Funeral procession

[john91]

Don't know if this is in the right section to ask but, is there a special name for the man who walks in front of a funeral procession?
Thanks
John

[sandyRoe]

I think that was the role of a 'mute' in Victorian times. Would he be called an 'Usher' now?

[boxtops]

This has been asked elsewhere on the internet, I googled it, this is one response.

I believe in the UK that it is the funeral director who will walk in front of the procession.

[Ankou]

in the uk, this role is called paging. they page in front of the coffin.

the role is usually carried out by the funeral director, or his/her assistant who is an undertaker. traditionally a top hat is worn, male or female.

[hippyhoppy]

Not sure of the name, but the bloke at mum's funeral onlt did it until all the cars were on the main road.. then he hopped in the hearse and we (very slowly) all trundled down to Worthing Crem...

[john91]

Thank you all for your replies, as Ankou says it is the funeral director paging, have since found this on the web,

‘Paging away’ is when the funeral director leads the cortege on foot and is done as the hearse begins to move away for the first time, as the cortege passes a place of particular meaning to the deceased, or on arrival at the cemetery or crematorium. This tradition probably originates from when horse-drawn hearses would send a page ahead of the cortege to stop other coaches which would stop to give the coffin and mourners precedence as a mark of respect.

Thanks
John

[saxy_jag]

I think it's something you can ask to have done, rather than the funeral company doing it automatically. In our family, we call it 'being walked out of the street' or 'London style', because it's something we see more often when going to our London family's funerals than we do here in the midlands.