Elizabeth Ashworth – author

In the news today there is an article about a whale that was beached at Skegness in Lincolnshire on Saturday and the problem of how to dispose of it. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-7285112

As I read it I recalled the records of a court case in March 1335, in the reign of Edward III, where Alice de Lacy and her husband Eble le Strange made a complaint against several people who had ‘carried away a whale worth 100s (shillings) that had been washed ashore at Friskeneye, county Lincoln.’

Here’s the full record:

‘Commission of oyer and terminer to Richard de Wylughby, Thomas de

Sibthorpe, John de Cresholm and John de Merstou, on complaint bv Ebulo

Lestraunge and Alice his wife that whereas they are lords of the port of

the town of Friskeney, and they and the ancestors of Alice time out of

mind have used to have wreck of sea and all royal fish in the same in  right

of their lordship, Roger de Pedewardyn, William son of Walter de

Friskeneye, John de Stikeneye of Boston, William Whistelpaye, Hugh

son of John Taillour of Friskeneye, William Flayn of Friskeneye, Robert

son of Sibyl de Friskeneye, Richard his brother, Hugh son of Alan son of

Andrew de Friskeneye, Ranulph son of Ranulph deWrangel, Hugh

Flegard of Waynflete, Richard Pynder, John son of Richard, Helewisia de

Wrangel, Hugh Buttersuel and others carried away a whale, worth 100s

which had been washed ashore at Friskeneye, co. Lincoln, within the port.’

By K.

It seems that, unlike today when the carcass is a problem, a beached whale in 1335 was a valuable commodity.  Research into what the carcass was actually used for reveals that whale meat was eaten in the middle ages, although the records of its sale at markets such as the one at Calais may refer to smaller species like porpoise that were caught fresh.

I would guess that the blubber was valuable as oil for cooking and would also have been used to make candles and rush lights.  The earliest known candles were made from whale fat by the Chinese and candles made from spermaceti wax burn with less odour than tallow candles.  The skin may have been used for textiles, maybe for shoes or covers for books.  The bones would have been utilised to make many items.  In his article Working With Horn and Skeletal Materials http://www.florilegium.org/files/CRAFTS/Working-Horn-pamphlet.pdf  Michael Labbe-Webb says:

The most common artifacts made of horn, antler or bone surviving from the
Middle Ages are combs, pins (used in both hair and clothing) and spoons,
but many other articles made of these materials have been found.
Whalebone (most of which was scavenged from whales which were washed
ashore, although whales were hunted in the early medieval period) was used
to make helmet plumes for tournaments for knights as well as more
complicated articles like chests and caskets. Canes, toothpicks, powder
horns, jewelry, religious articles, jewelry caskets, weapon and knife hilts,
musical instruments, portraits, sculptures and even bone spurs are but a few
of the items surviving from the middle ages.

As the BBC article says, whales were classed as ‘royal fish’ and in the court case this is referred to, stating that Alice and her ancestors (her father was Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln) have always had the right to any ‘wreck of the sea and royal fish’ as lords of the town and port of Friskeney – now known as Friskney and just south of Skegness where the whale was beached last Saturday.

So it seems that a beached whale in the 14th century did not present the problems it does today.  Alice and Eble would have been horrified to see such a valuable resource go to waste!  They would have had no problem at all in arranging its removal and pocketing the profits.

Lancashire is a very superstitious place, and there are many superstitions associated with Fridays even when they aren’t the 13th of the month.

The origin of Friday being unlucky is often associated with it being the day on which Jesus was crucified, and the number 13 represents the number who were present at the Last Supper.  But it seems that it is also unlucky because when people began to convert to Christianity the old Norse gods were banished, including Frigga or Freya, after whom Friday is named.  It seems that she was called a witch and it was beleived that on Fridays she met with eleven other witches plus the devil to make a coven of 13, to plan bad luck for the coming week.  In some places Friday is known as the ‘witches’ sabbath’.

