The Haunted Palace Blog

The dictionary definition of a sin-eater is “a person formerly hired to assume the sins of a dead person by eating food placed near the corpse” [1]. So, the questions which then emerge are; why did society feel the need for such a service in the first place and why would a person choose to accept a role which was viewed with such revulsion?

‘You are what you eat’

The occupation of professional sin-eater was not one a person would take on lightly, so, it is no surprise that sin-eaters usually came from the lowest strata of society.  Only those who had no other options in life and no other way to earn a living would accept a role that banished them to the edges of society, forcing them to live a reclusive life, reviled and feared by their neighbours.

Sometimes that fear turned to even darker thoughts. The nature of the sin-eaters’ work meant that they absorbed the sins of others and so, many people believed that with every act, the sin-eater performed they became “more and more removed from the hope of mercy” [2]. Being damned and predestined for an afterlife in hell, hardly makes them the most sought-after company and in the minds of many, sin-eaters became associated with the devil, witchcraft, and other unholy practices [3].

A Necessary Evil

The few accounts of the rituals relating to sin-eating are very homogenous in nature. The sin-eater was called in to administer the ceremony either when a person was moribund or had just passed away. Probably it was considered that time was of the essence, for who wants their nearest and dearest to suffer any more than they had to.

In all the ceremonies bread was used. Why bread was seen as essential to the ritual is unknown, maybe it was due to its porous nature which made it seem the perfect medium for ‘absorbing sins’. In any case, bread was either placed on a plate of salt and laid on the breast of the dying or dead person or handed over the body to the sin-eater along with a bowl of beer or ale (sometimes milk was used as a substitute). The sin-eater would then say a prayer or recite chants in which they commanded the sins to pass from the deceased into them [4]. After which they would then drink and eat the bread i.e. to physically absorb the sins into their own body. Once the ritual was completed, the family would burn the wooden utensils and in that way rid themselves and their household of immoral contamination.

Minor details do vary. For instance, in some cases, it was said that the sin-eaters were forbidden to enter the mourners’ home and so the ritual took place either on the threshold or just outside the house. Sometimes the sin-eater was seated on a low stool, other times he stood. There are even reports that the sin-eater after he had finished was sent packing with curses and threats to never return [5].

The Price of Sin

For their troubles, the sin-eater would be paid a meager fee, little more than sixpence or if they were lucky thirty pence dipped in whitewash to resemble silver [6]. It hardly seems worth it considering the heavy burden they had taken on at the expense of their own souls. Possibly they were more concerned with saving themselves in this life than worried about the next one or maybe they truly believed they were doing good. One commentator believed it was for the former reason, “Men who undertook so daring an imposture must all have been infidels, willing, apparently like Esau, to sell their birth right for a mess of potage” [7].  Possibly spoken by an arrogant and self-righteous man who had probably never been hungry in his life!

A Popular Practice or Not?

How widespread was the practice of sin-eating? The earliest source for sin-eating comes from the work of the 17^th-century chronicler, John Aubrey. He recalls how a sin-eater living along the Rosse road would be regularly hired to perform this service. Aubrey rather compassionately described the man as a “gaunt, ghastly, lean, miserable, poor rascal” [8]. One other interesting comment that Aubrey makes is that there existed a popular belief that the sin-eater would prevent the ghost of the deceased from walking. Taking it at face value, it does appear a logical conclusion for a time when the belief that ghosts of tormented souls haunted the living, unable to find rest, was prevalent.

Sin-eaters are also mentioned as existing in Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and East Anglia, but whether or not these were isolated occurrences or indicative of a widespread practice is difficult to tell due to the fragmentary nature of the reports. In 1958, Enid Porter, a well-respected folklorist, wrote an article about the case of a female sin-eater who had died in 1906. The woman had become a sin-eater after ingesting a large dose of poppy tea. Finding her unconscious, her neighbours called the minister to perform the last rites and help her on the journey to the afterlife. To their surprise, she recovered, and now free of her own sins, she was able to take on the sins of others [9].

Apart from the interesting account above, most of the evidence that is left to us suggests that the practice of sin-eating was most common in Wales and the surrounding English border counties.

Saving the Welsh Soul

In the introduction to a biography on the Welsh preacher, Christmas Evans (1750-1850), Paxton Hood mentions the existence of sin-eaters in Cwmaman, Carmarthenshire. Paxton was referencing the minutes taken by Matthew Moggridge during a meeting of the Cambrian Archaeological Association. None of the members showed any surprise upon hearing the news as the inhabitants of that region had a reputation for being rowdy, lawless, and ignorant. A row did erupt though, on the publication of the book with Welsh clergymen emphatically denouncing the existence of sin-eaters. One such denier was Canon Silvan Evans, the rector of Llanymawddwy in Merionethshire who stated that having lived in the region for years he had never witnessed such a practice or even heard of sin-eaters [10].

In volume 3 of The Mountain Decameron [11], Joseph Downes, a surgeon by trade, relates an incident in which a gentleman travelling through Cardiganshire, Wales became lost in a desolate area of countryside, Cors Fochno, near the village of Borth. Exhausted after riding around the large peat mire for hours, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the candle lights of a cottage in the distance. Going towards the dwelling, he witnessed a woman emerge and call out a name whilst from inside the cottage came the sound of weeping.

On entering, he saw a corpse of man laid out in preparation for burial. On his breast was a plate of salt and a piece of bread. Next to the body stood a man in the process of performing a strange ritual. Laying his hand on the dead man, he made a sign of the cross and prayed that the deceased’s sins would transfer into him in order for the soul to be free from the “pains or penances in fire”. After he had completed his task, the sin-eater came towards the traveller, and together they watched as the woman took the straw from the deceased’s bed and burnt it, a common practice in that part of Wales.

