E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Take Mourning (To).
Attending church the Sunday after a funeral. It is the custom, especially in the northern counties, for all the mourners, and sometimes the bearers also, to sit in a specific pew all together the Sunday after a funeral. It matters not what place of worship they usually attend—all unite in the “taking mourning.”
