tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47458936934577846892024-03-18T14:35:38.232-07:00Grace Elliot - blog.HISTORY, ROMANCE AND...CATS!
Grace Elliot leads a double life as a vet by day and author of intelligent historical fiction by night. Grace is an avid reader and believes that smart people need to read romance - as an antidote to the modern world!
Grace is also obsessed by all things feline.Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.comBlogger365125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-21059970788997033062016-07-03T11:54:00.002-07:002016-07-03T11:54:10.607-07:00Pets of the Poor in Victorian London <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On the theme of pet-keeping
in Victorian times, let’s take a look at the pets of the poor. Whilst the
middle classes and better off people treated pets as creatures in need of a
civilizing influence, the poor valued them as they were as companions. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7Ydasw3nd38WRqD1W_5ztwlyu3S0xLMh9NOt0iXhdF_i_NjsTW2lSgzloRc3On8IXqMaiWavNYwmzJpgrhAHRxR4eJtjOCinnhKrC3bDuGMb_2iSMJzeRgKgxuZA3_xdl2evWU9HQZrc/s1600/c-burton-barber-title-unknown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw7Ydasw3nd38WRqD1W_5ztwlyu3S0xLMh9NOt0iXhdF_i_NjsTW2lSgzloRc3On8IXqMaiWavNYwmzJpgrhAHRxR4eJtjOCinnhKrC3bDuGMb_2iSMJzeRgKgxuZA3_xdl2evWU9HQZrc/s400/c-burton-barber-title-unknown.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A beloved cat such as this, was liable to be turned out onto the streets<br />when the family went on holiday. No so the dog. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">An example of this is the
middle classes who went on holiday and put their house cat out onto the street
to fend for herself. The early animal welfare lobby objected to turning
domesticated creatures with few hunting skills onto the street where they starved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, the reason for this
was not what you might suspect. Their objection was the loss of a the
owner’s influence forced the animal to act in a more bestial – and therefore
less civilized- manner. It had little to do with the cruelty of
withdrawing food and shelter from a dependent animal, and much to do with the
cat’s poor morality living on the street reflecting badly on the owner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOPAQ2Fx2BiMuXbwC1By3lalq8CkVKP7fjQ1OrLs_MgBAXgOaral_44CUBjXlwsRKEBjcpqVZE4RGnPrGLaxl0YqAdegg-XKsv63lN4rD6fbGg7hLXbijvzD26VEl9unv_fhSJHRn9q3w/s1600/c1c42a97507f1e3dd89b4417ade64d4c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglOPAQ2Fx2BiMuXbwC1By3lalq8CkVKP7fjQ1OrLs_MgBAXgOaral_44CUBjXlwsRKEBjcpqVZE4RGnPrGLaxl0YqAdegg-XKsv63lN4rD6fbGg7hLXbijvzD26VEl9unv_fhSJHRn9q3w/s1600/c1c42a97507f1e3dd89b4417ade64d4c.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squirrels were popular pets in<br />Victorian Britain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This is contrasted with an
ex-sailor living in Houndsditch. He scandalized his neighbours by refusing to
go to church on Sundays. The reason for his absence was he refused to leave his
pet squirrel alone. As Jack explained: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“How is he to know I be
comin’ back? He give’ himself to my care, and I must be true to my charge.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Indeed the sailors was right
to be hesitant. He allowed himself to be persuaded to go to church, but
disaster! On returning he found the squirrel had escaped. Four hours later he
found his pet…and never went back to church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Tcb2iJM4Ap00HY8a8vZFcZ7jEw3kYtcp-k1duA0P7927TJ8nTIm-1gg13ojh_6K-bKJUvEqNf_E0vNuPGkazHBln9jA_MQOyMBekxI0xOfrRQTuHGOttsARIcPaqEf_v6lMoWanUgVY9/s1600/il_570xN.688560676_g6s5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Tcb2iJM4Ap00HY8a8vZFcZ7jEw3kYtcp-k1duA0P7927TJ8nTIm-1gg13ojh_6K-bKJUvEqNf_E0vNuPGkazHBln9jA_MQOyMBekxI0xOfrRQTuHGOttsARIcPaqEf_v6lMoWanUgVY9/s320/il_570xN.688560676_g6s5.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foxes were also kept as pets</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Another story of utter
devotion to a pet was that of a pet fox called Benny, and his owner living in
slums. Benny had been caught in a trap but nursed back to health by his now
owner, John. When John moved to London Benny came with him, and lived in a
cage. This was doubly necessary because the fox didn’t like children and would
have attacked John’s new born baby. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, sometime later when
Benny fell mortally ill, despite the freezing weather John banished his
children outdoors because the sound of them playing disturbed the ailing fox.