Later the traveller learnt more about the sin-eater. According to the locals the man lived in a hovel made from wreckage from the sea in an area between the sea-marsh and the peat bog. He ascertained from his inquiries that few were brave enough to approach the sin-eater’s residence by day and none by night “whether for the footing or the great fear or at least awe, which all felt of that recluse” [12].

There is a debate about whether or not Downes was writing a factual account or not, as much of this work is more of a literary nature. This together with the scarcity of primary sources has led to many doubting whether or not sin-eaters actually ever existed?

Sin-eaters: Fact or Fiction

One of the main arguments made against their existence is that prior to Aubrey’s treatise, no reference is made to them. Many have surmised from this that Aubrey had simply misinterpreted an unusual bereavement ritual. In my opinion, the fact that there is no mention of sin-eaters before this period of time does not negate the validity of Aubrey’s report. It is very likely that they didn’t exist prior to the mid-1600s, but that the role could have been created during this time due to the social and political upheaval of a world turned upside down.

The first half of the seventeenth century was the scene of profound change for England with the execution of a king, the establishment of Cromwell as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland and then his death and the re-establishment of the monarchy. Aside from the political mayhem, there was also religious chaos, with the persecution of Catholics and the banning of Catholic religious practices and rituals. One of these rituals was the deathbed confession of sins and the giving of absolution. The removal of such an important function would have left many feeling vulnerable and terrified of what they would face after they died. People may have looked for another source to help them and so possibly this is why the role of sin-eater may have been created.

As to the denial of clergymen, that is also understandable. Sin-eating would have been viewed as heretical. Those involved would have been seriously punished. So, it made sense for both the clergymen to turn a blind eye and refuse to admit that they were incapable of stamping out such a practice and for those who believed and participated in it, to remain silent.

As time passed and society changed, the role of the sin-eater would have become less and less important until it died out completely. Despite this; there is evidence such as from Enid Porter (already mentioned) and from Shropshire, where a Richard Munslow was buried and who is known today as the last of the sin-eaters, that the practice of sin-eating did continue to some extent into the late 1800s.

The Last Sin-eater

In September 2010, an unusual service took place at St Margaret’s Church in Ratlinghope, Shropshire to honour, the sin-eater, Richard Munslow who had died in 1906. The ceremony was held to celebrate the restoration of his gravestone with funds raised by a local stonemason, Charles Shaw. The reason given by those involved was to ensure that an important custom was remembered, as well as to bring to attention the role that Munslow and others played in the religious history of England and Wales.

As was mentioned previously, usually the mantle of professional sin-eater was taken on by the poorest members of society; beggars, vagabonds, and outcasts of society but Munslow on the other hand was a respectable and prosperous farmer who owned a 70-acre farm in Upper Darnford. Hardly the typical candidate for the role of sin-eater.

So, why did Munslow become a sin-eater? His real reasons died with him and those who knew him, but one possible explanation could have been grief. Munslow lost four children, including three in the same week. Maybe fear for their souls or an attempt to ensure that they entered the kingdom of heaven was his motivation. In any case, despite his new role, he remained a valued member of his community performing a much-needed service. Part of the speech he used has survived, “I give easement and rest now to thee, dear man. Come not down the lanes or in our meadows. And for thy peace I pawn my own soul. Amen” [13]. In his own way, Munslow protected his community from harm and saved those he cared about.

Final thoughts

We owe our gratitude to Aubrey and Munslow and a few others that what was an important custom has not disappeared from the historical record. Personally, I am glad that sin-eaters are no longer needed today but as with all customs which have existed it throws an important light on the dark corners of the past.

Bibliography

1. Aaron, Jane (2015), Welsh Gothic, Cardiff: University of Wales Press.
2. Aubrey, John: Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme, 1686-87, (ed.) Britten, James, London: W. Satchell, Peyton and Co., 1881
3. Downes, Josephy, The Mountain Decameron Vol 3, London: Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1836
4. Kreft, Marie: Slow Travel Shropshire, Chalfont St Peter: Bradt Travel Guides, 2016
5. Porter, Enid, Some folk beliefs of the fens in Folklore, 1958
6. Puckle, Bertram S. Funeral Customs: Their origin and development, London: T. Werner Laurie Ltd, 1926
7. Sinclair, Catherine: Hill and Valley, William White and Co. Edinburgh, 1838

Websites

1. Sin-eater, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin-eater
2. Last ‘sin-eater’ celebrated with church service, 19 September 2010, https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-shropshire-11360659
3. What is a Sin-Eater?, Niki Foster, 21 June 2020, https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-sin-eater.htm
4. Sin-eating in the Amman Valley, Dr. Huw Walters, Volume XV (1978) Pages 70–76. http://www.terrynorm.ic24.net/sin%20eating.htm
5. Icy Sedgwick, Inviting Sin-Eaters to a Funeral: Fact or Folklore? 22 February 2020, https://www.icysedgwick.com/sin-eaters/
6. Sinful suppers: Sin-eating in England and Wales, https://www.secondshistory.com/home/sin-eating-history

Notes:
[1] Sin-eater: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sin-eater
[2] The Mountain Decameron Vol 3 Joseph Downes
[3] Sin-eater, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin-eate
[4] What is a Sin-Eater?, https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-sin-eater.htm
[5] Sin-eating in the Amman Valley, http://www.terrynorm.ic24.net/sin%20eating.htm
[6] Some folk beliefs of the fens, Enid Porter
[7] Hill and Valley, Catherine Sinclai
[8] The Mountain Decameron Vol 3 Joseph Downes
[9] Some folk beliefs of the fens, Enid Porter
[10] Sin-eating in the Amman Valley
[11] The Mountain Decameron Vol 3 Joseph Downes
[12] Ibid
[13] Sin-eater, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin-eater

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