the phrase followed to church was how it was described. I found it interesting that ancestors from different branches of my family used the same phrase in their diaries and letters.
And aren't family diaries a fantastic family history resource ? I'm lucky that so many of my ancestors kept diaries , including my late parents. Although much of what is written is quite humdrum it is almost as if they are speaking to us !
Liz