The Oddment Emporium

The Last New England Vampire In the late 18th and early 19th...

Fri, 24 May 2013 23:07:57 +0100

The Last New England Vampire

In the late 18th and early 19th centuries there was a widespread belief in vampires throughout New England. The vampiric condition became associated with the deadly Tuberculosis, a disease misunderstood at the time and therefore the cause of much superstition.

It was believed to cause nightly visitations from previously deceased victims, as well as bringing general sickness and multiple deaths to the family. As a result, there are various accounts of families having their deceased disinterred for the purpose of removing their hearts and bringing to an end their reign of terror, and the most famous of these cases is that of Mercy Brown.

There had been numerous deaths as a result of TB within the Brown family. Mercy’s mother and sister had died within a few years of one another, then, in 1892, Mercy herself succumbed to the illness.

Mercy’s brother Edwin was also ill and, in accordance with the aforementioned folklore, Mercy’s father was persuaded to exhume the bodies of his dead relatives in an attempt to cure his son. The mother and sister’s body were found to have undergone significant decomposition, however, Mercy’s body remained relatively unchanged*: a clear sign that she was undead and the agent of Edwin’s condition.

As a result, her heart was removed, burnt, mixed with water and fed to Edwin. He died two months later.

* A cold New England winter likely caused this.

[Sources: Image | Mercy Brown Vampire Incident | Vampire]

Burying in Woollen Acts Following a decline in the wool...

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:29:00 +0100

Burying in Woollen Acts

Following a decline in the wool industry, c.1660s, the English government, in a bid to boost sales, made it law that the dead be buried in pure English woollen shrouds to the exclusion of all other textiles.

As the document above shows, an oath had to be made by a member of the deceased’s family confirming that the ‘lately deceased, was not put in, wrapt, or wound up, or buried in any shirt, shift, sheet or shroud, made or mingled with flax, hemp, silk, hair, gold or silver, or other than what is made of sheep’s wool’. The same went for the lining of the coffin.

The legislation was in force until the 1810s, however, it went mostly ignored after 1770 by people who could afford to pay the £5 fine for noncompliance.

[Sources: Burying in the Woollen Acts | Needleprint Blogspot]

Bridget Cleary, Fairy Changeling Bridget Cleary was an Irish...

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:13:18 +0100

Bridget Cleary, Fairy Changeling

Bridget Cleary was an Irish woman who, in 1895, was killed by her husband who believed she was a fairy changeling. In folklore a changeling is a fairy which is switched with a human infant. In many cases a changeling seemed like the only rational explanation for the unknown diseases etc., which might afflict a child.

Although her age, for she was 26 at the time, perhaps makes Bridget’s case unique, it was with such illness that her troubles began. She lay in bed with a fever for over a week, going undiagnosed by her physician and believed sufficiently ill enough to have a priest administer the last rites, before her husband and father declared her to be a changeling. In a curious ritual, aimed at expelling the fairy from her body, they doused her in urine and sat her before the fireplace.

A few days later she went missing. Her husband reiterated his belief that she had been taken by fairies, however, Bridget’s burnt remains were soon found nearby in a shallow grave. Evidence suggested that, as the Cleary family gathered at Bridget’s sick bed, an argument, tinged with fairy mythology, had erupted, and Bridget had offended her husband by telling him the only person who had gone off with the fairies had been his mother. This escalated into him menacing his wife with a flaming stick, which ignited her chemise. He then threw an oil lamp on her, all the while claiming that she was a changeling and that he would, by these means, get his wife back.

He was convicted of manslaughter, though some believe he concocted a ‘fairy defence’ after Bridget’s murder so he might get a lesser sentence. Nine other people were also charged for their involvement in the murder, demonstrating how widely believed fairy folklore was amongst these rural Irish communities at the time.

[Sources: Changeling | Bridget Cleary | Galway Advertiser | See Also]

Camelopard “Camelopard was the word for a giraffe in the...

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:26:13 +0100

Camelopard

“Camelopard was the word for a giraffe in the Middle Ages, inspired by its vaguely camel-like shape and its leopard-like markings.”

