Jump to content

Life in the 1500s


dunsbyowl1867

Recommended Posts

How many of these are true?

* LIFE IN THE 1500s *

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 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 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 realised 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..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose we'll never know for certain, but they all sound very plausible. :)

CERTAIN---sure, positive,unnering, fixed. DAD---father. FATHER---male parent. Nothing will ever be certain in this life vox. On a family day out yesterday my 12 year old son saw one of his school friends with a lady who we thought was his mum, on being introduced to her it turned out she was his DAD, his mum was at home. So---------- they`re coming to take me away Ha Ha. Over and out. W/E.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reminiscent of rural Tasmania. I've seen bacon and wallaby hanging together in kitchens. Yes, they were all quite convincing except the last one. I thought that was stretching things to the limit. The scratched lids of coffins? The nightwatchman for the dead. The string (through 6 foot of compacted earth) and the bell? Pull the other one!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I suppose we'll never know for certain, but they all sound very plausible. :)

I agree they are all very likely to be true and all sound as though they are.

However, if you want to convince someone that a load of rubbish is in fact true why not

Post it in a Large Font

In a combination of garish colours

he helolhe he lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree they are all very likely to be true and all sound as though they are.

However, if you want to convince someone that a load of rubbish is in fact true why not

Post it in a Large Font

In a combination of garish colours

he helolhe helol

AND STOP SHOUTING

Were not deaf in here

lol

---o00o----//{´°` (_) ´°`}\\----o00o---

Link to comment
Share on other sites

AND STOP SHOUTING

Were not deaf in here

lol

---o00o----//{´°` (_) ´°`}\\----o00o---

Last time I was told off for SHOUTING I was merely adding extra EMPHASIS using BLOCK CAPITALS

No one said anything about using colour or large fonts

Sorry :(

But then again, if colour and font constitutes SHOUTING then perhaps Dunsbyowl is the worst offender :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am and proud of it!

Chatting to a friend who works in HR (don't you hate that) and he reckons that you can spot someone who has some personality disorder if they use large fonts and especially during e-mail arguments.

Not that I have anything like that - I merely passed that on from my son's beaver cub leader as it was!

he he

Your Chad is a work of Art Steve!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am and proud of it!

Chatting to a friend who works in HR (don't you hate that) and he reckons that you can spot someone who has some personality disorder if they use large fonts and especially during e-mail arguments.

Not that I have anything like that - I merely passed that on from my son's beaver cub leader as it was!

Your Chad is a work of Art Steve!

Eleven years ago Fishface (the wife) and I used to chat to USA friends (text mode), some of the Chads they came up with were very imaginative.

Been to US three times to visit some of them; stayed in one house three times so far - beautiful people, one guy (TonyR) drove 10 hours, stayed nearby and then drove us 10 hours back to his home. We speak on the phone every month to this day.

On our second visit TonyR and his wife drove 11 hours for an overnight stop and a Chatroom get together, the following day, yup, you've guessed it we drove back to their house.

Third visit, we were driven from Dallas to South Dakota (we only went to Dallas to keep a friend company on her drive to visit her Mother), we met up with TonyR and his wife and did 5 hours to Rushmore, five hours back (the same day). Re-met Gail and her Mom, then another five hours back to Iowa (again).

All people of a certain age, it was all innocent and great fun.

There is an offer for Fishface's daughter, Bignose, to take up a University inspired place in Iowa, if she so chooses.

Great friends indeed.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No Ring, a-ring of Roses then ?

[Note the belligerent old person choice of font and colour]

and while we are at it, what was Guy Fawkes first name ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been to US three times to visit some of them; stayed in one house three times so far - beautiful people, one gut (TonyR) drove 10 hours, stayed nearby and then drove us 10 hours back to his home. We speak on the phone every month to this day.

On our second visit TonyR and his wife drove 11 hours for an overnight stop and a Chatroom get together, the following day, yup, you've guessed it we drove back to their house.

Third visit, we were driven from Dallas to South Dakota (we only went to Dallas to keep a friend company on her drive to visit her Mother), we met up with TonyR and his wife and did 5 hours to Rushmore, five hours back (the same day). Re-met Gail and her Mom, then another five hours back to Iowa (again).

Isn't it amazing how far you can drive in a country where petrol only costs 48p a gallon lol

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No Ring, a-ring of Roses then ?

[Note the belligerent old person choice of font and colour]

and while we are at it, what was Guy Fawkes first name ?

It was "Guy", an Anglicised and shortened form of "Guideo"

This full name sounds rather Latin / Italian, - not surprising for a fanatical Catholic who plotted against a Protestant English Parliament!

(But surely this was in the 1600's not the 1500's)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am and proud of it!

Chatting to a friend who works in HR (don't you hate that) and he reckons that you can spot someone who has some personality disorder if they use large fonts and especially during e-mail arguments.

Not that I have anything like that - I merely passed that on from my son's beaver cub leader as it was!

he he

Your Chad is a work of Art Steve!

With my ever deterirating eyesight Dunsbyowl I actually appreciate the larger fonts.

