⌛ Today's Lesson

Ok guys - been a long time since I started a new thread - but now that my son has returned to the UK I find that I have some time on my hands,

So, how about a history lesson from The Teach. this time?

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 odour. 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 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 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 added 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?)

· · 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 the 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…………………..

And that's the truth...

Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Educate someone. Share these facts with a friend

Regards,

Al.

 

Nice one, Al. We learn something new everyday, don't we?

 

That gives a whole new meaning to the term "Good ole days".

 

addendum to Teach's lessons:
1. Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden" ... and thus the word GOLF entered into the English Language.

2. In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife only with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb."

3. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both legs in the air, the person died in the battle; If the horse has one front leg in the air, the paerson died as a result of wounds received in battle; If the horse has all 4 legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

4. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you wold find a letter "A"? ... One thousand

 

Some excellent additions Cactus - thank you. I have been taught now!

 

Thanks Cflower, I realized your number 4 addition to the lesson. Excellent input.

 

very nice! hehe

 

The word posh refers to the old cunard cruising vessels. Port Out and Starboard Home. You wanted to have these POSH rooms so that you could get a nice view of the city when you left and when you returned. A posh room.

 

lessons

Maybe Tubigboy we should change your handle to Tugboat !:D

(Used on the Mersey to manoeuvre the Cunard Liners up the river)