[Sources: Image: A 15th century depiction of a camelopard | Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, p.222)

Human Head Encased in an Iron Cage It’s been a while since...

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:48:18 +0100

Human Head Encased in an Iron Cage

It’s been a while since I posted anything quite so macabre as this but the image of a group of boys making this grim discovery as they played in the sands at Hempstead, L.I., in the mid-1930s, had a grim allure for some reason. Perhaps because of its links with the golden age of piracy.

According to Corbis Images the cage is ‘evidence of an early pirates’ torture device,’ namely, gibbeting. In the earliest recorded examples of gibbeting from the 17th century, the criminal would be bound in the metal cage and hung from a scaffold until they died of starvation, and it was a popular method of execution for piracy, highwaymen, murderers, and… sheep stealers. The positioning of such a structure next to public roads served as a warning to other potential criminals that they too might suffer the same fate.

Wishing Trees Wandering the woods, as I am wont to do of a...

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:26:00 +0100

Wishing Trees

Wandering the woods, as I am wont to do of a Sunday afternoon, I today discovered the felled remains of a wishing tree, that is, a tree with hundreds of coins embedded in its bark.

Found on woodland trails up and down the UK, the curious custom is the result of superstitious passer-bys who hammer the coins into the trunks with rocks, in the belief that it will bring them good fortune.

In many examples coins are present from centuries ago when it was believed that divine spirits lived within the trees who could be appeased by such offerings. In one wishing tree a florin dating from around the 14th century was found, whilst Queen Victoria wrote of a visit to a wishing tree in Scotland in 1877.

[Photos are mine]

The Dreadnought Hoax The Dreadnaught Hoax was an elaborate prank...

Wed, 15 May 2013 23:37:00 +0100

The Dreadnought Hoax

The Dreadnaught Hoax was an elaborate prank orchestrated by members of the Bloomsbury Group. The plan was set in motion on February 7th 1910 when Horace de Vere Cole, who is described as an ‘eccentric prankster’, had a telegram, apparently signed by the Foreign Office, sent to the naval ship HMS Dreadnought notifying the captain of the imminent arrival onboard of a group of Abyssinian princes.

Under the pseudonym Herbert Cholmondeley, Cole then escorted his entourage, who, including Virginia Woolf (far left in photo), had disguised themselves by darkening their skin and dressing in turbans with false beards, to Paddington Station where he demanded a special train to Weymouth where the Dreadnought was moored. The stationmaster duly arranged a VIP carriage for them.

Upon their arrival in Weymouth the group was met with an honour guard. Unfortunately, no Abyssinian flag could be found so, oddly, the flag of Zanzibar was hoisted instead and Zanzibar’s national anthem played for the esteemed guests. The ‘princes’ then inspected the fleet and attempted to bestow fake military honours on the officers, speaking all the while in gibberish - frequently showing amazement or appreciation with cries of “Bunga! Bunga!”. An officer friend of both Cole and Woolf failed to recognise either of them.

When the hoax was eventually discovered the Royal Navy became a object of ridicule due to the Bloomsbury Group’s pacifist views. The Navy first called for Cole’s arrest, however, he had not broken the law. They then sent two officers to cane him but Cole countered this by arguing it was they who should be caned for allowing themselves to be fooled in the first place.

[Sources: Image | Dreadnought Hoax | Horace de Vere Cole]

The Alexandra Limp and Other Affectations of Posture In the...

Wed, 15 May 2013 01:07:22 +0100

The Alexandra Limp and Other Affectations of Posture

In the 1860s, when Queen Alexandra, then the Princess of Wales, suffered a painful attack of rheumatism in her knee which, in time, resulted in a permanent limp, high society women London, keen as ever to stay on trend with the day’s fashion, began to sycophantically imitate it. It became ridiculously popular and was known as the Alexandra Limp, although it was ‘widely derided’ by, well, by anyone with any sense probably. John Stephen Farmer called it “an erstwhile fit of semi-imbecility” by “a crowd of limping petticoated toadies”.

