View Full Version : Fascinating facts and sayings from the 1500s
atlantico
23-07-2011, 18:41
A few interesting facts from way back when ...
Urine was used to tan animal skins, so families would all pee in a pot and then once a day it was sold to the tannery....... If you had to do this to survive you were referred to as 'pee Poor'.
But worse than that were the really poor folk who couldn't even afford to buy a pot......they "didn't have a pot to
pee in" and were the lowest of the low.
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 they still smelled pretty good by
June.. However, since they were starting to smell ... 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 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: 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!!!
source = Caerphillyforum.co.uk (http://caerphilly.createaforum.com/'caerphilly-local-history'-postings/fascinating-facts-about-the-1500s-co-caerphilly-local-history-on-facebook/)
i love things like that, old sayings and where they started, i did start a thread on the old forum, i got a few thanks but no one posted any, lets hope forum members keep this one going:pray:
All debunked - many moons ago...!
Taken from another website which looked into the origin of such nonsense and how it spreads via chatrooms, FORUMS, newsgroups and social media. Most of the ones Atlantico posted are there and there are a couple of others:
Life in the 1500s - Folk Etymologies
1) Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May [No, people in medieval England got married when they got married and bathed when they needed to. Why May anyway?] 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. [hmm, 'odor', not 'odour', methinks our miscreant might be American] 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 [lose a baby in six inches of water a bath - hardly] --hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."
2) 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 rats, and 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." [So, the dogs and cats live inside the roof keeping warm (how a dog can live in a thatched roof is somewhat of a mystery, but let's proceed anyway) and, when it rains, they move to the outside of the roof and then slip off? Are you on some sort of medication? ]
3) There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house [Does this only apply to houses that had no roof? If so, I've no argument with this]. 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.
4) The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor." ['Dirt poor' is a 20th century expression that was coined in America. So, wrong country and 400 years too late - apart from that, good effort.] The wealthy had slate floors that 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 in the entry way--hence, a "thresh hold." [Close, but no cigar. 'Thresh' doesn't mean straw or wheat, in fact there never has been a noun 'thresh'. The verb 'thresh' means 'tread, or trample' and that's the source of threshold.]
5) 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." [That's just about possible, although the rhyme isn't recorded in print until 1760. Even a blind monkey has to hit the target every now and again I suppose.]
6) 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." [Again, this phrase isn't known until the 20th century. It derives from the earlier 'chew the rag', but even that is only 19th century.]
7) Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with a 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. [So, let's get this clear - you are saying that, in the 1900s, tomatoes were considered poisonous? Really?]
8) Most people did not have pewter plates, but had trenchers, a piece of wood with the middle scooped out like a bowl. Often trenchers were made from stale paysan bread which was so old and hard that they could use them for quite some time. Trenchers were never washed and a lot of times worms and mold got into the wood and old bread. After eating off wormy moldy trenchers, one would get "trench mouth." [More made up tosh. 'Trench mouth' (severe mouth ulcers) is a 20th century phrase that was named following the WWI condition 'trench foot'. The trenches were defensive ditches - nothing to do with plates or bread.]
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 "upper crust." [Not an entirely implausible guess, but lacking any supporting evidence. See upper-crust (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/upper-crust.html) for a little essay on this.]
10) 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." [Drinking from lead cups doesn't make one unconscious for a couple of days. Even if it did, it isn't difficult to tell the difference between unconscious and dead ("What's that Godric? He's still breathing? Not dead then, I suppose.) People did hold vigils for the dead, but not to decide whether they were really dead or not. Even in the 1500s people were aware that dead people didn't wake up.]
11) England is old and small and they started running out of places to bury people. [England isn't the largest of countries but, in the 1500s there was no shortage of space to bury the dead.] So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When 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 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." ['Graveyard Shift' and 'Dead ringer' are two of the most celebrated folk etymologies. See 'the coffin quartet (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/coffin-quartet.html)' for a debunking of the above."
