[Northkeep] Talana's vacation

[Anawyn at aol.com]

You know, it always struck me as odd that if our colonial  ancestors 
believed that someone had the supernatural power to float,  or do whatever thing 
they were accused of, that no one seemed concerned that  they could do some 
kind of 'hocus pocus' and get themselves out of being hung or  drowned for 
their "crimes".
It just never seems to come up in any of the arguments that if you  
actually had power of some kind, you would certainly use it to save  yourself, so 
therefore maybe they might NOT have any such abilities?
 
Of course there is also documentation in the church records for various  
settlements at that time that record cause of death by some folks who died  
sudden deaths with no apparent cause as 'frighted by fairies'. They obviously  
did not see any of this as a conflict with any tenants of religious faith  
that they held.
 
It bears repeating though, that both Williamsburg and Jamestown are great  
visits if any of you get the chance. When we were in Williamsburg about 3 
years  ago, an appropriately garbed town crier gathered the crowds and 
announced that  the Continental Congress had just ratified the Declaration of 
Independence and  we were at war. He read the document to us, and it was sobering 
to reflect upon  what it must have felt like to hear that news for the 
first time, and wonder  what you might have chosen as a political side in those 
times.
 
Glad you enjoyed it, and hope you can share pictures.
 
Anawyn
 
 
In a message dated 3/26/2011 9:05:06 P.M. Central Daylight Time,  
talana1 at hotmail.com writes:


Since someone asked for it:

About every other year  Diarmaid and I make a trip to Williamburg, 
Virginia, to visit friends, putter  around historical sites, attend Jamestowne’s “
Military Through the Ages”  event, and go antiquing.  Many of you have heard 
me rhapsodize about  Colonial Williamsburg, so I will skip telling again how 
wonderful it is and  why you should visit (but really, you should visit 
sometime).   

Anyway, this time, in addition to visiting the shops and craftsmen and  
touring the colonial governor’s palace (where I had a very nice talk with the  
cook in the 18th century kitchen), we took in a special program to sit in on 
a  witchcraft trial.  It took place at night in the colonial capitol  
building, by candlelight, with costumed actors, and members of the audience  
sitting as magistrates assisting the Royal Governor in trying the case.   It was 
based on an actual trial in 1706, in which a Grace Sherwood was accused  of 
bewitching a neighbor’s crops and livestock, and of causing another  
neighbor to miscarry a pregnancy.  The laws she was accused under were  written by 
James I of England, who was convinced of the reality and efficacy  of 
witchcraft, and had also written a text on how to identify witches.   Nonsense, 
of course, but what can you expect of a paranoid Scot?   

The governor, a learned and logical man and a product of the early  
Enlightenment, was obviously pained to have to enforce superstitious laws and  
methods of inquiry that the world in general now saw as out of date.  The  
accused had been questioned, examined, and tossed in a pond to see if she  would 
float, and had not only done so, but witness had claimed she had skimmed  
across the surface "like a bubble."  She had refused to hire legal  
representation, and insisted on representing herself; but as the accused she  was 
restricted in defending herself.  She picked fights with all of the  witnesses – 
her accusers, and could give no evidence of innocence.  The  governor had 
to accept the testimony of a midwife who had been one of a jury  of twelve 
respectable women who examined Grace Sherwood and swore in writing  that they 
had found a mark of the devil on her, but then she went into  hysterics and 
accused Grace of diabolically assaulting her by riding her  around the 
countryside one night, and the Governor refused to accept this  “spectral evidence
”, which was acceptable in ecclesiastical courts and  Massachusetts, but 
would not be tolerated in this court. 

She was  unable to call any witnesses to defend her.  As the accused, Grace 
was  not allowed to give testimony in her own defense, but the Governor got 
around  that by asking her to engage him in a conversation and they 
discussed back and  forth the events.  It was a dodge to let everyone hear her 
side, but it  was not, legally, testimony.  Unfortunately, as the laws of  
England  set things out, the prosecution had sufficiently satisfied that 
witchcraft had  been committed.  The Governor noted that, according to the law, 
witches  were not supposed to be able to speak the Lord’s Prayer without 
stammering or  swooning, and asked Grace to indulge him.  The woman, completely 
stressed  out by the proceedings, made it halfway through, and passed out cold 
on “give  us this day...”

I thought "Well, crap!"
.
The vote for conviction  was nearly unanimous.


As for the feudal manor, on the trip home we  stopped to visit Monticello, 
another place you need to see before you  die.  I won’t try to describe it 
because it's so beautiful that, not  being a bard, I’ll just sound 
saccharine.  You’ll have to experience it  for yourself.  

Some historians say that the age of feudalism  ended at Appomattox, and 
when you see how Monticello is laid out, you get an  understanding of that 
assertion.  The plantation is essentially a manor  and village, and in its 
heyday was occupied by a lord, his lady and children,  and household retainers 
(overseerers, tutors, etc).  There were serfs who  were tied to the estate and 
could not leave it (slaves), and villeins (whites  and freed blacks) who 
were craftsmen and laborers.  The buildings were  designed and laid out in 
such a way as to emphasize the position of those who  inhabited or labored in 
them.  The plantation was self-sustaining,  raising both crops and livestock, 
for use by the plantation as well as for  sale.



Since himself says I need to get my own flickr account, I  guess I’ll have 
to, and when it’s up I’ll post my pictures.  In the  meantime, you can see 
a picture of our plunder at:    
http://www.flickr.com/photos/imarcc/5563013164/   We bought books,  jewelry, foodstuffs, t-shirts from Colonial 
Williamsbug, and a batch of  hand-blown glassware from the glassblowers at 
Jamestowne.  I purchased  several yards of black linen, silk threads, a sewing bird, 
pewter buttons, and  bunches of other stuff at the MTA event, and a packet 
of long pepper(!!!) from  a tea shop in Fredericksburg.  Diarmaid scored a 
mass of amberotypes,  tintypes, daugerrotypes, brothel tokens, and slave tags. 
 Oh, and a  Norman helmet – but that was a gift.

So, I ask again – what all  happened to everyone at Gulf Wars?


Talana         
_______________________________________________
Northkeep mailing  list
Northkeep at lists.ansteorra.org
http://lists.ansteorra.org/listinfo.cgi/northkeep-ansteorra.org