Back in 1667, one of the largest public regulations to pass in England did not have to do with more modern concerns such as town restoration, waste management, or building permits.
Instead, on March 25, 1667, it was declared that every resident of the country had to be buried in wool. Or else, a damning fine of five pounds would be collected from the estate of the deceased or their associates.
Why would such a specific order of Parliament be issued, you might ask? Well, in 1665, England had overwhelming amounts of three distinct things: sheep, imported linen, and death.
In fact, that year was particularly tough due to the bubonic plague, which resulted in nearly two hundred and twenty thousand lives being lost by the end of the year.
Traditionally, all of these corpses would have been buried within linen shrouds. And this custom was especially beneficial for the country’s rival, France– which exported nearly one-third of all of England’s linens. This made linens the country’s second-largest import, following groceries.
Of course, linen was not the only fiber used back then. Actually, there were five main fabrics: wool, silk, linen, hemp, and cotton. It was undeniable that linen had various advantages over its rivals, though.
For instance, linen was produced in a wide range of qualities which made the fabric widely accessible to both the poor and rich. It also bleached well and was easier to clean, making it a sought-after commodity.
On top of that, linen had rich religious ties. All four Gospels testified to Jesus being wrapped in linen prior to being buried. John and Luke even detailed how the fabric remained in the tomb after Ressurection– which was deemed as proof of a miraculous occurrence.
In turn, linen became the go-to fiber for burials across most of the Christian world. In the process, though, England’s own domestic wool industry was battered.
David – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
So, in an effort to boost wool sales and preserve linen for other local uses, the Parliament conceptualized “An Act for Burying in Wollen Only.”
Simply switching to wool burial shrouds in 1665 would have actually preserved over 1.9 million yards of linen that year– which would have been a massive win for England’s wool economy. However, the transition to a brand-new custom was not as seamless as Parliament had anticipated.
In fact, the switch could not have been more shocking to the country’s population. And even though exact compliance numbers with the new regulation are unknown, it is clear that Parliament was not satisfied– because, in 1677, even more stringent legislation was introduced.
This upgraded act required that written affidavits, conducted by two witnesses, be completed within eight days of burial and confirm that wool shrouds had been used. Clergy members were also required to document what burial fibers were used in a registry, and anyone who strayed from these regulations would be forced to face a hefty fine.
And to Parliament’s pleasure, this stricter approach worked. From 1682 to 1755, only eighteen of the five hundred and five graves at St. Lawrence’s Church in Cucklington were buried using linen.
This widespread compliance could have been due to various reasons. On the one hand, the tradition of linen burials may have only been cherished by older generations, thus making younger adults less resistant to adopting wool. On the other hand, the threat of even just a five-pound fine could have crippled many families back in the day.
Regardless of why the act worked, though, officials in England ultimately got their wish. And between 1679 and 1695, it is estimated that the country halted the importation of over twenty-three million yards of linen. This would have saved the nation about 2.5 million pounds.
By 1814, though, Parliament actually repealed the acts and eased up on linen restriction altogether. By that time, the English economy was much more robust and did not rely so heavily upon wool. So, cotton burials soon rose in popularity, and the forced tradition of wool shroud burials fell to the wayside.
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