Today’s Suicidal Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
In 1823 British Parliament decided to do away with crossroads burial (the burial of suicides at a crossroads outside of consecrated ground, with a stake through the heart) and permit suicides to be interred in graveyards. Such burials were frequently confined to ‘suicides’ corner and were conducted at night, between the hours of nine and midnight, without religious ceremony. It took another half a century before forfeiture of a suicide’s property and lands was finally abolished and for the corpse not to be automatically given over to the medical schools for dissection. In acts passed in 1879 and 1882 suicide ceased to be legally regarded as homicide, and day-time burial was finally allowed.
Culled from: Death: A History of Man’s Obsessions and FearsÂ
Personal note: when I attempted suicide in 1994, after I awoke in the hospital, a police officer made a point to tell me that I had committed the crime of attempted murder upon myself and that they were keeping me confined to the hospital for 72 hours. I always thought that was A) rude and B) rather melodramatic of the officer. He was probably quite proud of himself for that “scared sane” line.