Be that as it may, the fad was followed by a similar curiosity of posture in the USA, namely, The Grecian Bend, which saw women apparently go about their business whilst bent oddly at the waist. Albert Jones Bellows describes in a sighting in Boston:“She waddled a few rods past the store, and then turned round, smiling, or rather smirking, complacently on her ‘crowd of admirers,’ with an expression of face which seemed to say, … ‘All my torture is repaid by the admiration I excite.’”

[Sources: Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (p.25) | Futility Closet | Telegraph | Wikipedia]

The Bisley Boy It is a tradition amongst villages in England to...

Wed, 15 May 2013 00:39:00 +0100

The Bisley Boy

It is a tradition amongst villages in England to celebrate the advent of the month of May with a festival involving processions, music, dancing, and, the piece de resistance, a May Queen - usually a young girl from the village adorned with a crown of flowers. The village of Bisley, however, does things differently. They choose a boy instead and have him dressed in the clothes of a Tudor era female. The question as to why is one which plagued Bram Stoker, author of Dracula, who, when he heard of the strange custom, sought to get to the bottom of it in his lesser known work Famous Impostors.

Stoker uncovered a local legend that told how, around 1543, Queen Elizabeth I, then a princess, was sent to Bisley to take in the country air, when suddenly she fell ill and died. Learning that Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII, was on his way to visit his daughter, her governess began to fear for her own life: Henry had recently had his wife, Catherine Howard, beheaded and, famously ill-tempered and unpredictable, no one wanted to upset him further. As such, the governess hurried to find a replacement but no girl of similar appearance to Elizabeth could be found. There was however, a red-headed boy who would do just the trick. The governess had him put on the princesses’ dress and presented to the King. Henry saw his daughter infrequently and never discovered the impostor. In fact, the trick worked so well the King was never informed and the boy grew up to become Queen Elizabeth I. In 1870 the vicar of Bisley claimed he had uncovered the coffin of a girl dressed in Tudor clothes but had reinterred the remains in an unmarked grave so it did not become a shrine.

To add credence to the theory, Stoker cites a series of 16th century letters which detail ‘secrets of great moment’ between the Queen and her closest companions; her refusal to marry and apparent inability to bear children; her baldness; a change in the style of her writing from before and after the apparent swap; her refusal to see any but one doctor; and her instruction that there be no post mortem on her body when she died. Of course, all these things can be explained away much more simply, but, whatever the truth, everyone loves a conspiracy.

[Sources: Telegraph | Elizabeth Files | Famous Impostors (Full Text)]

weirdvintage: Snow Queen Victoria, c. 1890 (via V&A)

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:33:46 +0100

weirdvintage:

Snow Queen Victoria, c. 1890 (via V&A)

atlasobscura: The linked headstones of two lovers who refused...

Mon, 13 May 2013 20:23:59 +0100

atlasobscura:

The linked headstones of two lovers who refused to let go, even in Death

Until 40 years ago, Catholic and protestant establishments in the Netherlands were separate from one another as a result of Pillarisation, a widespread politico-denominational segregation. Churches, supermarkets, and other public places were segregated by religious and political beliefs.

All of this sets the scene to the story of Protestant Colonel J.C.P.H of Aeffderson and Catholic noblewoman J.W.C Van Gorkum. Their marriage would’ve caused a storm of scandal back in the 19th century. Not only was it religiously mixed, but they were from two very different social classes. However, despite all of the taboo in 19th century society, the couple’s marriage lasted for 40 years, only ending with the colonel’s death.

Eight years later, when his wife passed away, her wishes dictated that she wanted to be buried next to her husband. Pillarisation was still in effect at the time, and according to the law, this was impossible. However, with a little creative stonework, both Husband and wife were linked eternally together in a different way.

More info here !

erikkwakkel: Domestic Disputes The quarrelling couple is a...

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:05:05 +0100

Getty Museum, Ludwig VI 5, leaf 23 (14th c)

New Haven, Beinecke, 404 (13th c)

Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek, BPL 144 (12th c)

Leiden, Universiteitsbibliotheek, VLQ 38 (10th c)

Origins unknown

London, British Library, Royal 20 A.ii (14th c)

erikkwakkel:

Domestic Disputes

The quarrelling couple is a reoccurring theme in medieval books. The depiction can be quite well done, by professional illustrators and in lovely colours, such as the top two and bottom three images. The most memorable ones, however, are the ones that are doodled in the margin of the page. Like the big image in the middle, they are impromptu, unplanned expressions, not by illustrators but by readers. And unlike the coloured ones, which often represent a scene from a biblical or literary story, the fights in black and white seem to depict real-world frustration. You can just imagine the woman shouting: “Why did you not put out the garbage!?” “It is your turn to walk the dog!” or “Stop looking at my sister!” It is not difficult to see the trembling hand of an angry male reader behind the shaky picture. Too scared to stand up in the real world, he resorts to the margin for some stress relief.

Jane Foole Jane Foole was a 16th century court jester to...

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:23:06 +0100

Jane Foole

Jane Foole was a 16th century court jester to Catherine Parr, Mary I, and possibly Anne Boleyn, and is the only female jester ever depicted. She features on the lefthand side of this portrait of Henry VIII and his family, whilst the King’s jester, Will Sommers, features on the right.

Even in a time when ‘the privileged amused themselves with dwarfs, the deformed, the disabled and the dimwitted to ridicule and to laugh at,’ a female jester is still particularly curious. Despite this, however, frustratingly little is known about Jane’s life. Other than the above portrait, the only proof of her existence lies only in The Privy Purse Expenses of Princess Mary. Indeed, until her death, Mary financially supported Jane, ensuring she was always well presented in the most fashionable dresses and shoes - over the course of 18 months she was gifted 36 pairs. Furthermore, Mary paid Jane sick pay during “the tyme of her seekness” in 1543, handsomely compensated a Mrs. Ager who cured Jane of an eye ailment in 1556, and paid for elaborate gifts for Jane’s ‘valentines’.

Undoubtedly Jane was better looked after than most women at court, however, she was also required to shave her head twice a month in a custom ordinary for male jesters, but which would have undoubtedly set Jane apart from other women. Unfortunately no records of what she did to entertain the Queens she served survive, but feigning stupidity whilst insulting one’s master, practical jokes, and making up funny stories, were all popular tricks of the trade amongst male jesters of the period and might indicate what Jane got up to as well.

[Sources: Jane Foole | On the Trail of Jane the Fool]

Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable One year after...

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:53:00 +0100

Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable

One year after graduating and moving back home to my parents’ house I have finally unpacked all my belongings, and in doing so I have uncovered this forgotten gem of a book, which I think is a little oddment in itself and I’d recommend to anyone with an interest in literature, history, mythology, folklore or anything of that sort!

It was first published in the late 19th century, aimed at people without a university education who wanted to understand literary allusions and the origins of phrases, however, it also included an array of other more curious features that have been amended and added to over the past century.

There’s a whole section dedicated to the first lines in classical literature, for example, as well as explanations about all manner of fictional characters, historical figures and events; pages dedicated Zodiac signs and how to read palms, as well as an extensive list of the ‘Cries of Animals’. If you want to know the name of ‘Achilles’ wife,’ there’s an entry for that! Need a list of historical witches or court jesters? There are entries for those! Curious about ‘The Fat Boy of Peckham’? Fear not, there’s an entry for that too! Anyway, any dictionary that includes definitions of ‘Acid Bath Murders,’ ‘Quidditch,’ and ‘A Tub of Naked Children’ is doing it right as far as I’m concerned!

Concerning the first edition of the book, it has been said that “Some entries seem so trivial as to be hardly worth including”, and I think that’s still true of the later edition I have, but that’s exactly what makes it marvelous!

ipissedinyourmountaindew: Mugshot of François Bertillon. Age:...

Sun, 12 May 2013 15:55:15 +0100

ipissedinyourmountaindew:

Mugshot of François Bertillon.

Age: 23 months.

Crime: Gluttony; nibbling all the pears from a basket. October 17, 1893.

A gentleman who bears more than a passing resemblance to Jay Z...

