My understanding is that while there was a pall which covered the entire (closed) casket, a pall cloth was used to cover the face of the deceased during the wake. This served two purposes... it hid the face (which, without the intervention of modern undertakers, may have been an unpleasant sight). AND - it served a distinct purpose during the wake, because if the deceased person were not "quite sincerely dead", any breathing would cause the cloth to move, signaling that the person was still alive.
Clay Clay Blackwell [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [Original Message] > From: Jenny Barron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Date: 1/21/2006 2:48:00 PM > Subject: Re: [lace] RE:drawn thread handkerchief > > It's used to cover a corpse prior to burial, not sure if it's the whole body - would have thought that was a shroud - or just the head > jenny barron > scotland > > Lorri Ferguson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Okay, that is a new one (to me!). What is a pall cloth? > > Lorri -who has so-o-o-o much to learn > > > > Could it be a pall cloth? > > Cheers, > Helen, Aussie in Denver > > - > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: > unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > - > To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: > unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