Indeed, such was John’s devotion that Benny had first priority for food, even
if that meant his children going to bed hungry. A step too far perhaps. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39Beh1sj3ClD5mYVHqoiaLc7NbER1fJBj3qUNJI4ir7nHxxOxGdHSEranh2_i7Nthdm_ZZzpqO5-7SKbuyUw2_gtxnRxW6RnnD2EHgg1cdnQe82WX1X1Pjan28H5D1n1Kp4rs7MczFCla/s1600/Poor-Victorian-Houses-Slum4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj39Beh1sj3ClD5mYVHqoiaLc7NbER1fJBj3qUNJI4ir7nHxxOxGdHSEranh2_i7Nthdm_ZZzpqO5-7SKbuyUw2_gtxnRxW6RnnD2EHgg1cdnQe82WX1X1Pjan28H5D1n1Kp4rs7MczFCla/s400/Poor-Victorian-Houses-Slum4.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The children were banished from the house so that<br />Benny the fox could have peace and quiet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And finally, one man’s
devotion to his pet, in this case an owl, saved his life. A rat-catcher had a
pet owl called Jim, which sat on his shoulder much like a parrot. The pair were
reportedly devoted to each other. Then one night Jim saved his master’s life
when burglars burst into the house and the owl woke his master to warn him, by
flapping his wings in his face. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The story goes that the
rat-catcher was no stranger to crime, and was himself arrested by the police.
Faced with a long sentence he wrote a letter of farewell to his wife saying: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“Come to the court to say
good-bye with the baby and Jim. If you cannot carry both, bring the bird.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98ppR5E9_k0Jyykoe750eVVKvCHgaWk3pLWOugkI-EYBGlsJpoFViE-CsUsrWWVu6hQImYq-F7UDPl-aTMOQO0_zjKIjuTXIf-OKeZrIllPaiSEfXxRjsqT4sth-siHB5dq-muDC9Y-vQ/s1600/Cat-Dog-Meme-16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi98ppR5E9_k0Jyykoe750eVVKvCHgaWk3pLWOugkI-EYBGlsJpoFViE-CsUsrWWVu6hQImYq-F7UDPl-aTMOQO0_zjKIjuTXIf-OKeZrIllPaiSEfXxRjsqT4sth-siHB5dq-muDC9Y-vQ/s400/Cat-Dog-Meme-16.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-37417122409514534082016-06-19T06:33:00.002-07:002016-06-19T06:33:25.944-07:00How to Read the Future…Victorian Style<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Do you sometimes wonder what the future
holds? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">My family has recently
expanded with the addition of a puggle puppy. As an incurable cat-person, one
of the canine qualities I have come to admire most is ‘living in the moment’.
Hand on heart and I can say the puppy doesn’t worry about the future, but
somehow always manages to find some in the present to make her tail wag. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0casRNjaevIwrRicYUS-kiy7xfLSWTfJeI-FnxxnyCQQrxTFwIJlJigJDPg8i2h_LNO1IHJOoCu_xFe9fKstBqbc2hBFzODGb6TGp-N9ZoOTSPJUe8tJVUbP5j-ije5T71_XxAcs88ZIY/s1600/800px-France_in_XXI_Century._School.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0casRNjaevIwrRicYUS-kiy7xfLSWTfJeI-FnxxnyCQQrxTFwIJlJigJDPg8i2h_LNO1IHJOoCu_xFe9fKstBqbc2hBFzODGb6TGp-N9ZoOTSPJUe8tJVUbP5j-ije5T71_XxAcs88ZIY/s400/800px-France_in_XXI_Century._School.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not so far removed from kids listening to music through a headset.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This has taught me to plan
less (especially when I can’t influence events) and make more of now.
And when it comes to proving how pointless predicting the future is, I was
amused to come across these postcards [1]. Originally they were a set of
cigarette cards, devised by French artists around 1900, as their take on what
they unimaginably distinct year 2000 would look like.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtnN7xZwQkuF2j3-Xp9L9KlaaSb3StlUAYbb08CFDh9QYpRbBpfW7cBshBpUpxUhbykMl8CcD_VaS_bNC8Cx_Iq67uN_AhNO2orxVjqbO21JwA6GzqFSLoIxR9k9ywfeCZel0mPlW9b2W/s1600/800px-France_in_XXI_Century._Air_postman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAtnN7xZwQkuF2j3-Xp9L9KlaaSb3StlUAYbb08CFDh9QYpRbBpfW7cBshBpUpxUhbykMl8CcD_VaS_bNC8Cx_Iq67uN_AhNO2orxVjqbO21JwA6GzqFSLoIxR9k9ywfeCZel0mPlW9b2W/s400/800px-France_in_XXI_Century._Air_postman.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The prediction of drones?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Many of these images involved
flight in one form or another, often with wings attached to people. There are
aerial taxis, aerial fire-fighters, airborne torpedo ships, and an early
imagining of a jet pack. However, this card showing a flying postman, may not
be so far from happening if Amazon get their way with the use of drones to
deliver packages.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaJ2ZIiwZLTtJtzCdk3KCgDOh4Ess96ZMXfLj_SluP4IZfDNS3eqfqsaFkNg9AE8N2eETHOWyl-hM0JdCiwrn5tZ9-5rm9rvSDx_Dqbc-2Wzm-RaPj1u486evibH7lwnKxYbggO0VHYSg/s1600/800px-France_in_XXI_Century._Electric_scrubbing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwaJ2ZIiwZLTtJtzCdk3KCgDOh4Ess96ZMXfLj_SluP4IZfDNS3eqfqsaFkNg9AE8N2eETHOWyl-hM0JdCiwrn5tZ9-5rm9rvSDx_Dqbc-2Wzm-RaPj1u486evibH7lwnKxYbggO0VHYSg/s400/800px-France_in_XXI_Century._Electric_scrubbing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Within the home, the 19</span><sup>th</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
century version of a robot doing housework looks somewhat different from 21</span><sup>st</sup><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
century robotics (and don’t you just love that future imaginings didn’t foresee
the end of a maid, especially one in uniform.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Talking of things domestic,
one popular Victorian pastime was diving the future by reading tea-leaves. How
exactly did they do this?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Well, the subject drank a cup
of tea (made with loose tea leaves) and the cup turned upside down to allow the
dregs to drain away. The pattern of the tea leaves at the bottom of the cup was
then interpreted. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMxlARb3gD9oJZeMYfK3sLiJ-JijzBzfn6OJYb_2bg20X5fuftirZhpe4PwswL8yKrT8Fm34nZYroH40mrafQw3FlJUb-FYHkRnOSzGTV8jshkGYw6foOxek8IfR-G5m6v4tIuPWDUHk5/s1600/cat-with-tea-cup-hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtMxlARb3gD9oJZeMYfK3sLiJ-JijzBzfn6OJYb_2bg20X5fuftirZhpe4PwswL8yKrT8Fm34nZYroH40mrafQw3FlJUb-FYHkRnOSzGTV8jshkGYw6foOxek8IfR-G5m6v4tIuPWDUHk5/s400/cat-with-tea-cup-hat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The following was widely agreed upon as the correct
interpretation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Long wavy lines</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:
These denoted vexations or losses. The more lines, the more dire to the loss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Straight lines</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:
Conversly these represent good fortune, peace, and long life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Circles:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">
Fortells the arrival of money<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Squares</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:
More peace and happiness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Rectangles</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:
