Interesting facts from the 1500's

It's a blistering hot day in Germantown today, the humidity his high & the heat is breath taking. I thought it would be a great day to share some interesting 1500's facts with you! I came across these while reading the Germantown Historical Society's Newsletter & thought they'd be fun to pass along...

A bath in the 1500's was a large tub filled with hot water & the man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water...then, all the other sons & men...then, the women...and finally, the children...last of all, the babies! Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water"!

The next time you are washing your hands and complain that the water temperature isn't just how you like it, think about how things used to be in the 1500's...most people got married in June because they took their yearly, yes I said yearly, bath in May! They figured they still smelled pretty good by June! (Trust me, that was not the reason I got maried in June!) However, they were starting to smell somewhat, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide their body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married!

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, etc.) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip off and through the roof! Hence the saying, "It's raining cats & 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 Floor"! The wealthy had slate floors that could 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 added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A pice of wood was placed in the entry way. Hence the saying, "Thresh hold"!

Hope you enjoyed these fun facts, I know I did!

Prim Blessings!