Mort Cloth
Used to drape coffins at village funerals. The dead had to be
carried some 8 miles over the hills to Sanquhar. The origin of the
cloth is described in Brown's 'History of Sanquhar', where it is
recorded that subsequent to a refusal by the Sanquhar authorities
to lend a mort-cloth to Wanlockhead, as had been the custom, an
appeal was made successively to Presbytery & General Assembly
which ruled that Wanlockhead be given a church and therefore a
mort-cloth in its own right. The church closed and was purchased by
WMT in 1986.
Object no :
WHTX001n
Collection :
Creator :
NA
Place of Production :
NA
Dimensions :
Length 2700mm x 1500mm
Materials :
Heavy woven cover with cloth lining and all round fringe of tassel
Location :
NA
Accession number :
WADLM: E1/220
Copyright :
Wanlockhead Museum Trust