discord<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A crown</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:
Honor or success<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A ring</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:
Marriage (especially is a letter of the alphabet is conveniently placed
besides it, to predict the initial of the future spouse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A cross</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:
Death<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Animal shapes</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:
All (except for dogs) forecast trouble and difficulties ahead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Reptile shapes</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">:
Treachery<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 21.3pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -18.0pt;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Fish:</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> The
expectation of a good dinner…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Going back to those cigarette
cards, it would be interesting to work out what combination of tea leaves would
have foretold this version of a combine harvester! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVQ20YyNlpH5kXvOSs6CBPLK4z3PDXdlfpFQG2p3Vy7CzKesjqmE3bpDT8c3jLvhJtxHy3oIXX6wxweHMXn4NjcmWdh0CfARavAhO6VKDgwBP2c-QEZGP2SZjLZAU27ajPwzOziEyktdo/s1600/France_in_XXI_Century._Farmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBVQ20YyNlpH5kXvOSs6CBPLK4z3PDXdlfpFQG2p3Vy7CzKesjqmE3bpDT8c3jLvhJtxHy3oIXX6wxweHMXn4NjcmWdh0CfARavAhO6VKDgwBP2c-QEZGP2SZjLZAU27ajPwzOziEyktdo/s400/France_in_XXI_Century._Farmer.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">[1] Public Domain Review: <a href="http://publicdomainreview.org/collections/france-in-the-year-2000-1899-1910/">A
19<sup>th</sup> century vision of the year 2000</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-62049780188819061312016-05-29T11:06:00.002-07:002016-05-29T11:06:24.324-07:00Cat-amarans, Ships, and Cats<div class="MsoNormal">
Did you know: “Catamaran” is derived from the Italian ‘gatta
marina’, and is a vessel that always lands on its feet in high seas. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidC1tc1MBawN-hPlB_10c2UO7lBV2R5Z4y-CaKr3tAm3yD30Tz2K27XJCgFBHulAocJwkU9E2_hbEoFWZ29V8AOB84RSnfitiN30qVGeA58r6SfYmPI1VquH4kO59D0U-Ey31jCqxjY_4n/s1600/sailor-cat-photo-boat-ocean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidC1tc1MBawN-hPlB_10c2UO7lBV2R5Z4y-CaKr3tAm3yD30Tz2K27XJCgFBHulAocJwkU9E2_hbEoFWZ29V8AOB84RSnfitiN30qVGeA58r6SfYmPI1VquH4kO59D0U-Ey31jCqxjY_4n/s400/sailor-cat-photo-boat-ocean.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The modern ship the catamaran is just one example of how
cats are linked strongly to the sea. In the days of sailing ships, a cat was
considered the guardian spirit of the ship. In theory the cat might have been
there to catch vermin, but in reality sailors believed that the feline
protected the ship and crew from misfortune. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkML_A3OzBaUNEbcUh7b1KZ_6AAEaxUyAZW4E95IMoQitlWTeZSxBWG7iEMv7Kl-ryegQWYqhzmAhLyzIAWQb1WbcM7kNxl4zL4HQXx3nASAs7aIwq_kydUb0-4O7cGaOWNFWTIxLoZ6Hp/s1600/catamaran-737722_960_720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkML_A3OzBaUNEbcUh7b1KZ_6AAEaxUyAZW4E95IMoQitlWTeZSxBWG7iEMv7Kl-ryegQWYqhzmAhLyzIAWQb1WbcM7kNxl4zL4HQXx3nASAs7aIwq_kydUb0-4O7cGaOWNFWTIxLoZ6Hp/s400/catamaran-737722_960_720.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
There are folklore stories of sailors who refused to set
sail on a ship because there was no cat on board. Indeed, up until 1975 it was
