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Alan G
Member Since: 15 Oct 2008
Location: Lanarkshire
Posts: 1372
  
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| Life in the 1500's in Good old Blighty |
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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?)
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 the
upper crust..
Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. 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 ! ! ! ATB
Alan
http://www.youtube.com/user/Bonzo676767#p/u
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 26th Feb 2009 10:08 pm |
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NJF
Member Since: 05 Oct 2007
Location: Gone
Posts: 2466
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I missed the original thread last year - I think I was too busy watching Lehman Brothers collapse, followed by Fortis and Dexia and half of the American financial system, and then a few more Brit banks threw in the towel, followed by the Great Rescue of the Irish banks and the beginning of the end of Iceland and ... well, I missed the thread. Who ever said history was boring?
Good post, though, AlanG. 
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| 27th Feb 2009 6:52 am |
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heine
Member Since: 07 Feb 2007
Location: Midrand
Posts: 4054
 
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If you were unwelcome in a village they would burn your house down - so you were fired
In WW2 one of the fighters (P51 IIRC) had a 27 foot (or 9 yard ammo belt) - if you had used up all your ammo and could fight no more you had to come back to base as you had "gone the whole 9 yards"
As most people used to carry their swords on their right side you would keep to the left of the road so that you always passed with your sword arm on the inside .
In a similar vein if you considered someone as friendly you would also raise you visor when passing - this then became the basis of the salute .
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| 27th Feb 2009 11:32 am |
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Walmsleys
Member Since: 04 Sep 2007
Location: Leyland
Posts: 601
  
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Surely no-one seriously believes any of that! 2013 D4 HSE Luxe in Indus Silver
(previously 2015 Defender Urban Truck 90XS in Havana)
(previously 2013 D4 XS in Fuji White)
(previously 2011 D4 XS in Stornaway Grey, auto, black leather, reversing camera and removable tow bar)
(previously 2011 Freelander 2, blue (Mrs B's)
(previously 2007 TDV6 D3 SE Zermatt Silver, auto, black leather, an Uncle Ray plate and AT2s)
(previously 2001 Freelander One, blue)
(previously 1967 Series 2, Green)
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| 27th Feb 2009 11:51 am |
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Alan G
Member Since: 15 Oct 2008
Location: Lanarkshire
Posts: 1372
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There are a lot of common day expressions we use that came down through history. For example, i fly birds of prey and some of the common expressions that we use, have made there way over into every day expressions, like;
"The old Codger or cadger" came from when the falconer became to old to work the bird himself, then he carried a type of platform, called a Cadge. Hence where the name cadger came from.
Mantle Piece is another, due to the way a bird will "mantle" over it's food or quarry.
At the end if your tether, is another related to falconry, as the bird tries to jump away from you as you approach, hence the expression.
These are just some that have travelled through the latter periods of the 4,000 years that falconry has been practiced ATB
Alan
http://www.youtube.com/user/Bonzo676767#p/u
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| 27th Feb 2009 3:10 pm |
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iconix
Member Since: 19 Nov 2006
Location: Oakley, Hampshire
Posts: 938
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heine wrote:In WW2 one of the fighters (P51 IIRC) had a 27 foot (or 9 yard ammo belt) - if you had used up all your ammo and could fight no more you had to come back to base as you had "gone the whole 9 yards".
I was told it was to do with the length of your Sari in India and your caste during British rule. They came in 3 sizes, 3 yards, 6 yards and 9 yards, obviously the higher up the social scale you were the more Sari you could wear (and afford), therefore if you were in the upper echelons of society, you were 'the whole 9 yards'
Dunno if that's true, but it was told to me by an Indian woman in Madras, sorry Chennai (honest!)
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| 27th Feb 2009 4:26 pm |
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MARKW
Member Since: 29 Aug 2008
Location: SW
Posts: 2390
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The 9 yards quote does indeed come from the ammo belt being 9 yards long. HONI SOIT QUI MAL Y PENSE
They shall not grow old as those of us left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condem. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning WE WILL REMEMBER THEM
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| 27th Feb 2009 4:57 pm |
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