The Sin-Eaters

During the course of the Middle Ages, the grim reaper was a far more frequent visitor than today. Illness, famine, and pestilence were commonplace, and with a medical knowledge based on the theories of the ancients, treatments were largely ineffectual, and as a consequence, little could be done to alleviate suffering. But it was not just the fear of death that struck dread into the medieval heart. What was to become of their soul? Europe in the Middle Ages was a place of almost universal religious belief, and the notion that one’s soul, in order to atone for mortal sins, might arrive in purgatory, or worse still, be damned to hell for eternity, terrified those who found themselves approaching their demise, after a lifetime of less than pious observance of God’s will.

So, what was to be done? For the wealthy, who at the time consisted of the nobility and landed gentry, no problem. As death approached, the expiring individual or their family, could pay a member of the clergy, preferably a bishop, to absolve the rapidly declining man or woman of their sins, thus ensuring a smooth passage of the soul into a heavenly afterlife at the appropriate juncture. However, the vast majority of the population at the time were far from wealthy, and most lived by subsistence farming, meaning they ate what they grew with little else to show for their labours. Indeed, a percentage of their crops even had to be paid to the lord of the manor in the form of a tythe, meaning the rich grew richer and the poor, poorer. So what options were available to the peasant class with regard to the redemption of the soul?

Fortunately, all was not lost. For the price of a few pennies and a little food and drink, the family of a recently deceased villein or serf could call upon the services of a sin-eater. An odd job title, no doubt, but one that is, nevertheless, relatively self-explanatory. The duties of a sin-eater obliged them to visit the home of the just departed and partake of nourishment, usually in the form of ale and bread. Typically, the beer would be placed next to the corpse and the bread on its chest. By consuming the frugal meal, the sins of the dead individual would be absorbed into the sin-eater, thus absolving them of their sins and, as with their wealthy counterparts, ensuring that they would be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven. Just before eating the food, the sin-eater would utter an incantation that went as follows: “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.

Whilst the services of sin-eaters were regarded as almost a rite of passage for successful entry into the afterlife, the lot of the sin-eater was not a happy one. Believing sin-eaters to become more depraved each time they gobbled up the sins of the departed, they were viewed as the epitome of immorality and ungodliness. Consequently their services were procured surreptitiously, with the sin-eater usually being obliged to call round covertly after dark. They were shunned by society, reviled like lepers, and as a consequence, lived on the outskirts of the communities they served. As you might imagine, the profession tended to attract only the most wretched and impoverished of individuals who, but for the meagre rations and small change, might otherwise have starved to death. Interestingly, it seems that when a sin-eater died, it was customary for another, often younger, sin-eater, to perform the sin-eating ritual over the corpse of his or her deceased colleague, thus absolving the deceased sin-eater of their multitude of sins.

Rather surprisingly, the practice of sin-eating seems to have persisted into relatively modern times, only dying out in the nineteenth century. In 1825, a Professor Evans of the Presbyterian College, Carmarthen, Wales, described a sin-eater he had met as follows: “Abhorred by the superstitious villagers as a thing unclean, the sin-eater cut himself off from all social intercourse with his fellow creatures by reason of the life he had chosen; he lived as a rule in a remote place by himself, and those who chanced to meet him avoided him as they would a leper. This unfortunate was held to be the associate of evil spirits, and given to witchcraft, incantations and unholy practices; only when a death took place did they seek him out, and when his purpose was accomplished they burned the wooden bowl and platter from which he had eaten the food handed across, or placed on the corpse for his consumption.”

Indeed, the last known sin-eater in England was a man named Richard Munslow, who died on 23 April 1906 aged approximately 74. However, by the time Richard took up the profession, it appears that the jobholder may not have been quite as reviled and impoverished as his predecessors. He married Ann Pinches on 14th January 1862 at Ratlinghope parish church and they had seven children. When he passed away, Richard Munslow was buried with an impressive headstone in St Margaret Churchyard, Ratlinghope, Shropshire, England. His grave can be viewed today, and his tombstone was actually restored following a public subscription. A special service to commemorate the restoration was held at the graveside on Sunday 19th September 2010. However, the death of Richard Munslow begs the question that must surely have bothered him and his family. Who eats the last sin-eaters sins?

Sources:

Wierdhistorian.com – The Funeral Rite Few Could Stomach

Wikipedia – Sin-eater

Findagrave.com – Richard Munslow