lych-gate

architecture

Also known as: corpse gate, lich-gate

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Also spelled:: lich-gate

Also called:: corpse gate

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lych-gate, (from Middle English lyche, “body”; yate, “gate”) roofed-in gateway to a churchyard in which a bier might stand while the introductory part of the burial service was read. The most common form of lych-gate was a simple shed composed of a roof with two gabled ends, covered with tiles or thatch. Lych-gates existed in England in the 7th century, but comparatively few early ones survive because they were almost always of wood.

This article was most recently revised and updated by John M. Cunningham.