Not so keen on the garish colours though, - makes the site look like a piece of 1960's acid trip pop art B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Isn't it amazing how far you can drive in a country where petrol only costs 48p a gallon lol

I wish I'd driven further myself.

"Here's a red, Richard, stop, then move on."

"I'd have stopped until it turned green."

"It's just a red light in case there is any farm traffic, just stop-ish, then go, it stays red forever, in fact there is no green light in over 200 miles until Des Moines where Ozzy bit the head off the bat"

"Mmmm"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was "Guy", an Anglicised and shortened form of "Guideo"

This full name sounds rather Latin / Italian, - not surprising for a fanatical Catholic who plotted against a Protestant English Parliament!

(But surely this was in the 1600's not the 1500's)

1500's plus VAT plus hair powder tax (what was the name of the blokie that sold hair powder tax certificates ? He said, pretending not to know ...) = 1600's.

Other taxes please of a historical Sheffield nature ... I propose "Excess dots tax" ... which is nice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1500's plus VAT plus hair powder tax (what was the name of the blokie that sold hair powder tax certificates ? He said, pretending not to know ...) = 1600's.

Other taxes please of a historical Sheffield nature ... I propose "Excess dots tax" ... which is nice.

Window tax? False windows etc???

Brick tax? My wife's auntie lives in Horncastle in Lincolnshire - her house is made up of massive bricks as there was a tax on the number of bricks used when built or so they say....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How many of these are true?

* LIFE IN THE 1500s *

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 realised 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..

Phil Gary Said:

Reminiscent of rural Tasmania. I've seen bacon and wallaby hanging together in kitchens. Yes, they were all quite convincing except the last one. I thought that was stretching things to the limit. The scratched lids of coffins? The nightwatchman for the dead. The string (through 6 foot of compacted earth) and the bell? Pull the other one!!

It is documented that there actually were some people who left instructions to set up the bell arrangement over their graves. These were properly constructed of course as opposed to just a piece of string through the ground.

------

A better explanation is:

A ringer is a copy, as in "car ringing"

"A ringer is a horse substituted for another of similar appearance in order to defraud the bookies.

This word originated in the US horse-racing fraternity at the end of the 19th century.The word is defined for us in a copy of the Manitoba Free Press from October 1882:

"A horse that is taken through the country and trotted under a false name and pedigree is called a 'ringer."

The less immediately obvious meaning of Dead is Exact as in Dead Heat, Dead Center.

Hence Dead Ringer - Exact Copy

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Other taxes please of a historical Sheffield nature ... I propose "Excess dots tax" ... which is nice.

A nice one introduced by Sheffield Council in 1991...

the "lets all pay for the 1991 World Student Games for the next 150 years" tax :o

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is documented that there actually were some people who left instructions to set up the bell arrangement over their graves. These were properly constructed of course as opposed to just a piece of string through the ground.

------

A better explanation is:

A ringer is a copy, as in "car ringing"

"A ringer is a horse substituted for another of similar appearance in order to defraud the bookies.

This word originated in the US horse-racing fraternity at the end of the 19th century.The word is defined for us in a copy of the Manitoba Free Press from October 1882:

"A horse that is taken through the country and trotted under a false name and pedigree is called a 'ringer."

The less immediately obvious meaning of Dead is Exact as in Dead Heat, Dead Center.

Hence Dead Ringer - Exact Copy

Thanx Vox, You reminded me of another meaning of the term 'ringer' nothing to do with bells or horses.

At 2.30 on a Saturday afternoon when it was obvious that your football team was going to be playing with a man short (or two) the coach would take out his notebook and head off to the nearest phone. He had a shortlist of players names who were 'available' at short notice. They weren't exclusive to your team, they would play for anyone, often for the price of a pint after the game. They adopted the name of the player who didn't turn up to overcome registration problems. They were known as ring-ins or ringers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

With my ever deterirating eyesight Dunsbyowl I actually appreciate the larger fonts.

Not so keen on the garish colours though, - makes the site look like a piece of 1960's acid trip pop art B)

Reminded me of school, looking for the dreaded "SEE ME" in red after my work had been marked.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am and proud of it!

Chatting to a friend who works in HR (don't you hate that) and he reckons that you can spot someone who has some personality disorder if they use large fonts and especially during e-mail arguments.

Not that I have anything like that - I merely passed that on from my son's beaver cub leader as it was!

he he

Your Chad is a work of Art Steve!

A capital offence. ........... A New Zealand woman was sacked from her accounting job after writing emails filled with block capitals, considered bad form on the internet as it is akin to shouting. She also highlighted certain words in bold or even in red. Perhaps she got what she deserved.------ Yorkshire Post 4/9/09.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Reminded me of school, looking for the dreaded "SEE ME" in red after my work had been marked.

As a teacher I have recently been asked to start marking books in green rather than the traditional red as students find it more relaxing and less threatening than red.

Now which moron with a degree in education came up with that one!

(I still stubbornly use red, - old habits die hard and it ain't easy to teach an old dog new tricks)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...