poor widow was:[Sca-cooks] Rotten meat and spices...

[el2iot2 at mail.com]

Ah, but you see.  you have made my point.  

Living in sin, did happen.  And Handfasting was far less costly, though maybe not condoned by the church. 

The youngest son of a poor family may be more inclined to move to Mother-in-Laws house as a Way to inherit.

Orphanages, even in period did place children with Family if they could.  but the child of a poor family with no inheritance would not likely be welcomed by more distant<blood> relations, unless they had some value as labor or else.  Are always orphans of only child surviving, with no other relatives.  There were the equivalent of "Orphan Trains" even in period.  Farm labour was always in demand, and "street urchins"<begger children living on the streets> are mentioned in Shakespeare.  

The Church<Orphanage or Pristhood> or find someone to take you in, or live on the street. Happened then, happens now.

and an extra set of hands in the garden or even with chores frees up time for those able to make money.  gardening done by the helper give the daughters time to take in laundry, or other work for profit. or an extra set of hands in the garden can increase your yeild and you can then trade for what you do not have, or sell at the town market day, or even from the yard itself.  Just because no-one has any money does not mean they can not improve thier quality of life, Barter is as old as time.  and still lives.  

Even in a fudal system, there are lower and middle class.  although middle class tended to be merchants.  The mideaivel mind is still a human mind and we all have similar thought patterns<whether 100,000 years ago or next week>.  Tech changes, government forms change, education changes, but the human mind is still the same.  

The Mayflower refugees<although out of period, it is close enough to show my point>, were not nobles.  nor were they very wealthy.  yet the cost of passage and minimum supplies was about $3000 per person by modern standards<I may have the number off a bit<working from memory>.   

Giles Rickard who followed his daughter over a few years later< 1648 I think, again memory><My family, so I have researched this>  was a man of some means, but not wealthy.  Yet he brought himself, judith(his wife), 2 sons, 1 daughter, 1 maid and a boy.  niether the maid nor the boy were related to him.

you see my point.  Did Happen, does Happen.  if happened in 17th century, probably had something of a similar kind earlier, change was much slower then.

the modern world is different, but not THAT different.  slavery and indentures are both pre-roman to Modern, and remained in practice well into the 19th century<slavery until 1850's, westward bound orphan trains run at this time also>.  

to many similar things close to period, and pre-period to believe that nothing like this happened during period.  

again, just my 2 cents

Joy
Radei   
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lonnie D. Harvel" <ldh at ece.gatech.edu>
To: "Cooks within the SCA" <sca-cooks at ansteorra.org>
Subject: Re: poor widow was:[Sca-cooks] Rotten meat and spices...
Date: Tue, 19 Apr 2005 10:28:34 -0400

> 
> Laura C. Minnick wrote:
> 
> > Perhaps you misunderstood me. There is more to marriage then than 
> > there often is now. When we say that a medieval girl didn't have 
> > enough money to marry, it isn't just dowry. There is a fee called 
> > merchet, that must be paid to the lord when a peasant woman 
> > marries. If she marries a man from another area, the couple must 
> > come up with yet more money, to pay a fee called foremariage 
> > (essentially a payment to the woman's lord, as compensation for 
> > the loss of her labor when she moves to her husband's village).
> 
> Don't forget the price paid to the priest for the marriage ceremony 
> and such. Without paying the priest, you weren't married. Here is a 
> celtic Psalm from the period:
> 
> <>A wedding is a costly business.
> Money is needed for the priest
>     and his clerk.
> Money is needed for the hire
>     of the church
> Money is needed to feed the guests.
> Money is needed for robes to wear.
> Love by contrast is entirely free.
> Free are the smiles that play
>     on the lips;
> Free are the kisses stolen
>     by moonlight;
> Free are the words whispered
>     at midnight
> Free are the strolls hand in hand
>     through the wood.
> We are rich in love but poor in money.
> The priests say our union is sinful.
> May god, who blesses us, forgive.
> 
> 
> Pax,
> Aoghann
> _______________________________________________
> Sca-cooks mailing list
> Sca-cooks at ansteorra.org
> http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo/sca-cooks



joy

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