The History of Coffins

Buried Alive

In 1822, Dr Adolf Gutsmuth was terrified of being buried whilst still alive to avoid this he design his own coffin, he called it the 'Safety Coffin'. He spent several hours trying his invention out. During this time he was underground, he consumed a meal of soup, sausages and beer—all delivered to him through a convenient feeding tube built into the coffin.

He wasn't the first to design such a coffin. Around 1790, the Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick had the first safety coffin built which included a window to allow light in and a tube to provide a fresh supply of air. The lid of the coffin was then locked and two keys were fitted into a special pocket sewn into his burial shroud: one for the coffin itself and one for the tomb.

The Germans loved the idea of a safety coffin, in the 19th Century there was over 30 different design of the safety coffins. The best-known safety coffin was designed by Dr Johann Gottfried Taberger, this coffin had above-ground bells that was attached to the corpse's hand, feet and head to ensure the deceased was dead.

 Although many subsequent designs tried to incorporate this feature, it was by-and-large a design failure. What Dr Taberger didn’t account for is the fact that the body begins to bloat and swell as it decomposes, causing it to shift inside the coffin. These tiny movements would have set the bells ringing, and visitors to the cemetery running.

Egyptian Burial Ceremony