In Scotland, the hiring of a Mortcloth to cover a coffin – or even a body wrapped in a sheet - if a hearse could not be afforded was a common sight. These were communal and hired from the church and so records were kept.
Even if your Scottish ancestors’ burial record in the parish register is difficult to find, there may well be information held about them in Mortcloth records. Perhaps they can also be found in Memorial Inscriptions or in the Poor Law documents.
For ancestors who came from the Borders of Scotland, books abound regarding their lifestyles and the histories of the towns in which they lived. Let the Borders Family History Society be the stepping stone into your past.