Plaque
Grand Manan Museum
All rights reserved.
| Object Name: | Plaque |
|---|---|
| Artist/Maker: | Unknown |
| Object Type: | Coffin |
| Category: | Plate, Coffin |
| Material: | metal, copper wood, spruce? |
| Technique: | etched fastened |
| Accession Number: | 2021.04.03 |
| Origin-Province: | Ohio |
| Origin-Country: | USA |
| Use-Province: | New Brunswick |
| Use-Country: | Canada |
| Culture: | North American |
| Earliest Production Date: | 1908-01-01 |
| Latest Production Date: | 1908-12-31 |
| Description: | Copper plate with writing etched into it. Wooden frame is ridged and covered in black cloth, two opposite corners have filigreed metal and ornamentation. |
| Narrative: | Coffin Plates are usually made of a soft metal like lead, pewter, silver, brass, copper or tin. The different metals reflect the different functions of the plates, or the status and wealth of the deceased. For a basic funeral, a simple lead plate would be lettered with the name, date of death and often the age of the departed, and nailed to the lid of a wooden coffin. But high status people could afford a plate of a more expensive metal and elaborate design. Coffin plates go back at least as far as the 17th century and were reserved for people of wealth. Through the centuries, more people were able to afford the luxury of a coffin plate and with the industrial revolution, by the mid-19th century, the cost of the plates decreased so much that almost every family could afford to have one put on the coffin of their loved ones. When coffin plates began increasing in popularity, the practice of removing the plates from the coffin before burial became the trend as they were often removed by the loved ones to be kept as mementos of the deceased. This practice peaked in the late 19th century. In north-west Wales, coffin plates were displayed inside churches. An anonymous visitor to Dolgellau in 1841 noted that 'It is rather curious to see the innumerable coffin plates which are here invariably removed from the coffins and suspended in the church like escutcheons.' They were also seen in Tywyn, Merionethshire in 1866 and Beddgelert, Carnarvonshire. Examples may be seen on the walls of St Beuno's, Penmorfa and St Cynhaearn's, Ynyscynhaearn, both under the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches. In the UK and Australia coffin name plates are legally required (whether for burial and cremation) as a means of identifying the deceased. |
| History of Use: | Coffin plates are decorative adornments attached to a coffin that can contain various inscriptions like the name and death date of the deceased or a simple terms of endearment. This coffin plate was for Bertha Graham who died at age 40. Her relatives were the island's undertakers for three generations. She was probably Johnny Graham's mother as Johnny's father died in 1905 at age 46, so Bertha dying at age 40 in 1908 is the right time frame to be his mother. |
| Height: | 13 cm |
| Width: | 22.75 cm |
| Subject/Image: | Coffin name plate |
| Institution: |
Grand Manan Museum
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| Institution City: | Grand Manan |
| Institution Province: | New Brunswick |