In message , "Dr Robert V. J. P. Varman" <[log in to unmask]> writes
>Hi Histarchers,
>
>Does anyone know when coffins for ordinary people's burials became a
>standard, or expected, thing. Was it during the 1700s or earlier?
>
Where?  Julian Litten, _The English Way of Death_, chapter 4, points to
the 16th century for the introduction of the re-usable parish coffin,
and the 17th century for its abandonment in the face of the growing
trade of funeral furnishing.

Best wishes to all,
--
Pat Reynolds
[log in to unmask]
   "It might look a bit messy now, but just you come back in 500 years time"
   (T. Pratchett)