Notes & Queries Archive
QUERY1850

Mortuary Stanzas

By Philopatris

Could any of your readers supply me with information respecting the practice of appending mortuary stanzas to the yearly bills of mortality, published in many parishes; whether there are any extant specimens of such stanzas besides those memorable poems of Cowper written for the parish clerk of Northampton; and whether, also, the practice is still kept up in any parts of the country?

Topics: Mortuary Stanzas, Bills of Mortality, Parish Practices

Locations: Northampton