In Lancashire, the fisherman were particularly afraid of Freya and boats from the port of Fleetwood would not put to sea on Friday 13th.

And please don’t cut your fingernails on a Friday.  That is bound to bring bad luck as explained in this rhyme – though cutting them on a Sunday may bring even worse luck:

Cut your nails on a Monday, cut them for news;
Cut them on Tuesday for a new pair of shoes;
Cut them on Wednesday, cut them for health;
Cut them on Thursday, cut them for wealth;
Cut them on Friday, cut them for woe;
Cut them on Saturday, a journey you’ll go;
Cut them on Sunday, you cut them for evil,
For all the next week you’ll be ruled by the Devil.

You also need to be careful which day you sneeze on:

Sneeze on a Monday, you sneeze for danger;
Sneeze on a Tuesday, you kiss a stranger;
Sneeze on a Wednesday, you sneeze for a letter;
Sneeze on a Thursday, for something better;
Sneeze on a Friday, you sneeze for sorrow;
Sneeze on a Saturday, see your sweetheart tomorrow;
Sneeze on a Sunday, your safety seek,
For the Devil will have you the whole of the week.

It is also unlucky to marry on a Friday.  And it is improper for a courting couple to meet on a Friday.  If they do they are liable to be followed home by a crowd of people beating pans – although nobody seems to know why.

And speaking of weddings it is important to get the colour of your wedding gown right to ensure future happiness:

Married in red, wish yourself dead.
Married in yellow, ashamed of your fellow.
Married in blue, they’ll never be true
Married in green, ashamed to be seen
Married in white, married all right.

Many superstitions are connected with the moon.  A full moon shining in through the window after children have gone to bed will cause them to go mad.  If the new moon is lying on its back it is ‘holding water’ and it will rain. But be careful about looking at a new moon.  It’s unlucky to see it through glass and if you do you must turn over some money in your pocket.

Other superstitions include not putting new shoes on the table as it will bring bad luck.  And if you accidentally put an item of clothing on inside out you must leave it like that because it is unlucky to take it off and put it on again the right way. 

But the weirdest Lancashire superstition that I’ve come across is that eating fried mice will cure bedwetting.  I’m sure the very thought is enough to cause it!   

Stay safe today.  There are two more Friday the 13ths to come this year – on 13th April and 13th July.  And remember that searching for information about Friday 13th on Friday 13th is – you’ve guessed it – unlucky!

The new novel that I’m planning is set in the reign of Elizabeth I and I’ve begun to do some background reading into the period.  It’s so easy to make mistakes when you’re describing the every day life of Tudor England and I didn’t want to  embarrass myself by writing about some scullery maid peeling the potatoes in the kitchen whilst the stable lad leans against the door having a crafty smoke.

So I began by having a quick look on the internet to see what information was available and came across a useful looking site that told me, amongst other things, that “There were no forks in Tudor times. People ate with knives and their fingers or with spoons.”

Well everyone knows that’s true, don’t they?  Every historic hall you visit these days is made ready for a school visit where pupils sit at trestle tables and learn about what the Tudors ate and how they ate it.  The tables are set with platters, beakers, knives and spoons – and not a fork in sight.

But never willing to trust other people’s research I continued with my own.  Wikipedia informed me that ‘Its (the fork’s) use was first described in English by Thomas Coryat in a volume of writings on his Italian travels (1611), but for many years it was viewed as an unmanly Italian affectation.’  The unmanliness of using forks has a long history and one well known example is the disapproval of Piers Gaveston, the friend and companion of Edward II, who in 1313 owned three silver forks for eating pears.

Wikipedia goes on to say that ‘It was not until the 18th century that the fork became commonly used in Great Britain’.

An article about the history of the table fork told me that ‘The earliest fork known to have been made in England is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. It bears the crests of John Manners, 8th Earl of Rutland and his wife Frances, daughter of Edward Lord Montagu of Boughton [Bailey]. It is two-tined and squarish, made of silver, and bears the London hallmark for 1632-3 [Hayward].’

