Defination: A garland carried before the bier of a maiden and hung over her grave.
Made as a funerary memento, as a token and symbol of
"triumphant victory over the lusts of the flesh."
These were carried in the funeral procession or placed on the coffin.
Afterwards they were hung inside the church,
sometimes over the pew where the maiden might have
Although usually made for a young woman that had died a tragic
death and still remained a virgin, in some places they were also
made for young men.
I also found a reference of a crants being made for a younger child.
The earliest garland known to exist (1680)
can be found at St. Marys' Church, Beverley, Yorkshire, England.
The most recent was made in 1973,
and is found amongst the 43 Virgin Crowns at Abbotts Ann.
The garlands were usually constructed from two hoops
of lightweight wood, with bands crossing and attatched
at right angles, forming a sort of "crown"
These were then wrapped with paper or sometimes cloth.
At the "joins" there were sometimes fastened very intricate rosettes made from paper.
Hanging from the center of the crown you could often find a handkerchief, or a pair of gloves,
either real or made of paper.
The name of the person being remembered was often written on the glove or handkerchief.......
sometimes the date of death was included, or perhaps some bible verses.
The glove is evidently a survival of the custom to throw down the gauntlet
as a challenge to anyone who might dispute the charactor of the deceased.
A couple of literary mentions of crants:
Re: Ophelias' burial...................
"Yet here she is allowed her virgin crants,
her maiden strewments".
Shakespeare-Hamlet (act 5, scene 1
"Well, here I am to-night, hoping for sleep,
and lying like Ophelia in the play,
with "virgin crants and maiden strewments".
"A chaplet of white flowers is borne before the corpse
by a young girl nearest in age, size and resemblance ,
and is afterward hung up in the church
over the accustomed seat of the deceased.
These chaplets are sometimes made of white paper, in imitation
of flowers, and inside them is generally a pair of white gloves.
They are intended as emblems of the purity
of the deceased and the crown of glory which she
has received in heaven.
Abbots Ann Crowns
Although widespread in England and Wales
the custom of Maidens garlands (crants)
was also practiced in parts of Europe,
for example France and Germany.
An example of what one might have looked
like when it was made.
I had never heard of this custom before,
and found it very interesting.
Some of these are in a state of decay, being very old,
and some are in the process of being gently restored.
Some of them apparently had some color on them when made but time and dust has
made them it's own color.
Have you ever heard of a crants?
I am taking the liberty of creating a crants of my own
partly as an art/history exploration project,
but mostly in memory of a member of our family.
Some links to explore: