I know it’s not the most cheery topic for a post! However, by the beginning of the seventeenth century in England funeral practices and mourning had undergone a change thanks to the Protestant reformation. Purgatory no longer existed so it wasn’t necessary to make provision for prayer and masses to expedite the process. It led to a simplification of the process although society still had its own requirements.

When Lady Mary Vere was unexpectedly widowed in May 1635 she would have had to dressed in black as would her daughters. They weren’t permitted to wear anything bright or even shiny. Gradually they could have moved to half mourning which involved greys and mauves. Lady Mary was also expected to provide cloths with the chief mourners at her husband’s funeral as well as for the servants. This could have been anything from gowns and cloaks to gloves, scarves and armbands – although there would have been nothing elaborate or ostentatious. The key for Lady Mary, a Presbyterian, was that she would not have used any practices or rituals that had links to Catholicism. The clothing was more about showing proper respect. The funeral itself, which took place at Westminster Abbey, is likely to have been a quiet affair without even the tolling of a bell to mark the baron’s passing. Unlike his brother he has no effigy or marker.

Lord Horace Vere’s funeral was plain and relatively brief. Lady Mary’s restraint would have been a reminder of the virtue of simplicity and an external illustration of her pious submission to God’s will – no space for wailing and gnashing of teeth. It was the duty of her friends and family to provide practial support and quiet sorrow…all in all very solemn. Horace, a godly man, was seen as having made his final journey to Heaven. It is possible that a costly effigy would have smacked of vanity – the family would have wanted to focus on Horace’s soul.

By the time news travelled across the country, the funeral would have already taken place. Support in that case would take the form of a letter of condolence focusing on theological support for the widow and while they might wear sober clothing, or even be in receipt of a mourning ring left to them in the will of the person who died, the whole e process would be navigated with restraint.

Inevitably it is through memoirs that much of this information comes to light. Some of you will recall the work of Alice Thornton who lived in Yorkshire during the 17th century – her life was not without drama including a marriage after the English Civil War to a Parliamentarian to protect the family and its land – however her writing also reflects the need for quiet acceptance of God’s will.

John Evleyn’s journal reflected the writer’s piety and his own grief at the loss of his children. He also recorded court funerals as did Samuel Pepys whose diary reflects the writers interest in fashion! The sobriety of the Commonwealth Period would have met with Lady Mary Vere’s approval rather better than the grand displays that followed the Restoration.