Source: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/life%20in%20the%201500s.html
i love things like that, old sayings and where they started, i did start a thread on the old forum, i got a few thanks but no one posted any, lets hope forum members keep this one going:pray:
But only if they have some basis in fact!
well i was told by a comedian in jersey that the word **** was derived from when a chicken farmer found that the waste from his chickens when mixed with water made very good fertilizer, so he started to export it all over the world, but in those days the wooden ships let in water in the lower storage areas, and when wet the manure stank, so to alleviate the problem they wrote on the sacks store high in transit, hence the abbreviation S.H.I.T, so i wonder if thats true?
well i was told by a comedian in jersey that the word **** was derived from when a chicken farmer found that the waste from his chickens when mixed with water made very good fertilizer, so he started to export it all over the world, but in those days the wooden ships let in water in the lower storage areas, and when wet the manure stank, so to alleviate the problem they wrote on the sacks store high in transit, hence the abbreviation S.H.I.T, so i wonder if thats true?
It would seem not;
"False etymology. A popular belief is that the word **** originated as an acronym for "Ship High In Transit", referring to the apparent need to stow manure well above the water line when transporting it by ship. This has been shown to be a myth."
Source: Wikipedia
Thousands of these on the net as well as urban legends, all made up!
lol ok what about the one about the old navy, because sailors had different sized wooden plates, when it came to sharing out the food the ones with the bigger plates would get more, so to combat this they drew or carved a square on the plates of equal size, and when dishing the food out the food never went past the square, hence the saying three square meals a day?
junglejim
23-07-2011, 19:22
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.
We could do that with some of the threads on here !! ( Isle springs to mind- to make sure he´s still alive !)
square meal
a substantial and nourishing meal
Source: http://www.definitions.net/definition/square%20meal
Nothing to do with ships, sailors, square pates etc (lñots of different takes on those myths) but "square" is used in the context of being solid - "a solid meal."
Source: http://www.definitions.net/definition/square%20meal
Nothing to do with ships, sailors, square pates etc (lñots of different takes on those myths) but "square" is used in the context of being solid - "a solid meal." i give up, it looks like i have been living a lie all these years:ashamed:
atlantico
23-07-2011, 19:33
Pah . . . . . only copied and pasted from other sites . . . . . . makes interesting reading though . . . . even if not true !
BUT, i will copy and paste YOUR replies into my forum, just for clarification, !!! (if copying is OK )
Theres also that one about where giving people two fingers comes from - supposedly archers getting them cut off - all rubbish apparently. If you like that sort of stuff (looking into myths and phrases) check out Mythbusters (TV programme) or Google "Etymology of phrases"
There's loads of debunked ones and you can dig up real ones.
Sundowner
23-07-2011, 22:31
The Romans used pee to clean their white Toga's !!
Harmonicaman
23-07-2011, 22:47
In the old days when they were building castles, they made the spiral staircase in a clockwise direction so the defenders (above) could swing there sword arms easily, while the attackers (below) were unable to do so.(Visualise it). Assuming most people are right-handed...:spin:
http://i773.photobucket.com/albums/yy13/harmonicaman_photos/dover-castle-20.jpg
The thermometer, flushing toilet, graphite pencil and knitting machine were all invented in the 1500´s.
Also, the square root symbol √ was adopted and the letter J added to the alphabet.
Goforgold
24-07-2011, 13:15
The Romans used pee to clean their white Toga's !!
But wouldn't they come out a pee green colour ???
Pah . . . . . only copied and pasted from other sites . . . . . . makes interesting reading though . . . . even if not true !
BUT, i will copy and paste YOUR replies into my forum, just for clarification, !!! (if copying is OK )
A lot of info quoted on here is from sites on the internet rather than first hand experiences...but it looks good doesn´t it!:lol::lol::lol:
Goforgold
24-07-2011, 14:06
A lot of info quoted on here is from sites on the internet rather than first hand experiences...but it looks good doesn´t it!:lol::lol::lol:
Yes !! ......................................:knight:
Pah . . . . . only copied and pasted from other sites . . . . . . makes interesting reading though . . . . even if not true !
BUT, i will copy and paste YOUR replies into my forum, just for clarification, !!! (if copying is OK )
Feel free! So log as you retain my signature and link :eyebrows:
Tom & Sharon
24-07-2011, 14:26
G.O.L.F
Gentlemen only,Ladies forbidden?
While your challenging that Andy (CIM) I'm off for a CRAP :crazy: (Thomas Crapper) which i know isn't quite true!
Tom:raspberry:
G.O.L.F
Gentlemen only,Ladies forbidden?
