In the last decades of the 18th Century, in the south of England, there was a trend It was often referred to as a ‘shift’ or ‘smock’ marriages. These even went so far as to sometimes be puris naturalibus or naked marriages. It seems, in the tradition of Lady Godiva of Mercia, If a woman …
Continue reading “And Now for Something Completely Different…”
I need your help with the Moland House. After 15 years of tireless effort and superb leadership, Jo-Anne Mullen has decided to step down from organizing the annual reenactment at Moland House. In order to make sure this event continues uninterrupted, I am taking the reins of organizing the event (sadly this means I will not be …
Ever fond of hoaxes, Franklin memorized the parable and “read” it aloud from Genesis, “proving” the scriptural importance of religious tolerance. One of these parables—commonly referred to as either the Parable against Persecution or as Abraham and the Stranger—is a story about the biblical patriarch Abraham. Although Franklin did not mention the second parable by …
Continue reading “Benjamin Franklin and the Parable Against Persecution”
Well its Purim and many of us taught that we eat hamantaschen because Haman, the villain of the Megillah, wore a tri-cornered hat but there is no evidence that Haman wore a triangular hat. You might also be surprise to learn that Swedes have a suspiciously similar cookie, called Napoleon’s Hats or Napoleonhattar, which are traditionally filled with …
A bearskin is a tall fur cap worn as ceremonial headgear of grenadiers. The standard bearskin of the British Foot Guards is 18 inches tall, weighs 1.5 pounds, and is made from the fur of the Canadian black bear. An officer’s bearskin is made from the fur of the Canadian brown bear as the female …
Continue reading “British Soldiers in a FRENCH Hat? Pourquoi?”
In 1864, Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery in Amsterdam. Now, all have stories about beer bottles and construction workers. So, it may surprise you that Heineken once tried to make putting their bottles into the walls of cheap housing a common practice. Heineken noticed that empty beer bottles were not making it back to …
Okay, the Regimental Brewmeister is a little uptight about bottles. First off, the bottles I use, while definitely anachronistic to the 18th Century, are of a design that came into vogue during the last half of the 19th Century so they are historic (just the wrong era…). But more important than that they are expensive …
I need your help with the Moland House. After 15 years of tireless effort and superb leadership, Jo-Anne Mullen has decided to step down from organizing the annual reenactment at Moland House. In order to make sure this event continues uninterrupted, I am taking the reins of organizing the event (sadly this means I will not be …
People are always welcome to come to my events and if you come in 18th Century kit, you can be part of the program or just hang out in the tent as you see fit. However, if you are truly interested in really learning the process, teaching the public, and being the brewer, you should …
People are always welcome to come to my events and if you come in 18th Century kit, you can be part of the program or just hang out in the tent as you see fit. However, if you are truly interested in really learning the process, teaching the public, and being the brewer, you should …
