Category: Daily Life in the Past

By Tim Lambert Capital Punishment in England in the 18th Century Hanging was the most common method of execution in England from Saxon times until the 20th century. At first, the criminal stood on a ladder, which was pulled away, or on a cart, which was moved. From the 18th century, he stood on a… Continue reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF CAPITAL PUNISHMENT

By Tim Lambert Christianity in Roman Britain The first evidence of Christianity in what is now England is from the late 2nd century AD. (There may have been Christians in Britain before then, we cannot be sure). Roman Britain was a cosmopolitan place. Merchants from all over the empire settled there and soldiers from many… Continue reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN ENGLAND

By Tim Lambert The English word Easter comes from the Anglo-Saxon name for April, Eostermunath. According to a Saxon scholar called Bede it was named after a goddess called Eostre. But he is the only writer who mentions such a goddess. He was almost certainly wrong. Eostermunath meant opening month because buds are opening. In… Continue reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF EASTER

By Tim Lambert Early Firefighting Fire was a major hazard in the past when towns were crowded and houses were often made of wood. Worse roofs were often thatched. In the Middle Ages, thatched roofs were banned in London because of the risk of fire. In smaller towns, thatched roofs were not banned till much… Continue reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF FIREFIGHTING

By Tim Lambert Prehistoric Furniture When people learned to farm and lived in permanent settlements they began to make furniture. In Europe, some of the earliest known furniture comes from a stone-age village at Sara Brae in the Orkney Islands in Scotland about 2,000 BCE. The stone age farmers lived in stone huts with roofs… Continue reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF FURNITURE

By Tim Lambert Early Halloween Our word Halloween is derived from the old words All Hallows Eve because it was the eve of All Hallows Day (I November). Hallow is an old word for saint and today we call 1 November All Saints Day. In the 4th century, the Church began to celebrate a feast… Continue reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN

By Tim Lambert The Month of May n The month of May is probably named after Maia the Roman goddess who caused plants to grow. In the past Mayday was a day of rejoicing. It meant the return of warm weather and long summer evenings. In the past winters must have been much harder than… Continue reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF MAYDAY

By Tim Lambert Measurement of Distance and Weight People have always measured things. It was necessary to measure distances, lengths and to weigh things. Today we take a measurement for granted but for our ancestors making exact measurements was difficult. The earliest and most obvious way of measuring things was using parts of the human… Continue reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEASUREMENT

By Tim Lambert Rich People in Ancient Egypt Rich Egyptians lived in large, comfortable houses with many rooms. Walls were painted and floors had colored tiles. Most wealthy houses had enclosed gardens with pools. Inside their homes, rich Egyptians had wooden furniture such as beds, chairs, tables, and chests for storage. However, instead of pillows,… Continue reading A BRIEF HISTORY OF RICH PEOPLE