BBC Radio4 Womans Hour feature: A return to traditional materials for burial
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Bellacouche leafshrouds are made of felted wool for a soft and comforting return to nature.
They are made up of five strong layers of soft woollen felt
& designed to be used instead of a coffin for woodland or traditional burial
WOOL has kept the heart of mankind warm:
the shepherd's cloak and the fine shawl, the pilgrim's robe and the warrior's mantle have all served well wherever they have served at all
from The Romance of French Weaving by Paul Rodier
The felt shroud connects our wool and textile traditions to the landscape & the natural world. By creating this range of felted burial shrouds, we aim to make the most of wool's special qualities, as well as encourage its wider use.
This is not a new idea in 1666 a law to benefit the wool trade was passed, requiring everyone to be buried in a woolen shroud.
There is also archeological evidence for the use of felt in a burial tomb in the Altai Mountains in Siberia. Dating from around 600 BC, the permafrost miraculously preserved some wonderful felts that suggest some ritual significance.
The shrouds are made from new British wool and use the natural fleece colours of different breeds of sheep. We also use some fleece that has been hand-dyed with indigo, onion & madder. The carrying frame and wooden pegs are made from wood coppiced in Devon. The wool is needlefelted for us, also in Devon, and finished by hand in our Dartmoor workshop.
The word Bellacouche comes from the traditional name of the makers' barn workshop, and means "beautiful resting place".
Anne Belgrave and Yuli Somme have worked together over several years on this new & gentler approach to burial.
Anne lives on the Welsh Border, and Yuli on Dartmoor. A love of the landscape and natural world has influenced our choice of materials and design - "our shared aim is to make something that stays close to nature, and is also intrinsically soft and comforting."
Each individually made shroud is constructed of four layers of strong felt attached to an integral wooden carrying frame and handles.Â
The body is double-wrapped in a soft white blanket and lain on a thick layer of felt, which is covered by the next leaf and tightly fastened all round with wooden toggles.
A final patterned leaf decorates the completed leafshroud.
base
a sturdy greenwood pole frame is encased in thick woollen felt: sewn in & secure
handles
at both ends to ease movement in & out of a vehicle + six carrying handles
inner wrap
the body is wrapped in a soft woollen cocoon and strapped to the frame
cover
this layer shelters the shrouded body, and is fastened all round with wooden toggles
top leaf
a decorative leaf lies gently on top in plain white felt or a choice of designs
please ring Yuli at the workshop: 01647 432155 to order or discuss your requirements
contact details
Yuli Somme & Anne Belgrave
workshop: 01647 432155
8 Meldon Road Chagford Devon TQ13 8BG