Who can carry a coffin at a funeral?
Any adult can carry a coffin at a funeral. Funeral Directors can supply professional coffin bearers or they can be family or friends who will be given instructions.
Some families more than others appear to have a tradition of family members carrying the coffin of a loved-one. If such cases, the Funeral Director on the day will give clear instructions to those taking part and my also supply a couple of professional coffin bearers to guide and assist. At the very least, an experienced coffin bearer will normally stand by the catafalque to help receive the coffin and aid its transition. Most coffins used for cremation will require 6 adults to carry it however, if it is a solid wooden coffin or the deceased is a large person, then 8 bearers may be needed. In some situations where the coffin is extra heavy then a hospital style stretcher trolley will be used. Funeral Directors have the health of their staff to look after.
In an ideal world, bearers should be of similar height, otherwise the coffin may be carried at an awkward angle. When family members are involved, this might prove tricky.
Whilst traditionally coffin bearers are men, there is absolutely no reason why women cannot be coffin bearers and increasingly, many funeral directors have mixed-gender staff and so can provide a mix of male and female coffin bearers. many smaller family-run Funeral Directors do not employ coffin bearers full-time, but instead, they will use a freelance team of coffin bearers who work for a range of firms. As a result, if families therefore request 6 female coffin bearers, they should be able to provide it .
The recent funeral of HM Queen Elizabeth II demonstrated to the world the dignity and splendour of professional coffin bearers. In this case, the bearers were all young military men. It was encouraging however to see Naval women alongside the men, pulling the State gun-carriage with the Queen’s coffin.
It is a great honour to see a coffin carried by family and friends. Not everyone can do it and they are still mainly men. I have huge respect for those more forward-thinking Funeral Directors who actively promote and supply women as coffin bearers. Ultimately, however, it is for the next-of-kin to decide what they want. It is great when they are told about all the different options available. to them.