The Funeral Rites and Cultural Needs of Gypsies and Travellers

Funerals are an integral part of society and funeral rites are commonly used to honour the dead and support the bereaved. Primary research conducted by Dr Pauline Lane (ARU), Johanna Price and Dr Siobhan Spencer MBE (from the Derbyshire Gypsy Liaison Group) describes a range of common death rituals and customs that are followed by many Gypsy and Traveller families across England and it highlights some of the difficulties that families face when their cultural practices are not understood by the wider community.