Reeve, Jez and Max Adams
1993  The Spitalfields Project: Across the Styx, volume 1, p. 102. Council for British Archaeology Research Report 85.

"Coffin bases were filled with sawdust, wood shavings, etc. which are found on top of the mattresses, and were probably added after the body had been viewed, immediately prior to the coffin being sealed. Their purpose was twofold: firstly to absorb liquid from the body's decomposition and secondly to stop the body from rolling and bumping while the coffin was being moved."


Hope this is what you wanted.

Tim Riordan
-----Original Message-----
From: Laird Niven [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 2:15 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: wood shavings in coffins


I was wondering if anyone has references to the use of wood shavings to line
the interior of coffins? I recently carried out a salvage of a coffin
discovered under a church and, while skeletal preservation was extremely
poor due to the wet conditions and weight of the clay in-fill, the coffin
was in very good shape. The bottom of the coffin was covered in what appear
to be wood shavings. Some recovered jewellery indicates that this was a
young girl of German descent who died in 1773 and was recorded as being
buried under the church.
Thanks for your help.
Laird Niven
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia