Alexandria gazette & advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1822-1824, 1823-04-17
STATE OF MANNERS
w ENsLANp, PREVIOUS TO 1913,

mole Library, Oro")
! Before the last civil wars In gentle.
men,s houses, at Christmas, the hr'e
dish that was brought to the cable va
a boar. head with a Sc Oh IN his mouth.
At Queens College, Oxon. they still
retain this custom, the bearer OF IL TO
the haff-sin gin to the old tune IN old
Lalin rhym. 9 Apri caput detero' 81"
Heretofore, noblemen and gentle
men Of fine estates, had their heralds,
who wore their coats of armsat Christ.
mas. and other solemn times, aud crieo
&" iIargesse," thrice.
In DAYS of wore, lords and gentlemen
lived in the country like petty kings;
had iura regatta belonging to seignorle;
had castle and boroughs; mad galiows
within their liberties, where they could
trv, condemn, and execute; never went
| to London but in Parliament time, or
once a year to do their homage to the
King.-They always eat in their GO
THO halls, at the high table or orsi'e'
(which is little room at the upper ena
| of tho hail, where table stands with
On. fo,,. a, ,he side table. The meat
was served up by watch words; JACKS
ara hut of late invention; the poor
bows did turn the splits, AND hckeu the
dripping TOR their pains. The beds oil
the men servants and retaiDers were IN
tho hall. In the hall, mumm,ng anu
loaf stealing, and other Christmas
/ ,,a.o noctornaI
The hearth was commonly In the
middle, whence the saying "Rouhd a.
bout our coal fire."
In the halls and parlours of the great
houses, we're written texts OF scriptures
on painted clothes
The tirst disn that was brought to
the table on Easter day, was a red her
ring riding away on horseback !.
a herring ordered by the cook. some
thing after the likeness Of man on
horseback, set in corn salad.
| The custom Of eatinga CANNON OF
bacon at Easter, (Which Is stall kept up
ia many parts of England was found
ed on this, viz: To show their aohor-
renee 70 Judaism, at that solemn com
nemuratlon Of our Lords resurrec.
! ton.
Before the Reformation, there were
! no poor rates--the charitable doies gl-
ven at tine religious houses, aud the
church ale In every parish, did the bu-
siness. In every parish there was
, church house, to which belonged splits,
pots. sc. for dressing provision. Here
the ousekeepers met and were merry,
and gave their charity. The young
people came there too, and had dancsng,
bowling, shooting at butts, &c. MIR.
! "A Wood assures me there were few or
no a. inns houses before the time ct Hen
~ VIII. That at Oxon, opposite
| Christ Church, was one OF the most an
cient in England,
10 every church there was q poor's
box, and tho like at great inns.
! The lawyers say that, before inc
time Of Henry VIII. one shall hardly
find an action on the case, as for SIAN
der, sc once in q year quod notd.
At the parish priests house IN France,
especially In Languedoc, the table cloths
were on the board all day long, aad
ready for what was in the house to DC
put thereon for strangers, travellers,
friars. pilgrims, so it was here ! nave
heard my grandfather say in his grand
fathers time.
! A neat built chapel and spacious
hail we're all the rooms of note, the rest
were small. atTomarton, IN Glouces-
tershire, ancientiy the seat of the R''
vers' is dungeon thirteen or fourteen
ieet deep; about four feet high are iron
rings fastened in the wall, whlea were
probably 20 tie offending UiHdns to;
and all lords 0: manors had this power
over their offending villains, Tor socsse
Itenap5s,) and had all of them, no doubt,
su places for punis hment. It'll we'll
known all castles had dungeons, aud
believe SO had monasteries, for they
had otten within themselves power OF
life and death.
| Every baron, or gentleman OF estate,
kept horses for men at arms. Some
had their armoIies sufficient to furnish
out some hundred Of men. The halls
| of the Justice of peace were dreadful to
behold. The screen was garnlshed
with corsle 8 and helmets, gaping with
| open mouths, with coats of mail, lances,
pixies, halbe IT'S, brown bills, and buck.
lers.
Public inns were rare, travellers
| we're entertained at religious houses
| for three days together, Procession SER
we'd. The meeting of the gentry were
| not at taverns, but in the fields or TO.
rssts with their hawks and hounds,