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:48:10 +0100

A gentleman who bears more than a passing resemblance to Jay Z hangs about in New York in 1939.

blackpaint20: Burgfräulein von Strechau, by an unknown artist...

Thu, 09 May 2013 11:27:54 +0100

blackpaint20:

Burgfräulein von Strechau, by an unknown artist from the 17th century. The painting hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.

The legend (as far as I can determine from the German websites I’ve deciphered with the help of Google Translate) tells that in the late Middle Ages a damsel waited for her lover who left to the Holy Land to fight the infidels. The lady promised that if he did not return she would enter a monastery. Despite her promise, she married another man and when the bride came to the festival her face changed to a skull and devilish figures appeared and pulled her down to hell in front of all the guests.

The legend is derived from a poem.

This is also a good photograph of the painting, via Flickr.

I’ve been looking for this for ages!

blackpaint20: On Jan. 28, 1393, during a riotous wedding at the...

Thu, 09 May 2013 11:25:43 +0100

blackpaint20:

On Jan. 28, 1393, during a riotous wedding at the royal palace of Saint-Pol, Charles VI and five French nobles dressed up as wild men using linen costumes covered with pitch and hair and ranged among the guests, howling like wolves and daring them to guess their identities. One guest approached too closely with his torch and set them ablaze. The Duchess of Berry had the presence of mind to throw a cloak over the king, and one of the nobles managed to dive into a barrel of water. “The other four were burned alive their flaming genitals dropping to the floor, [the Monk of St. Denis] remarks with a sharp but on this occasion rather unsavoury eye for detail, releasing a stream of blood,” notes Jan R. Veenstra in Magic and Divination at the Courts of Burgundy and France. “Three of them, the count of Joigny, the bastard of Foix and Aymeri de Poitiers were deeply mourned; a fourth victim, Huguet de Guisay, was left wailing in agony for three days before he too expired, but he was not mourned, the Monk of St. Denis explains, since he was a vicious man and people were glad to see him perish.”

Curious Traditions of the State Opening of Parliament Today in...

Wed, 08 May 2013 23:35:21 +0100

Curious Traditions of the State Opening of Parliament

Today in the UK The Queen travelled to Parliament for the official state opening, an event steeped in curious traditions and customs dating back centuries.

For instance, before the Queen’s arrival The Yeomen of the Guard are sent to the Palace of Westminster, where parliament is held, to inspect the cellars for explosives, a practice which dates back to 1605, when an attempt was made to blow up King James I.

Just before the monarch leaves Buckingham Palace a member of government is delivered to there to be held “hostage”. He, or she, is entertained there until the monarch’s safe return in a tradition which dates back to Charles I, who had a less than cordial relationship with his government, which resulted in his beheading. The Regalia - the Imperial State Crown and other chunks of fancy metal - travels to the ceremony in its own carriage followed by the monarch.

Upon their arrival they are met by the Lord Great Chamberlain who has, hanging at his hip, the golden key to the Palace. They then proceed past dismounted members of the Household Cavalry who hold drawn swords and are the only troops allowed to bear arms in royal palaces. Eventually the monarch is seated on a throne of sorts and the Lord Great Chamberlain summons The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod who, in his capacity as the Sovereign’s Messenger, demands the presence of members of the House of Commons. As The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod approaches these members the door of the House of Commons is slammed shut in his face, which demonstrates the supremacy of the lower House of Commons over the House of Lords. With his Black Rod the usher now bangs three times on the door before he is finally admitted. This tradition serves as a reminder of the right of the Commons to exclude anyone but the monarch’s messengers.

Once everyone has settled down the monarch reads a speech, delivered to her in a silk bag and drawn up entirely by the Government outlining their intentions for the season. The monarch then leaves, the Royal Standard is lowered, and the Union Flag raised.

kingedwardviii: Edward VIII taken by his grandmother, Queen...

Mon, 06 May 2013 23:50:00 +0100

kingedwardviii:

Edward VIII taken by his grandmother, Queen Alexandra.

It has been WAY too long since this guy was on my blog! I love Alexandra’s photographs of the family!