Interesting History
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 odor.
Hence the custom of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of big tubs filled with hot water. The man of the house
had
the privilege of 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 where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your
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 a "thresh hold."
In those old days they cooked in a 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 didn't 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, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a
sign of
wealth that the 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 into 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, 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 them 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 to see if they would wake up - hence the
custom
of holding a "wake."
England is old and small and local folks started running out of places
to
bury people. They would dig up coffins and would take the bone to the
"bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out
of 25
were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they
had
been burying people alive. 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
bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night
(graveyard
shift) to listen for the bell, thus someone would be "saved > > > by the
bell"
or was considered a "dead ringer."
and that's the truth...whoever said that history was boring!!!!!!
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 odor.
Hence the custom of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
Baths consisted of big tubs filled with hot water. The man of the house
had
the privilege of 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 where bugs and other droppings could really mess up your
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 a "thresh hold."
In those old days they cooked in a 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 didn't 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, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a
sign of
wealth that the 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 into 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, 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 them 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 to see if they would wake up - hence the
custom
of holding a "wake."
England is old and small and local folks started running out of places
to
bury people. They would dig up coffins and would take the bone to the
"bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out
of 25
were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they
had
been burying people alive. 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
bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night
(graveyard
shift) to listen for the bell, thus someone would be "saved > > > by the
bell"
or was considered a "dead ringer."
and that's the truth...whoever said that history was boring!!!!!!
Good luck!