Well that all seemed fairly conclusive until I began to read an old book from my own shelf.  It contained a quote from a historian named John de Brentford.  In his ‘black-letter’ book published in 1602 he says: ‘The manners and customs of the inhabitants of Lancashire are similar to those of the neighbouring counties, except that the people eat with two pronged forks’.

What?  Can that be true?  And why did only Lancashire people use forks?

Well, Lancashire at the time was the centre of the illegal Catholic underground movement and many of the young sons of the wealthy families were sent to the Continent to receive a Roman Catholic education at the colleges of St Omer in Bruges and Liege, or at Douai in France.  Was it there, I wonder, that they became used to eating with forks and brought them back when they returned home?

And more importantly, dare I portray the use of forks at table at Hoghton Tower in 1580?

Don’t miss my exclusive short story for the Christmas season.  It’s called Coming Home For Christmas and you can read it here: http://elizabethashworth.com/read-a-short-story/

In the restructuring of county boundaries in 1974 the traditional county of Lancashire was divided to form new administrative areas such as Greater Manchester and Merseyside.  In 1998, new unitary authorities Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool also ‘removed’ those towns from Lancashire.  But the traditional boundaries of the County Palatine still remain and anyone who lives within them is entitled to consider themselves a Lancastrian.

The 27th November is Lancashire Day and on this day a proclamation is read across the county including on the steps of the Lancaster City Museum by the town crier.

“To the people of the city and County Palatine of Lancaster, Greetings!

Know ye that this day, November 27^th, in the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Duke of Lancaster, is Lancashire Day.  Know ye also, and rejoice, that by virtue of Her Majesty’s County Palatine of Lancaster, the citizens of the Hundreds of Lonsdale, North and South of the Sands, Amounderness, Leyland, Blackburn, Salford and West Derby are forever entitled to style themselves Lancastrians.  Throughout the County Palatine, from the Furness Fells to the River Mersey, from the Irish Sea to the Pennines, this day shall ever mark the peoples’ pleasure in that excellent distinction – true Lancastrians, proud of the Red Rose and loyal to our Sovereign Duke.  God Bless Lancashire and God save the Queen, Duke of Lancaster!”

Celebrating Lancashire Day is a fairly recent tradition. It was introduced a few years ago by the Friends of Real Lancashire to promote the fact that although the traditional county of Lancashire has been divided into new regions the ‘real’ county still exists and anyone who lives within its boundaries is a Lancastrian.

The 27th November was chosen as Lancashire Day because it was on this date in 1295 that the first elected representatives from Lancashire were called to Westminster by King Edward I to attend what later became known as ‘The Model Parliament’.

The audiobook of The de Lacy Inheritance read by Gordon Griffin is out now.  I’m looking forward to listening to someone else reading my words.  You can download through amazon and even get it for free if you sign up to audible’s trial membership!

I’ve taken a short break from tracing the family history of the de Lacy family to have a look at my own ancestors.  So far I’ve managed to follow the direct line of my father’s family, the Eastwoods, right back to Whalley in Lancashire in the 16th century.  I’ve been helped by the parish records kept by St Mary’s at Whalley as well registers from the church of St Leonard’s at Langho and St Mary’s in Blackburn, which is now the cathedral.

I’ve visited the ancient church at Whalley many times and it features in my novel, The de Lacy Inheritance, but what I didn’t realise until last week was how many of my ancestors were baptised, married and buried there.  The first recorded family members are Richard Eastwood and Margretta Aspinall who were married on the 23rd October 1598.  I’ve also found a photograph that has four generations of the Eastwood family in it.

The boy in the middle of the back row is my grandfather.  The man seated on the left is my great grandfather and the man in the middle is my great, great grandfather William Eastwood. He was born in 1824 and died in 1909 at the age of 85.  I think this photograph of him with his son, grandsons and great grandsons must have been taken in the early 1900s.