While your challenging that Andy (CIM) I'm off for a CRAP :crazy: (Thomas Crapper) which i know isn't quite true!
Tom:raspberry:
There is no universally accepted derivation for the word 'golf.' One of the most common misconceptions is that the word GOLF is an acronym for Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden. This at least is definitely not true.
Source: http://www.scottishgolfhistory.net/golf_word.htm
:)
Tom & Sharon
24-07-2011, 14:36
Source: http://www.scottishgolfhistory.net/golf_word.htm
:)
What about Mr Crapper :surrender:
What about Mr Crapper :surrender:
I beleive the idea that his name is the reason people refer to the toilet as the "crapper" is quite frankly a load of ****!
Tom & Sharon
24-07-2011, 16:30
I beleive the idea that his name is the reason people refer to the toilet as the "crapper" is quite frankly a load of ****!
Not quite!!
Thomas Crapper (baptised 28 September 1836; died 27 January 1910 was a plumber who founded Thomas Crapper & Co. in London. Contrary to widespread misconceptions, Crapper did not invent the flush toilet. He did, however, do much to increase the popularity of the toilet, and developed some important related inventions, such as the ballcock. He was noted for the quality of his products and received several Royal Warrants.
Thomas Crapper was born in Thorne, Yorkshire, in 1836; the exact date is unknown, but he was baptised on 28 September 1836. His father, Charles, was a sailor. In 1853 he was apprenticed to his brother George, who was a master plumber in Chelsea. After his apprenticeship and three years as a journeyman plumber, in 1861 Crapper set himself up as a sanitary engineer, with his own brass foundry and workshops in nearby Marlborough Road.
The flushing toilet was invented by John Harrington in 1596. Joseph Bramah of Yorkshire patented the first practical water closet in England in 1778. Edward Jennings in 1852 also took out a patent for the flush-out toilet.[4][5] In a time when bathroom fixtures were barely spoken of, Crapper heavily promoted sanitary plumbing and pioneered the concept of the bathroom fittings showroom.[citation needed]
Thomas Crapper Branding on one of his company's toilets
In the 1880s, Prince Edward (later Edward VII) purchased his country seat of Sandringham House in Norfolk and asked Thomas Crapper & Co. to supply the plumbing, including thirty lavatories with cedarwood seats and enclosures, thus giving Crapper his first Royal Warrant. The firm received further warrants from Edward as king and from George V both as Prince of Wales and as king.
In 1904, Crapper retired, passing the firm to his nephew George and his business partner Robert Marr Wharam. Crapper lived at 12 Thornsett Road, Anerley, for the last thirteen years of his life and died on 27 January 1910. He was buried in the nearby Elmers End Cemetery.
In 1966 the company was sold by then owner Robert G. Wharam (son of Robert Marr Wharam) on his retirement, to their rivals John Bolding & Sons. Bolding went into liquidation in 1969. The company fell out of use until it was acquired by Simon Kirby, a historian and collector of antique bathroom fittings, who relaunched the company in Stratford-upon-Avon, producing authentic reproductions of Crapper's original Victorian bathroom fittings.
Tom :hat:
just found another URBAN LEGEND the bra was not invented by otto titzling:ashamed:
Margaretta
26-07-2011, 00:33
I've enjoyed reading all these and thank you Atlantico for starting it off.
CIM you sound unusually rattled???? :jumping:
You are right to correct but this is a fun thread??? I am frightened to add anything now in case I'm wrong!!:surrender::fryingpan:???
Think you would all enjoy the Opies collection of nursery rhymes. Most of them are about unpleasant events but young children don't know that and for them they are fun, active and interactive songs.
I've enjoyed reading all these and thank you Atlantico for starting it off.
CIM you sound unusually rattled???? :jumping:
You are right to correct but this is a fun thread??? I am frightened to add anything now in case I'm wrong!!:surrender::fryingpan:???
No, not at all. Just like looking up the real facts behind phrases and urban legends as loads of them are made up and have been going around the net for years. I find them interesting to!
Margaretta
26-07-2011, 11:24
That's a relief! thought baby was teething and daddy wasn't getting much sleep..????
Most famous: 'Ring 'o Ring of Roses'. People carried bunches of flowers and herbs to ward off the plague.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.4 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.