| Author |
Message |
    
Bill Nelson
Wandering Member
Post Number:
210
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 04:31 pm: |   |
> > > > FACTS FROM THE 1500'S (no, not the 50's, Toyce)
> > > > The next time you are washing your hands and complain
> > > > because the water temperature isn't just how you like it,
> > > > think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about
> > > > the 1500s.
> > > >
> > > > Most people got married in June because they took their
> > > > yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June.
> > > > However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a
> > > > bouquet of flowers to hide the body odour. Hence, the
> > > > custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
> > > >(I nearly married this woman!)
> > > > Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man
> > > > of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then
> > > > all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the
> > > > children - last of all the babies. By then the water was so
> > > > dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence, the
> > > > saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
> > > >
> > > > Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no
> > > > wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get
> > > > warm, so all the dogs, cats and other small animals (mice,
> > > > bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery
> > > > and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof.
> > > > Hence, the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."
> > > >
> > > > There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house.
> > > > This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and
> > > > other droppings could really mess up your nice clean bed.
> > > > Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top
> > > > afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into
> > > > existence.
> > > >
> > > > The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than
> > > > dirt. Hence, the saying "dirt poor."
> > > >
> > > > The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the
> > > > winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor
> > > > to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they kept
> > > > adding more thresh until when you opened the door it would
> > > > all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in
> > > > the entranceway. Hence, the saying a "thresh hold."
> > > >
> > > > (Getting quite an education, aren't you?)
> > > >
> > > > In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle
> > > > that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and
> > > > added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not
> > > > get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving
> > > > leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over
> > > > the next day. Sometimes the stew had food in it that had been
> > > > there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot,
> > > > peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."
> > > >
> > > > Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite
> > > > special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their
> > > > bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could
> > > > "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share
> > > > with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."
> > > >
> > > > Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high
> > > > acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food,
> > > > causing lead poisoning and death. This happened most often
> > > > with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were
> > > > considered poisonous.
> > > >
> > > > Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt
> > > > bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got
> > > > the top, or "upper crust."
> > > >
> > > > Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. The combination
> > > > would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days.
> > > > Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and
> > > > prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen
> > > > table for a couple of days and the family would gather
> > > > around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake
> > > > up. Hence, the custom of holding a "wake."
>
> > > >
> > > > England is old and small and the local folks started running
> > > > out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins
> > > > and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the
> > > > grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins
> > > > were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they
> > > > realized they had been burying people alive. So they thought
> > > > they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it
> > > > through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a
> > > > bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all
> > > > night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus,
> > > > someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a
> > > > "dead ringer."
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Jennifer Lynn
Unity Member
Post Number:
1285
Registered: 03-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 06:39 pm: | |
wow interesting facts Bill, thanks. Some interesting fodder there for a story or three...
Jenn
Jennifer Lynn
www.jenniferlynn.ca |
F.E. Mazur (Unregistered Guest)
Work-in-progress guest
Posted From: 4.224.189.207
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 07:04 pm: | |
Say there, Bill, isn't much of what you wrote, especially that first part about the bath water, the very reason you hear folks warn others, "Don"t mess with Texas"?
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Joyce Scarbrough
Wandering Member
Post Number:
133
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 07:36 pm: | |
Wow, thanks for sharing all those childhood memories with us, Bill! 
Toyce
True Blue Forever
Read the first chapter at http://www.authorsden.com/joycelscarbrough1
See the hunk at http://www.southernbelleauthor.com/joycepersonalpage
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Mary Erickson
Awareness Member
Post Number:
23
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 08:09 am: | |
Thanks, Bill. I usually don't take the time to read all this Email stuff. But this one I copied and sent on. Hmmmm, wonder if I could just add a little perfume today and skip the shower.
Mary |
Trina Green
Hunger Member
Post Number:
75
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 02:54 pm: | |
Thanks Bill, very interesting. I enjoyed the read. |
Bill Nelson
Wandering Member
Post Number:
212
Registered: 10-2002
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 04:15 pm: | |
I thought it was interesting.
Frank, I'm speechless. I don't know what to say to the man who has nothing.
Al Gore for President! Oh, wait. You've already tried that. Hillary for President! Bill for first lady. Yea...
Toyce, Yeah, the bath thing was a little much, but it keeps the bugs off. Don't get excited though, it won't keep cousins off.
Phhhhtttttttttt to you both.
bn |
Harry Simenon
Wandering Member
Post Number:
186
Registered: 10-2003
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 05:10 pm: | |
It is disgusting to bath only once a year.
One should bath every season!
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William R. Park, Sr.
Awareness Member
Post Number:
27
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 25, 2004 - 06:19 pm: | |
Harry..are you suggesting once every baseball, football, basketball, or hocky season? You might soon run out of clean water. |
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