Funeral Of Essex Gypsy Maria Gatehouse

Scenes of a traditional Romani funeral.

Ahead of the funeral of Maria Gatehouse, Anglia TV reporter Rebecca Atherstone describes the display of 34 elaborate floral tributes created by florists for Maria’s family and other mourners. The staff of Burnt Mills Garden Centre at Basildon, Essex worked non-stop for six days to design and make the tributes using thousands of blooms. The letters of the words MUM and GRANDMA are adorned with flowers. Other arrangements covered in flowers are replicas of belongings which were particularly precious to Maria and her Romani heritage – the steps to her caravan, her peg basket, her wedding ring, earrings, her slippers, her pet dog and teddy bear, and a silver pail. Maria was mother of 15 children, and pink and blue teardrops symbolise their grief. Maria died aged 68 years, a highly respected member of the gypsy community, and her funeral was held at Chelmsford, Essex. The hearse is seen approaching the cemetery with flowers around the coffin. Mourners arrive on four traditional horse-drawn wagon carts with more floral tributes including a caravan, an empty chair and a large figure of an angel. The indoor funeral ceremony is broadcast by loudspeaker to hundreds outside. At the graveside, a clergyman concludes the blessing and flower petals are scattered onto the coffin. Maria Gatehouse’s mother Lena Barton, aged 95 years, mourns her daughter, supported by her family. More floral tributes are left by the grave where Maria is buried with her husband who died 11 years before. This video was made to be shown in a news story on Anglia Television early evening news / magazine programme About Anglia.

Keywords

Funerals; Floral tributes; Horse carts; Mourning; Romani people