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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture As George points out, Gélis is probably the place to look, and may well include the following, but I pass it on anyway. In Norway, premature babies were 'buried' in church walls in at least post-medieval times. Bø Olav, "Øskjer i kyrkjemuren" Norveg 7 (1960) 99-152 discusses Norwegian and Swedish folk traditions and practices concerning the disposal of miscarried or still-born children within the church or graveyard, as well as the belief that dolls could be treated in this way to "trick death" and cure a sick child. What cannot be determined is whether the practice was current in the Middle Ages, or developed after the Reformation. Magnus Olsen, Norges Innskrifter med de Yngre Runer vol. 4 Oslo: 1957, 173-81, also has something to say on the matter. In medieval Iceland (and I suspect Scandinavia more generally), there was no such thing as a chapel for 'outcastes'; excommunicates, unbaptized babies, and outlaws were to be buried far from inhabited territory. The whole point of denying church burial was to completely cut off the indidivual in question from normal human society (living or dead). Of course, its easier to dispose of undesriable corpses in a non-agricultural landscape than in an agricultural area or city. I have a vague idea that in Voltaire's time, the bodies of the poor and/ or sinful (such as actors and actresses) were thrown into a pit of quicklime . . . Meg - ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html