LYCH-GATE

also spelled Lich-gate, also called Corpse Gate (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.