[David Callin]

The first, as orthodoxy
demanded, a committal
according to the book;

the second, smuggled out
of conformity, to rest
beneath a hedge by night;

the third, atop a hill
to share with gulls, free
and unconsecrated,

from which to rise when called,
unceremoniously,
on the appointed day,

stepping out
to trumpets voluntary.

[Glenn Wright]

Hi, David—
My knowledge of Manx history is nil, so I did some quick googling. I discovered that there is a monument called Corrin’s Tower or Corrin’s Folly on a small hill above the town of Peel on the Isle of Man. It was built in 1806 by Thomas Corrin (1770-1845), and next to it is a small graveyard where Corrin’s wife and two of his children are buried. The article I found did not say that Corrin himself was buried there, but it seemed to comport with the third stanza of your poem. There was also a Thomas Corrin (1638-1734), from Arbory, Rushden, Isle of Man, presumably an ancestor of the tower builder. There was also a Captain Thomas Oswald Corrin (1892-1940) from Lancashire who was an organist. This seems to connect to the reference to a trumpet voluntary in the last line, since a trumpet voluntary is an organ piece played on the trumpet stops, usually at a solemn ceremony like a wedding (or a Judgment Day).

I assumed that the three burials were of the same person, who was first buried in a consecrated churchyard, then disinterred and hidden (buried?) under a hedge in non-consecrated ground, and finally buried a third time on a hilltop (with or without a tower) again without benefit of church ritual. The organ music and resurrection would normally suggest a church-approved burial, but the poem explicitly states that this last burial was “unconsecrated.” I would love to know the full story of this personage. Was he a figure in some religious squabble? Were his relatives responsible for disturbing his final rest twice? Does the speaker in the poem approve of the last burial, or does the word “unceremoniously” mean that Corrin will be left among the goats on the Last Day? Does the speaker disapprove of the church ceremonies that have caused such ado in the burial of Mr. Corrin?

Although the lines are short and not metrical, the fourteen lines and structure suggest a sonnet.
I really enjoyed your poem, David!
Glenn

[John Riley]

What I sense here is a narrative of the religious conflicts. How a person's standing in the grace of god could change depending on the decisions of worldly survivors. I don't know if that's intended. I like it.

[Simon Hunt]

This is from the website manx.net--their page on the tower:

Thomas Corrin was apparently strongly associated with Athol Street Congregational Church in Douglas and wanted nothing to do with the established church expressing a wish that he too should be buried on the hill. The usual tale is told that his son had apparently turned religious and refused to bury his father in unconsecrated ground and thus interred him in Kirk Patrick churchyard. That night his friends exhumed the body and moved it to the hill; a compromise was struck by consectrating the walled area alongside the tower. However the Manx Sun 12 Sept 1845 merely states:

Novel Funeral
The late Mr Thomas Corrin of Knockaloe Beg, in the Parish of Patrick was interred on Tuesday in the Dissenters' burial ground beside the Tower, on Knockaloe hill. A large concourse of friends and neighbours attended. At the grave the 66th hymn of Dr Watts second book was sung. A suitable address was delivered by the Rev Saml Haining, and the solemn service concluded by prayer.

[Carl Copeland]

David, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have made much of this without Glenn’s and Simon’s research, but I’m grateful to the three of you for another savory morsel of Manx history.

I still wasn’t sure whether “an organ piece played on the trumpet stops” is played on an organ or a trumpet, and the recordings in Wikipedia are played on both together. I guess it’s essentially for organ, though. Beyond that, the plural would presumably be “trumpet voluntaries,” so I’m wondering if “trumpets voluntary” is a play on words—something about the voluntary nature of his burial and tying in with his jazzy stepping out (à la Irving Berlin) at the resurrection of the dead.

As you can tell, I had some fun with this.

[David Callin]

Good Googling, Glenn. (And by you, Simon!)

Originally Posted by Glenn Wright

I assumed that the three burials were of the same person, who was first buried in a consecrated churchyard, then disinterred and hidden (buried?) under a hedge in non-consecrated ground, and finally buried a third time on a hilltop (with or without a tower) again without benefit of church ritual.

That's the story in the form that I first read it. It was only a brief account, so I may have imagined some of the additional details. But I am hopeful for Thomas, come Judgement Day.

Very pleased you enjoyed it.

Thanks John. It was a time of religious conflict - but aren't they all?

Originally Posted by Carl Copeland

“trumpets voluntary” is a play on words—something about the voluntary nature of his burial and tying in with his jazzy stepping out (à la Irving Berlin) at the resurrection of the dead.

Yes, pretty much that! Although "voluntary" may be more of a reference to his nonconformism. And I was thinking of that great moment in Pilgrim's Progress ... "So he passed over, and all the trumpets sounded for him on the other side."

Glad you had fun with it.

Cheers all

David