LIFE IN THE 1500'S
> > >
> > > 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:
> > >
> > > These are interesting...
> > >
> > > 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 today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
> > >
> > > 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 cats and
other
> > > small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became
> > > slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and 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 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
floor
> > to
> > > help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they 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 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
> > > 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 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."
> > >
> > > 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:
> > >
> > > These are interesting...
> > >
> > > 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 today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.
> > >
> > > 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 cats and
other
> > > small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became
> > > slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and 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 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
floor
> > to
> > > help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they 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 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
> > > 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 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."
