Post by vigilanti on Jun 5, 2007 9:47:23 GMT -5
This was sent to me by a friend. I can't vouch this is historical fact but, I thought it was fun. Some I had heard from other sources others seem a bit far fetched...judge for yourself. and feel free to add to the list of you come upon other interesting tidbits.
> 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. ..
>
> 1. 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.
>
> 2. 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..
>
> 3. 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.
>
> 4. 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.
>
> 5. 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?)
>
> 6. 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..
>
> 7. 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..
>
> 8. 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.
>
> 9. 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.
>
> 10. 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.
> The cemetery 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..
> 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. ..
>
> 1. 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.
>
> 2. 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..
>
> 3. 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.
>
> 4. 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.
>
> 5. 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?)
>
> 6. 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..
>
> 7. 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..
>
> 8. 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.
>
> 9. 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.
>
> 10. 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.
> The cemetery 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..
