[Loch-Ruadh] Fwd: Life in The 1500's

[Connie Nurmi]

humorous if not accurate
> 

> > 
> > 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 the1500s: 
> > 
> > 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." 
> > 
> > And that's the truth...Now ,whoever said that 
>History was boring??? 
> > 
> > Educate someone...Share these facts with a friend.. 
> 
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