Thought this was very interesting! -----Original Message----- From: BLnLLWHITE@aol.com <BLnLLWHITE@aol.com> To: SIMONDS-L@rootsweb.com <SIMONDS-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Friday, May 07, 1999 5:15 PM Subject: [SIMONDS-L] Genealogy Tid Bits >Life in the 1500s > >This is really interesting (and TRUE!!) > >Most people got married in June because they took their >yearly bath in May >and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, they >were starting to >smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the >b.o. > > >˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜ > >Baths equaled 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 >pets ... dogs, >cats >and other small animals, mice, rats, 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 really mess >up your nice clean bed. So, they found if they made beds >with big posts and >hung a sheet over the top, it addressed that problem. Hence >those beautiful >big 4 poster beds with canopies. <<< I wonder if this is >where we get the >saying >Good night and don't let the bed bugs bite........LOL > >˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜ > >The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other >than dirt, hence >the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors which >would get >slippery in the winter when wet. So they spread thresh on >the floor to help >keep their >footing. As the winter wore on they kept adding more thresh >until when you >opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A >piece of wood was >placed at the entry way, hence a "thresh hold." > >˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜ > >They cooked in the kitchen in a big kettle that always hung >over the fire. >Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. >They mostly ate >vegetables and didn't 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 the stew had food in it that had been >in there for a >month. >Hence the rhyme: peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas >porridge in the >pot nine days old." > >˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜ > >Sometimes they could obtain pork and would feel really >special when that >happened. When company came over, they would bring out some >bacon and >hang it to show it off. It was a sign of wealth and that a >man "could >really >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 a >high acid content >caused some of the lead to leach onto the food. This >happened most often >with >tomatoes, so they stopped eating tomatoes ... for 400 years. > >˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜ > >Most people didn't have pewter plates, but had trenchers -- >a piece of wood >with the middle scooped out like a bowl. Trenchers were >never washed and >a lot of times worms got into the wood. After eating off >wormy trenchers, >they would get "trench mouth." > >˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜··~>¤<~··˜ > >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 whiskey. The >combination would >sometimes >knock them 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 they started running out of >places to bury >people. So, they would dig up coffins and would take their >bones to a house >and reuse the grave. In reopening these coffins, one out of >25 coffins were >found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized >they had been >burying people alive. So they thought they would tie a >string on their >wrist >and 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 to listen >for >the bell. >Hence on the "graveyard shift" they would know that someone >was "saved >by the bell" or he was a "dead ringer." >