The next time you find yourself washing your hands (which seems to be a frequent activity these days) and grumble about the water temperature not being to your liking, take a moment to reflect on how things were in the past.
Consider these facts regarding the 1500s:
June was a popular month for weddings because people typically took their annual bath in May, resulting in a reasonably pleasant odor by June. Nonetheless, as they began to smell, brides would carry floral bouquets to mask the scent. This is how the custom of brides carrying bouquets originated.
Bathing involved a large tub filled with hot water where the man of the house got to enjoy the clean water first. Then the other sons and men followed, next the women, followed by the children, and lastly, the babies. By the time the babies had their turn, the water was so filthy that it was possible to lose someone in it. This led to the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”
Houses were constructed with thatched roofs made from thick layers of straw, providing warmth for small animals like cats and rodents. During rainy weather, the roofs would become slippery, causing animals to occasionally fall off. This gave rise to the phrase, “It’s raining cats and dogs.”
There was no barrier to prevent debris from falling into homes. This created a significant issue in bedrooms, where insects and droppings could ruin a neatly made bed. To alleviate this, beds were designed with tall posts and sheets draped over the top for some protection. This is how canopy beds were invented.
The ground was simply dirt, with only the affluent having floors made of anything else. This is where the expression “Dirt poor” comes from.
Wealthy households had slate floors that became treacherous when wet during winter, prompting them to spread straw (thresh) on the ground to maintain grip. As winter progressed, they would continue to add straw until opening the door sent it spilling outside. A wooden piece was placed at the entryway. This led to the term “Threshold.”
In those times, cooking was done in the kitchen using a large kettle that hung over a fire. Each day, a fire was lit, and ingredients were added to the pot. Their diet consisted mainly of vegetables, with meat being a rare treat. Dinner would consist of stew, with leftovers left in the pot to cool overnight, starting the cycle anew the next day. Sometimes, stew would contain ingredients that had lingered for an extended period. This resulted in the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.”
On special occasions, they might obtain pork, which made them feel quite important when hosting guests, as they would display their bacon to 
show off their wealth. Thus, the term ‘Bring home the bacon’ became an emblem of prosperity. They would cut off small portions to share and gather to ‘Chew the fat.’
Those who were affluent used pewter plates; however, high-acid foods would leach lead into the food, potentially causing lead poisoning. This was particularly prevalent with tomatoes, which, for roughly the next 400 years, were thought to be toxic.
Bread was distributed based on social status. Laborers received the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family ate from the middle, and guests were served the upper part, or ‘The upper crust.’
Lead cups were used for drinking ale or whiskey, resulting in some drinkers losing consciousness for days. Passersby might mistake them for the deceased and prepare them for burial. These individuals were laid out on kitchen tables for a few days while family and friends gathered around to eat and drink, waiting to see if they would revive. This gave rise to the practice of ‘Holding a wake.’
As England is both old and compact, locals began to run out of burial space. Consequently, they would excavate coffins and transport bones to bone-houses for reuse of graves. When reopening these coffins, they discovered that 1 in 25 contained scratch marks on the interior, indicating that some had been buried alive. To remedy this, a string was tied to the corpse’s wrist, leading up through the coffin and above ground, attached to a bell. Someone had to remain in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell…allowing the possibility for someone to be, ‘Saved by the bell’ or labeled as a… ‘Dead ringer.’
Whoever claimed that history was dull was clearly mistaken.
by Professor P.T. Brown
