STRATFORD UPON AVON

I love this place! My first visit was Saturday when it was a lovely sunny day and it was full of tourists. Even large groups of Japanese! Heard some Australian accents as well! Then I went back on Monday to check out the shops.

I visited Mary Ardens farm. People were acting the life of a Tudor farm even to having their lunch Tudor style.

First course was pottage. This is a vegetable soup that sits on the back of the fire and keeps getting veges added to it. Whatever they have on hand. Accompanied by very chunky wholemeal bread and butter. That was followed by the main course. Saturday was a fish day so they had dried fish that was reconstituted,with a sauce added, put inside a pastry then deep fried. With this they had beetroot that had been boiled and chopped up. Just before serving verjuice was poured over it. This a cross between wine and vinegar.Salad included figs, flowers and herbs.

During the meal they explained some of the traditions.

• The table was actually a board placed on top of trestles. Hence nobody was allowed to put their elbows on the board as it could tip it up and all the food would fall in their laps.
• The master of the house would sit in the chair at the head of the board. He was the Chairman of the board.
• People would sit at the table in their pecking order, starting with the head of the house.
• Everyone kept their hands above the board. After the meal the master would pay the day labourers. They would all receive their wages where everyone could see so it was “all above board”
• Left hands were used for community purposes – hence the food was served out with the left hand. The right hand was for personal use. If you were left handed you would have been forced as a child to change to the right hand. The left was the devils side.
• People put their serviette over their left shoulder. As they would be sitting very close at the board there was no room to put their hands to their laps. As they ate with the right hand it was easy to wipe fingers on the serviette.
• People would carry their own utensils with them. That would be a spoon, very sharp knife and a pricker.
• Forks had been introduced by the Italians. These just had two prongs. Not all people used them.
• A spoon was usually given by the godparents on a child's baptism. This would be theirs for life. Whether it was silver or wood would be dependent on the wealth of the godparents.

I learned a few more things.

• Chester, -caster and -cester, at the end of English place names means that the place was the site of a Roman fort.
• Thatched roofs on houses only lasted about 25 years before they needed to be replaced. The fancy trimming on the top indicated who had thatched the roof. Like a signature.
• Doctors received the title because they had medical training. Surgeons were barbers so they had a pole outside their business with a red stripe to indicate blood and a white one to indicate
• bandages. Because they were just barbers they were known as “Mr.” not Doctor. Today surgeons are still known as “Mr”.
• Thatched houses did not originally have wire netting over them. Therefore all kinds of creatures could live in them. Hence the need of a four poster bed with a cover over the top to protect the sleepers from anything dropping on them through the night.
• The word bonfire comes from bone fire. Graves were dug after 20 years and the bones burned on an open fire. Shakespeare did not want that to happen to him. In 1605 he purchased a Lay rectorship at Holy Trinity Church. This gave him the right to be buried under the church.
• Beds were short – not because the people were but because they did not sleep lying down. They would sit up to sleep. If they lay down the devil might think they were dead and claim them for him
• Door frames were very low. Because it was easier to build a door under the wood frames.

If only history was this interesting 55 years ago!

 Saw William Shakespeare – he looked a tad stiff. He was along the road from his birthplace. Today the place is surrounded by all kinds of fascinating shops.

A Christmas shop – Peter Rabbit etc etc.