Eyam, Derbyshire

 Most people in England have heard of the village of Eyam in Derbyshire. When the plague struck the village the people heroically quarantined themselves to stop it from spreading and most of them died. Sadly it's probably a myth. The village WAS quarantined but the evidence suggests the authorities imposed the quarantine (a common practice at that time). It also seems the wealthy villagers fled before the quarantine was imposed, leaving the poor to their fate (also a common practice). Over the years it became a romantic legend. But, as with so many such charming stories it probably never happened. This article examines the evidence: https://www.economist.com/1843/2020/04/16/eyam-revisited-lessons-from-a-plague-village

Female Jesters

Women in comedy have a long history. In the Middle Ages and 16th century, the rich were entertained by jesters. Some jesters were female. The custom of having jesters died out in the 17th century. But the modern circuses began in the late 18th century and by the beginning of the 19th century, they included clowns. By the mid-19th century, there were female clowns. In 1846 a London newspaper mentioned female clowns. In the late 19th century and early 20th century, there were women comedians in music halls (in music halls a variety of acts would entertain the crowds). Read more in my history of women's jobs.

Ukraine

 I read about a woman named Roxelana (Hurrem Sultan). She was born in Ukraine in about 1502 but she was kidnapped and made a slave. She was forced to be a concubine but later became the wife of the Ottoman Emperor Suleyman the Magnificent. She was a highly influential woman.  

Ukraine has a tragic history. It became independent of Russia once before, in 1918 but in 1921 the Communist Russians invaded and forced the Ukrainians to become part of the Soviet Union. In the early 1930s there was a terrible famine in Ukraine. It’s not clear if Stalin deliberately caused the famine but he certainly carried on taking grain by force even when it was clear millions of people were starving. This man-made famine is called The Holodomor. https://www.britannica.com/event/Holodomor

The Bradford Boar

 According to legend, the boar became Bradford’s emblem because of an incident in the Middle Ages. A boar was at terrorizing a wood near the town. (Wild boars were vicious animals). The Lord of the Manor offered a reward to anyone who could kill it. A hunter named John Northrop saw it drinking at a well. He killed the boar and cut out its tongue to prove it was dead.

However, a little later another hunter saw the boar. He cut off its head and took it to the Lord before Northrop could get there. However, he could not explain why the boar’s tongue was missing. Northrop then turned up with the tongue and he was given land as a reward. https://localhistories.org/a-history-of-bradford/

18th century women

 In the 1700s girls from well-off families went to boarding schools. Poor girls sometimes went to dame schools where they were taught to read and write. Also, in some towns, there were charity schools called blue coat schools because of the color of uniforms. In Britain, women were not allowed to attend university and the professions were closed to them. 

 Famous woman physicist Laura Bassi was born in Bologna, Italy, on 31 October 1711. She studied at Bologna and gained a doctorate degree in 1732. She became a lecturer at the university and also made important contributions to science. https://www.europeana.eu/en/stories/laura-bassi-one-of-the-first-women-in-science

New Amsterdam

 The Dutch built a little town on the southern tip of Manhattan Island. It was called New Amsterdam and it flourished by selling skins. The settlers sold otter, beaver, mink, and seal skins. However, New Amsterdam was a tiny town with only about 1,500 inhabitants in the mid-17th century. localhistories.org/17th-century-new-york

Bathing

It's a silly myth that during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries people thought bathing was bad for you. It is complete twaddle. In reality, doctors emphasised that keeping clean was necessary for health. Being clean was also seen as good or virtuous. In the 18th century, John Wesley said ‘cleanliness is next to godliness. Being dirty was a sign of a bad soul. Wearing dirty clothes was also frowned upon. localhistories.org/a-history-of-baths-and-showers