Traditional Style of Dress for Traveling and Horseback Riding

Just as people do today, those who lived throughout history also wore certain styles of clothing for traveling and horseback riding.

Although, we may not have a traditional outfit for traveling, horseback riders certainly wear boats, helmets and certain types of pants—jeans or riding pants. And if you’ve ever made a journey by plane, train, boat or car I’m sure you chose your outfit accordingly.

This post will discuss the traditional styles of dress for traveling and horseback riding used in history.

Traveling Clothes

Traveling clothes in history were much like we have today, just a certain outfit you like to wear for example and not so much a uniform like horseback riding. And most certainly, once a person arrived wherever they were going, they changed from their traveling clothes into their everyday wear or into something fancier depending on where they were going.

Weather played a factor. Was it cold? Hot? Raining?

The person most certainly had a traveling cloak, jacket or cape. The garment would be made of wool, which was easier to keep clean and slightly resistant to weather, meaning if it were raining, you could run from your carriage into the nearest inn without becoming completely soaked.

Some chose traveling clothes that were darker in color, like grays and browns, so as to show less dirt and grime from their journeys. Even still, people may chose their not so Sunday best to travel, so they didn’t ruin their nice clothes.

Ultimately traveling clothes were up to the wearer. Some who belonged to the upper classes preferred to dress to impress, showing off their wealth. Crests may be embroidered on a tunic or cape so that those they passed recognized the family. Then again some may decide to dress down or in disguise so as not to be robbed, discovered or otherwise bothered.

When it was really cold, and a person was traveling by carriage, whether public or private, they would have heavy blankets to burrow under, often hot coals or stones placed beneath to warm their toes.

Horseback Riding Clothes

Men, even in medieval times, had special riding boots. They were longer, coming up over the knee, to protect the rider from chafing on a longer journey, or from being pinched by the saddle. Women also had riding boots that were sturdier than their everyday wear boots and of course much more durable than silk slippers. Riding boots were sturdy to protect feet while walking around the horse, and a distinct heel to catch the stirrup.

As with traveling clothes, the wearer had certain outfits they wore while riding. For men, breeches, a tailored jacket and dress shirt, or breeches and a tunic. Then again, if he were a knight, he may be riding in his armor.

All riders wore gloves to protect their hands. In medieval times the gloves were often made of deerskin, with a large cuff. During the Regency, kid gloves were often worn. Also popular for women, were York tan gloves.

For women, in the 1600’s they began wearing what is called a Riding Habit. This outfit consisted of a long skirt, a tailored jacket, a tailored chemisette (shirt), a hat, long heeled boots, and of course her gloves. The style of the jacket varied over the years from being cropped at the waist, to coming down to meet the ankle. Some jackets were short in the front and long in the back.


During the 1800’s a lot of Riding habits, were influenced by men’s fashion and military dress, which scandalized some—but then again, isn’t there always, no matter what era, some form of fashion that sends people in a fit of the vapors?

Medieval Cookery and a Special Guest!

Today’s post is a little bit different. I’ve paired up with a writing friend of mine, Kris Kennedy to bring you some gripping, appetizing and fun facts about medieval cookery! If you do try any of these recipes, please let us know how they turn out.

Let us take you back to the time of lords and ladies, peasants and servants. Where meals were cooked over an open flame and fire while cooking was an everyday danger. (Hmm…with some cooks today, fire still is a danger!) There are two perspectives we’ll journey through today, that of a noble feast/dinner and the meager meal of a peasant.

As it is still today in most cases, what type of food you ate in medieval times set you apart in social classes. Nobles and the rich had a vast variety of foods and spices, their meals often rich and plentiful. With lots of sugars used in their foods, it wasn’t uncommon for people to have blackened teeth… As medieval history is often romanticized, thinking of a king or queen with black teeth is not often spoken of. I have read before that Good Queen Bess (Elizabeth I) had very black teeth, but I’d prefer not to think of such a strong and intelligent woman with rotten teeth *shudder* And you certainly won’t find any heroes or heroines of romance with anything other than pearly whites. (For more on medieval dentistry, click this link for a previous post.)

Those of the poorer social classes, had quite meager foods, and with hardly any spice the foods were quite bland.

Some of you may think of dinner as your evening meal, but in medieval times (and still today throughout many countries in Europe) dinner, the heavier fare, was served mid-day, and your evening meal was a small repast called supper.

The mid-day meal was a big to do, with everyone dining together, and for nobles a grand affair. Having your meal served alone was often an affront to your company. This big fare of consumption was often the highlight of the day.

Let me take you to the castle kitchens in The Conqueror, (Kris's debut novel!) The Nest, the main residence of the lords of Everoot earldom, where Cook rules and delights the watering palates of Griffyn, Gwyn and their guests…

As the noblemen and women sit on the dais and watch the crowd of knights and other guests talk merrily, they are entertained by musicians, bards and jongleurs. Servants scurry around to pour the various beverages of ale, wine, mead, etc… (Curious about their beverages? Check out this previous post on medieval beverages.)

Today is a slightly more extravagant meal, because several nobles have come to pay a visit. Nobles will eat off of silver dishes while everyone else will make do with pewter, and even lower, the servants may eat from hard bread trenchers, which is typical of most when the meal is not so lively. The tables are covered in white cloth, the table on the dais has a cloth of white silk. Candlesticks line the top of the tables, and roped flowers adorn the skirts. Fresh rushes have been placed on the floor, which has been swept celan of debris. Servants are coming around with bowls of water and linen cloths so that the people may wash their hands.

After the blessing is given, servants swarm into the great hall with platters of marinated vegetables and succulent fruits, fish cooked in savory sauces, meat pies filled with pork, beef and raisins, rabbit with gravy, capons smothered in a creamy sauce, herb salads, aromatic breads, roasted cheeses with nuts, steamy stews filled to the brim with melt in your mouth meats and vegetables, and of course since this is a special meal, our guests will be delighted with a Coqz Heaumez, a redressed goose riding the back of a pig, and a Cockentrice, a capon entered in the center of pig making for a very entertaining meal. *Note, please click on the links to read a more detailed account from the Boke of Gode Cookery, as I could never do it proper justice*

Also good to note, forks were not widely used in England until 1611. They were used in Italy starting in the 11th century, but those in England considered it an effeminate Italian tradition. In France, they began using forks in the 14th century. Most forks were only 2 tined, with 4 tines coming later. What did they use to eat? Wooden spoons, knives, bread and of course their fingers.

After tasting small bites of each delicious dish, deserts are presented to the group, bread puddings, fruit tarts and pies, seed cakes, to die for pastries, elderflower cheesecake, and pears seeped in wine sauce.

All of these tantalizing creations were slaved over starting before dawn, by Cook and his helpers, in the kitchen a separate building from the main castle. The cook used spit boys to turn the meat on spits over an open fire. There was usually several others cutting vegetables, preparing the meat, and scullions doing dishes and other cleaning. Stews, sauces and soups were cooked in large iron or copper pots in the hearth. Bread and pies were usually baked in an oven or bakehouse, or when an oven wasn’t available the cook would use braziers or clay pots that went into the hearth for baking, but they didn’t turn out as well here. How did the ovens work? The ovens were made of brick, and a person would fill the over with peat or wood and burn it. Once the oven was hot enough, the embers would be removed, and the bread or pie placed on a flat hardwood peel that was then lifted and placed the food into the oven. This same tool would be used to take the food out later.

As I am not a medieval chef, I found these recipes for your viewing and tasting pleasure, from The Boke of Gode Cookery, if you click on each link the website will give you a little background about each recipe.

Salat

Take parsley, sage, green garlic, scallions, lettuce, leek, spinach, borage, mints, primroses, violets, "porrettes" (green onions, scallions, & young leeks), fennel, and garden cress, rue, rosemary, purslane; rinse and wash them clean. Peel them. (Remove stems, etc.) Tear them into small pieces with your hands, and mix them well with raw oil; lay on vinegar and salt, and serve.

Mushroom Pasty

1-1 1/2 lbs. whole button or sliced mushrooms
2 tbs. olive oil
1/2 cup grated or shredded cheese
1/2 tsp. each salt and ginger
1/4 tsp. pepper
one 9" pie shell (lid optional)

Parboil or sauté the mushrooms; drain. Add oil, cheese, and spices. Mix well. Place in pie shell, add lid if desired, and bake at 350° F for 35-40 minutes, or until pastry is a golden brown.
While I prefer using grated parmesan or a combination of parmesan & cheddar cheese, feel free to use any variety of cheese or combination that suits you. Finer cheeses, such as brie, also work quite well, and brie itself is very appropriate for a recipe of French origin. Some other period cheeses include Farmers and Mozzarella.

Pandemayne

1 package yeast
1/4 cup water
2 cups milk, scalded
2 tbs. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tbs. oil
6 1/4 cups flour, sifted

Soften yeast in warm water. Combine hot milk, sugar, salt, and oil. Cool to lukewarm. Stir in 1/4 of the flour; beat well. Add the softened yeast; mix. Add enough of the remaining flour to make a stiff dough. Knead till smooth. Shape dough in ball; place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise until doubled. Punch down. Let rise again until doubled. Cut in portions. Shape each in a smooth ball. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Shape in round loaves. Place on greased pans. With a sharp knife, slash an "x" or a cross on top, and let rise until doubled. Bake at 400° F for 35 minutes or until done. Brush tops with butter.

To Make Pyes

1 ½ lbs. beef or lamb roast, cooked and minced in very small pieces
½ tsp. pepper (or to taste)
½ tsp. salt (or to taste)
½ cup beef suet or marrow, diced or cubed
1/4 cup vinegar, red wine or cider
½ cup prunes, sliced
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dates, chopped
1-2 cups beef broth
Paest royall

In a large bowl, combine meat, spices, suet or marrow, vinegar, & the fruit. Add enough broth to thoroughly wet the mixture - the final consistency should be runny. Line a 9-inch pie pan with Paest royall and fill with the meat mixture. Add a pastry lid or leave open-faced. Bake at 375º F until filling is bubbling and the pastry cooked, approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Paest Royall

4 cups pastry flour
1 tsp. salt (optional)
1 1/2 cup butter
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
2-4 Tbs. ice cold water (optional, but potentially necessary)

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter with a pastry knife until mixture is crumbly & somewhat resembles coarse sand. Add egg yolks. Knead, adding the water a spoonful at a time if and as needed, until pastry forms a ball and leaves sides of bowl. Separate dough into 2 equal portions, cover with a towel or plastic wrap, and let rest for 10-15 minutes. Roll out one portion for pie shell, another for the lid.

Henne in Bokenade

1 whole chicken
fresh chicken broth (optional)
1 small bunch parsley, chopped
2 Tbs. chopped sage leaves
1 Tbs. chopped hyssop
1 tsp. each mace & cloves
1 dozen egg yolks, beaten
1 Tbs. ginger
1/2 cup verjuice (red wine vinegar)
1/8 tsp. saffron
1/8 tsp. salt

Place the chicken in a large pot; cover with water or fresh chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and continue cooking until the meat is tender & falling from the bone; remove from the broth & allow to drain & cool. Pick the meat from the bones, discarding the fat & skin, and cut into large chunks. Place meat in a separate large pot. Strain the broth to discard all meat, fat, etc.; add just enough broth to the chicken in the pot to just come to the top of the meat. Add the herbs & bring to a boil, then reduce heat; beat in the egg yolks, spices, and vinegar and simmer until thick. Serve as a main meat dish. Serves 6-8.

To Seeth Fresh Salmon

1 cup water
1 cup beer or ale
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. parsley flakes
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rosemary leaves
4 Salmon steaks (or any variety of fish)

Combine all ingredients except fish in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat & simmer. Place fish in a shallow baking dish, then add enough of the beer mixture to immerse 2/3 of the fish. Cover baking dish, then place in a 400° F oven for approx. 15-20 minutes, or until fish becomes tender and flakes with a fork when pierced. Remove fish from baking dish & serve.

Sambocade (elderflower cheesecake)

1 nine-inch pie shell
1 ½ lbs. cottage cheese
1/3 cup sugar
whites of 3 eggs
2 Tbs. dried elderflowers
1 Tbs. rosewater

Combine all ingredients and blend thoroughly. (A food processor or blender will do the job nicely.) Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake at 350° F for 45 minutes to an hour, or until filling has set and the crust is a golden brown. Let cool and serve.

Perys en Composte

2 cups red wine
2 Tbs. cinnamon
1 Tbs. sugar
1/2 cup sliced dates
4-6 pears, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
pinch salt
drop or two of red food coloring

Boil the pears until they are tender but not too soft; drain well. In a separate pan heat together the wine, cinnamon, and sugar. Remove from heat, strain the mixture to remove the cinnamon (I recommend using a sieve or China cap lined with cheesecloth or paper towels), then return to the fire. When hot, add the dates, pears, salt, and food coloring. Bring to a boil, allow to cook together for several minutes, then remove from heat. Place pears and wine in a wooden dish and allow to cool slightly before serving.

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That ought to be an enjoyable feast for you! If you do try it out, please tell me what you think.

Meanwhile if we travel through the bailey and the outer gates, across the fields to the little hovels that provide housing for the serfs and peasants who work the land, the meal is quite different. Unlike the lords and ladies who eat their meal in grand style during the day, most peasants eat what is sometimes referred to as a “ploughman’s” meal, meaning their mid-day meal is consumed in the fields, often consisting of one or several of the following: salted meat, bread, cheese, onions, apples or nuts. It should be noted that if the peasant had meat it wasn’t all that often. The meats they would eat were generally pork/bacon, deer, squirrel, rabbit, and the occasional sheep.

***I wanted to note here that while doing research for this blog, I came across a few articles that indicated the medieval peasant’s diet was much healthier than our diets today. Their diet consisted of a lot of vegetables, whole grains and a small portion of meat. Does it not sound similar to fad diets of today, like Zone and South Beach? Hmm…it is true that you’d never find a fat peasant, yet you often hear of the overly large nobles. Sure peasants died a lot sooner than the nobles, but I personally think that had a lot more to do with cleanliness, lack of healthcare and being worked to the bone from the time they could walk until their last breaths.***

Mother peasant’s shoulders stoop from years of labor as she stirs the concoction in the pot over the fire. One scrawny chicken runs around the only room in the little house, but she dare not kill it and pluck its feathers, because it will bring her some coin at the next market day so she might buy some grains. As her children and husband meander into the little space, the scents of dinner cooking are appealing to their starving bellies, but were Griffyn to walk through the door, he might rather wait to break his fast in the morning… What is the meal for the day? Pottage, a thick soup she’s made with vegetables and barley. Mother quietly serves her family’s meal, and breaks apart a stale loaf of brown bread for her children to soak up the soup’s juices with. There will be no meat today, but still she smiles secretly, because she has a surprise for her large hungry family.

Earlier while gathering rushes, she found a berry bush, plentiful with ripe juicy fruit, and they will have a nice dessert tonight of fresh berries.

I know I said I’m not a medieval chef, but I did make up these recipes *smile* perhaps I used to be a peasant.

Here is our peasant’s recipe for pottage:

4 onions
1 head of cabbage
3 leeks
5 handfuls of peas plucked from their pods
4 handfuls of barley
Several sprigs of parsley (peel off the leaves)
Pot ½ full of water

Chop the vegetables, combine all the ingredients. Cook in large pot over fire for several hours or days. (For a tastier pottage if you have any spare salt pork or fatty bacon, add that too. Wild mushrooms make a nice addition, as does garlic. If you can come by saffron, salt or coriander, you’ll make it even more mouth watering.)

Peasant’s Bread:

6-7 Handfuls of flour (Use Barley, rye or oats as wheat is very pricey and grind it into a flour)
Some leavening agent – use ale yeast known as “barm” Take the sediment from the ale, mix with water and then dry it out for the “yeast” or strain the dregs from the ale to use as your leavening agent. (In modern times, I would use two packets of ready yeast)
A pinch of salt if you can get it
Enough water to bind the ingredients, add more flour as needed

Mix the ingredients together and knead for eight – ten minutes.

Roll into a round shape. Place in tin box that is nestled near to the flames for a few hours, or take to the village communal oven for baking, but remember you will have to pay a fee to the baker, who then pays a portion of it to your lord. Bake your bread the day before, as if it isn’t ready by meal time, hungry bellies will be disappointed. (Or bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, top should be golden brown and sound hollow when you tap on it.)

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Just for you fabulous History Undressed readers, Kris has a very special treat for you! Something unheard of and completely exciting! Drum roll please… For your reading pleasure, a deleted scene from The Conqueror, which just so happens to have a lot to do with today’s blog topic!

Click here.

Look for Kris’s medieval romance, The Conqueror, coming to stores in May of 2009 from Kensington!

Back Cover Blurb:

England, 1152. Stephen is king. The country is wracked by bloody civil war. Griffyn Sauvage is a valiant knight with a strict moral code of honor. But when his family’s estate and vast treasures are seized, he becomes hardened by the betrayal. Now he will go to any lengths for vengeance—even if it means forming a union with his most despised enemy by marrying his daughter, Lady Guinevere de l’Ami. Then, Griffyn lays eyes on Gwyn and is completely disarmed…

As war strikes, Gwyn is left alone to fight her enemies who want control of her ancestral lands. When Griffyn comes to her rescue, she is grateful that the mysterious, brave knight has risked his life to protect hers. With each passing day, she finds herself drawn to him even as she senses he’s hiding a dark secret from her. And when another dangerous adversary closes in on both of them, Griffyn and Gwyn’s trust in each other will be put to the ultimate test…

Visit Kris at http://www.kriskennedy.net/

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I hope you enjoyed today’s special post. As always, if you have any comments, suggestions, questions etc… please feel free to share!

Cheers!
Eliza and Kris

The Legend of Robin Hood

First off I apologize for this blog coming out later in the week, but I've been battling a cold/flu and trying to get ready for the Holidays :) Without further ado, I give you The Legend of Robin Hood...



What do you think of when you hear mention of Robin Hood? Do you think of a handsome man depriving greedy abbotts, princes and sheriffs of their coin and jewels, and then gallantly taking them to distribute among the poor? A criminal? A murderer? Do you think of a debonair hero whisking his lady love onto his horse for a romantic ride? Or do you think of a humorous fox? Tell me, what does Robin Hood mean to you?

(To the left is a memorial statue of Robin Hood in Nottingham.)

The first references to Robin Hood were not told in romantic or even bawdy ballads. They weren't written in stories or records of the affluent or the poor. No, a mere mention here and there in various rolls of the English Justices across England. The name was spelled differently, often seen as Robinhood, Robehod, Hobbehod or Rabunhod. The name started to pop up in the 13th century. But it wasn't in reference to one person. In actuality, it appeared that our dear Robin was just another name for crook and criminal. But who's to say that they didn't start calling all thieves of the nobles Robin's after the hero in our imaginations, started to truly do his deeds?

The name took hold and would continue to brand those with treacherous backgrounds well into the middle ages and beyond, with even Guy Fawkes calling Robert Cecil and his followers, Robin Hoods, in 1605.

Starting in the 14th century you will begin to see the name pop up in a more literary fashion, such authors as William Langdon and his poem, (1377) "The vision of William concerning Piers Plowman." Andrew of Wyntoun, and his work Orygynale Chronicle written in 1420, and written in the late 13oo's and edited in 1440 by Walter Bower, John of Fordun's Scotichronicon. In this last particular tale, it must be noted that the battle in Sherwood Forest, is very similar to a battle that took place there with Roger Godberd, who has often been sited as perhaps being the "real" Robin Hood. Here is a passage from Scotichronicon:

"Then arose the famous siccarius, [murderer,] Robert Hood, as well as Little John, together with their accomplices from among the disinherited, whom the foolish populace are so inordinately fond of celebrating both in tragedies and comedies, and about whom they are delighted to hear the jesters and minstrels sing above all other ballads."

Another great tale of Robin Hood, is The Gest of Robyn Hode, written supposedly sometime in the mid-15th century. Here is the first lines of this ballad:

“Lythe and listin, gentilmen,
That be of frebore blode;
I shall you tel of a gode yeman,
His name was Robyn Hode.”

(Here's a link to read the whole thing, I highly recommend you do: http://www.lib.rochester.edu/camelot/teams/gest.htm)

There is some speculation that the real Robin Hood was actually the Earl of Huntington. The below inscription is on a grave in Kirkless Priory, however many say the grave cannot possibly have come from the 13th century. But according to legend, this is where he travelled to where he was killed by the prioress and Sir Roger of Doncaster. This same inscription was written in notes by Thomas Gale, Dean of York in the 17th century, insinuating the very real existence of such a man.

"Hear undernead dis laitl stean
Lais Robert Earl of Huntingun
Near arcir der as hie sa geud
An pipl kauld im Robin Heud
Sic utlaws as hi an is men
Vil England nivr si agen.
Obiit 24 Kal Dekembris 1247"

One thing you will find repeatedly in all tales of this gallant, robbing from the rich and giving to the poor man, are the names of his "merry men" and of course his love interest, Maid Marian. There's Little John, Friar Tuck, Will Scarlet, Allan a Dale, and of course the very evil Sheriff of Nottingham, and Prince John. He's always portrayed as a brilliant archer. We know he lived in Sherwood Forest, where today although the acreage has gone from nearly 100,000 from Robin's time to 450, visitors still flock to the Major Oak, where tales tell us was the major meeting point for the band. Back in the day Sherwood forest was dense and packed not only with trees and the King's deer, but outlaws. It was easy to hide from the law in that forest... His hometown was referred to as Locksley, most likely Loxley of Yorkshire. These are the major key points, as time progressed the story has changed a little at a time, but never strays from the key characters and setting.

So do you think this mystery man existed? I for one do. Most ballads and tales came from something. I suspect there was such a man, perhaps not as notorious as stories would have you believe, but there must have been someone to promote such a strong legend that even fascinates us today, some 800 years later.

Good evening fellow history lovers!

I just recieved an email from Jonathan Dresner, from the Department of History at Pittsburgh State University, and my article on St. Brendan recieved a fabulous mention in his December 2008 History Carnival!

Here's the link to check it out as well as a ton of other history article links to read!

http://www.froginawell.net/japan/2008/12/december-2008-history-carnival/#comment-178478

Cheers!
Eliza

History of Socks and Stockings

When did it all begin? I’m sure you can guess why…our feet were cold. But have socks and stockings changed all that much over the years?

Way back in the cavemen days, we used animal skins gathered around the ankle and tied for socks, sometimes animal furs to keep us extra warm. In early medieval times, those who wore socks were considered of the noble classes. Socks were woven or sewn by hand. And in the 16th century with the invention of the knitting machine, tighter woven socks were made. They were often made of wool for the general population and silk or cotton for the upper classes. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that nylon socks were introduced.

Socks are not only used to keep our feet warm and dry but to ease the chafing of shoes. Shoes today are a lot more comfortable then they used to be, and I know I need socks with some of mine. Can you imagine what it would have felt like to wear some of the medieval shoes without socks? Ouch!

Men wore stockings before women even did, but they were called hose and by the twelfth century a staple in a man’s wardrobe. Women generally wore socks, pantyhose weren’t even invented until 1959. Today’s thigh-highs are a lot like what women used to wear historically, garters included.

The hose that men wore were knee length and tied at the top, usually with some form of embroidery. Perhaps not unlike men’s knee socks of today, minus the embroidery and ties. Over the next couple hundred years, socks differed in lengths, from mid-calf, to knee to mid-thigh. They were different colors with decorations or stripes all over rather than just embroidery at the top.

By the 16th century however these two-legged hose, became one garment extending all the way to the crotch. The reason being that men’s tunics shortened over time as did their braies or breeches, which turned into a codpiece, so more of the leg was exposed. This pushed men to also feel that they needed to have nicer legs. Do you remember Henry VIII being quite proud at the turn of his leg?

In 1560, Elizabeth I, received her very first pair of knit silk stockings (knee length) and from there continued to collect many in bright colors and designs. I love my socks and stockings to be brightly colored and designed. She’s my kind of woman :)

Knitting schools opened in the 16th century making it easier to acquire socks. As more and more places specialized in types of socks, you knew if your sock was from a certain place, what quality it would be. This was because of whatever wool was available to the sock maker. For example, in Yorkshire you were more likely to get a coarser sock, like those worn by children and workers. For a better wool sock you’d go to the Midlands, which many merchants did.

I must say I’m glad presently it isn’t necessary for women to wear stockings or pantyhose everyday. I always rip mine. In fact when I know I have to wear them, I buy two, because without fail I will rip the first pair while putting them on. The second pair is usually totaled by the time I’m ready to take them off…

So that is a little history on socks and stockings. What kind do you wear?

The Great Fire of London

At one o’clock in the morning, Sunday, September 2, 1666, a disastrous event began and didn’t end until Wednesday, September 5th. It is known as The Great Fire of London and would change the city forever.

The fire began at Thomas Farynor’s (baker to King Charles II) bakeshop on Pudding Lane. Thomas and his family were woken by a servant and escaped, however one of their maids didn’t fare so well, perishing in the blaze.

It didn’t take long before the fire rapidly spread. The city of London at the time was made up mostly of wood and pitch buildings which are very flammable. When you mix pitch and dry wood, and burn it, you make charcoal. Pitch is still used today to make torches…

The streets were narrow and rutted, and the buildings piled one on top of another. It was a medieval city that had just continued to grow without any thought for planning or overcrowding. A lot of the buildings had jetties. This means they start out small but with each floor got bigger and bigger, the top floor well surpassing the first. Not unlike the shape of an ice cream cone, or upside down pyramid.

The fire leapt from house to yard catching hay, feed, and anything else in its path on fire. Soon it reached London Bridge and consumed half of it before coming to a halt at the gap where a fire 33 years prior had occurred.

Widespread panic began when the fire reached the Roman Walls encasing the city. Prior to that, people didn’t feel the need to escape, just went from safe house to safe house. Now it was apparent that they weren’t safe. Thousands flocked to the gates, pushing and shoving each other to get out of the city.

The fire destroyed the entire city within the Roman Walls, but did not reach the aristocratic domains in Westminster or the residence of Charles II, Whitehall Palace.

Fire brigades worked tirelessly to put out the fires, but little can be done with buckets of water when a raging inferno is consuming everything in its path with assistance from blustery winds. They did have “fire trucks” but some of them didn’t have wheels—only sleds—and some were stuck in the gridlock of panic-stricken people. Others that reached the fire, had no where to get water from. One to the biggest helps in past fires, the people had discovered were to create breaks, for example demolishing a house or building to deprive the fire of fuel to keep moving. This was suggested to stop the fire, and had it been done earlier the damage would not have been so severe, but at the time, the Lord Mayer of London, Bludworth was hesitant to place the order. Seeing as how nothing was being done, Charles II ordered the demolitions, but it was too late, the fire too big a monster to squelch.

When the Trained Bands of London destroyed the buildings with gunpowder explosions, they didn’t have enough time to clear the rubble away before the fire was on them, and thus the fire raged on, perhaps even worse than before with the added supply of gunpowder.

For another three days the fire raged, until coming to a stop at Temple Church. But the winds picked up again urging it forward toward Westminster. The Duke of York, ordered the Paper House demolished as a break, and lucky he did so, because the fire died there.

Some say the fire could have been avoided had the Lord Mayer ordered the demolitions earlier, other witnesses say that when the fire started at the bakery, no one was even trying to put it out, people were just running for their lives or gathering their things, or even looting…

The fire destroyed around 13,500 houses, 89 churches, 52 Guild Halls, the Royal Exchange, the Custom House, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Bridewell Palace, city prisons, General Letter Office, and three of the Western city gates. It is estimated in about $1 billion in damage in today’s monetary standards.

Surprisingly only about 8-16 lives were lost. And in fact there was some good to come out of it, despite the fact it ruined 85% of the city, bankrupt and displaced thousands, and that was that it killed off thousands of rats that carried the plague virus which had been surreptitiously killing people for years.

Another good thing to come out of, the king commissioned the city to be rebuilt, this time with wider streets and brick buildings. By 1671, the majority of buildings were complete, and in 1675 the king commissioned Sir Christopher Wren to rebuild St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as a monument, which still stands today in the place where Mr. Farynor’s bakery used to stand, a street now called Monument Street.

Why do Americans vote on Tuesday?

Every four years we vote on a Tuesday in November. My question earlier today was do you know why?

Here's the answer:

Way back in colonial times, by November the harvest was usually over. So the people went to church on Sunday, took Monday to travel to the polls and voted on Tuesday, returning home on Wednesday. Just goes to show how much we still follow traditions of our forefathers.

Hope you all voted today! As Americans and citizens of a nation ruled by democracy, you can make a difference!

Cheers!