Did you miss your shower Yesterday or the day before, or was it further back?

LIFE IN THE 1500'S (or Tasmania in the 1960's) Mind you things were understandably out of control concerning the practice of personal hygiene the further you delve into history. However, this is not too far back. Of course the place could be merry England or New England in the Nth American colonies but wherever it was the further north one lived the use of soap and water became less

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:
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. (Jimmy this why your girl friend abandoned you)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 entrance way. 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 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.

And that's the truth. Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Comments

tqmcintl said…
Galia, a Russian lady friend (the biker girl) told me


those who dont drink and smoke and Party

will die healthy
tqmcintl said…
I want to die with my boots on
a car crash
or a bomb blast


dont want no remains to bury or cremate


dont want no teary funerals
wanna die young

like James Dean
tqmcintl said…
By die- ing YOUNG
I dont mean biological age


talking about the mind
when u feel OLD
thats the time to say ADIEU
tqmcintl said…
Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. (Jimmy this why your girl friend abandoned you)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.



dats Interesting a certain ROSE
got married to a guy in a dirty Vest in June


YA
I read your book again
tqmcintl said…
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 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.




SHUCKS
r u serious Vest?
all dis happened in Merry England?

CREMATION is surer
if the guy aint dead

he wud run
Jimmy said…
heyyyyy Vest and Rose

your Aussie mates are killing my Indian mates

look after K and your jungle kids
Jimmy said…
it was bound to happen

K and millions of other NRIs are going foren and taking up your jobs and doing it betta with lesser salary and
more QUALITY


K is the exception
I hear she plans to marry a GORA

and do what Michael Jackson tried to do
Jimmy said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jimmy said…
in Mumbai we had the SHIV SENA
who chased the UP Bhaiiyas from Mumbai and Nashik

coz Mumbikars were loosing jobs
the Induatry collapsed
and migrated to Gujarat State


in UK u had the Dot Busters
and now Curry bashing in Aus

but if the Indians leave US, UK and Aus and Gulf en masse

these nations will collapse
business needs cheap labor to compete with China
Vest said…
What on earth has that twaddle have to do with personal hygiene.
Jimmy said…
Hihihihi
but u cant ignore current news

the daily gaggle reporters are not doing their jobs

so i tot I wud keep your readers informed
Anonymous said…
I learnt alot of these facts when I visited historical places in England and I have to say, I wouldn't swap the olden days for the new. Most folk didn't live past 43.
Keshi said…
Vesty thats just eww lol!

hey who said it was abt HIStory...its abt HERstory :)

btw, come n check out my current post...there's something for ya!

Keshi.
Jimmy said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jimmy said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Jimmy said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Vest said…
Sorry Jimmy, I will not allow that stuff here, there is no call or need for it, you must have realised by now you would be wasting your time.

Re. Three deleted comments.
Jimmy said…
hihihihi
as long as Rose heard what I said
its OK with me
Jimmy said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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thanks
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Jimmy said…
want a loan?
Go to VEST
take a 25 year repayment plan

u wont have to pay back then
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