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. 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.
> > > >
> > > > * * * * * *
> > > >
> > > > 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 dogs, 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 really 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 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 in the
> > > > entranceway. Hence the saying a "thresh hold."
> > > >
> > > > * * * * * *
> > > >
> > > > 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 the 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 and
> > > > 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 "upper crust."
> > > >
> > > > * * * * * *
> > > >
> > > > Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky. 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 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 thought 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."
> > > >