mandatory for a British role Royal Navy to have ship’s cat. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOt7f1MiaNyLcSll8VdTGqHHX7ljDBQQR-efMsO9MeXAegH6rTwJ7PW7vXBN4LPVbLQXoQ3eMb_cUdaw9mOu8WI3D4OyZtY-qQRuNtF_qDFOcl75fxEu-gFjNGaAVZx6QKY0Mwi-9fP6uc/s1600/images+Pincsher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOt7f1MiaNyLcSll8VdTGqHHX7ljDBQQR-efMsO9MeXAegH6rTwJ7PW7vXBN4LPVbLQXoQ3eMb_cUdaw9mOu8WI3D4OyZtY-qQRuNtF_qDFOcl75fxEu-gFjNGaAVZx6QKY0Mwi-9fP6uc/s400/images+Pincsher.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pincher, ship's cat and mascot for HMS Exeter</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Another indication of the importance of cats to a ship was
what happened when a ship was in peril. If a ship was abandoned and the cat
went too, then the vessel was considered derelict and was forfeit to the
Admiralty or King. However, if the cat remained on board under adverse
conditions, the ship was protected from confiscation. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd4Z7ezFwMdPA3xBTE22ysNs312CL6RzO-UmZsLqj5_sG1_lSI5FpjjNPKDJo4sOfeUtOfpB0uCtSH5mPK-ZK4gbNanvoFoumw1kENLNf1oLEt49cxe29r-B0bZHyRbiI3CaG9bvcICbk/s1600/91270-cats-are-liquid-meme-Imgur-zvIa.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrd4Z7ezFwMdPA3xBTE22ysNs312CL6RzO-UmZsLqj5_sG1_lSI5FpjjNPKDJo4sOfeUtOfpB0uCtSH5mPK-ZK4gbNanvoFoumw1kENLNf1oLEt49cxe29r-B0bZHyRbiI3CaG9bvcICbk/s400/91270-cats-are-liquid-meme-Imgur-zvIa.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Calling vessels “She” may be a throwback to the ancient
Egyptian goddess Isis. She was the patroness of nature, family, and magic –
indeed her reputation made it as far as pagan Britain in her divine incarnation
as a cat. It seems pagan worship of Isis, then cats with their feminine
associations, ensured the vessel took on the female pronoun. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxR1cnEsOF56ag38WnuMRQohJFN3DV7DemhOzqMZoRg1s3lHdw_aawKRQXOa9uuSvrtEX-Hf6C7GY3iSSYtNu3r1T3tT0sbo8knPjewKCH0c0_v2f01L5XisVDwmuMpvAFQLfmSHE-K0g/s1600/9e0fe5f87e350b2b1f20746528dea425.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkxR1cnEsOF56ag38WnuMRQohJFN3DV7DemhOzqMZoRg1s3lHdw_aawKRQXOa9uuSvrtEX-Hf6C7GY3iSSYtNu3r1T3tT0sbo8knPjewKCH0c0_v2f01L5XisVDwmuMpvAFQLfmSHE-K0g/s400/9e0fe5f87e350b2b1f20746528dea425.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statuette of the Egyptian goddess Isis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-65326841558534979302016-05-22T12:10:00.003-07:002016-05-22T12:10:43.690-07:00Paganism and the Status of the Cat: From Hero to Zero.<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The cat was
much persecuted in the later Middle Ages because of her link to witchcraft. But
in the early Middle Ages she was revered and had a value equivalent to an adult
goat. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So how did cat PR deteriorate so dramatically? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Well, it’s all to do
with paganism. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MtmYxHsMssPwWngf_pEkueNqgb269U-UjhYdcD85OuW_UuxEJPHWsDkwiqklet-rQhlAqh6u-5IOxL9-Sjbsl7436dCX_aSZpNPGADkXY-MZl9NqxBE5B1oyk1RyvLwvHmTHsLSVdLfY/s1600/Evil-Cat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3MtmYxHsMssPwWngf_pEkueNqgb269U-UjhYdcD85OuW_UuxEJPHWsDkwiqklet-rQhlAqh6u-5IOxL9-Sjbsl7436dCX_aSZpNPGADkXY-MZl9NqxBE5B1oyk1RyvLwvHmTHsLSVdLfY/s400/Evil-Cat.png" width="298" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The first
factor was how early culture was organized in western Europe around 500 AD.
Most people lived in villages that were scattered around the countryside, and
there was a lack of central government. This meant it was hard for the church
to exert a major influence over the population as a whole. As a result pagan
religious traditions were able to persist. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Particularly
popular was the cult of Diana, the huntress. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">“<i>Wicked
women perverted by the devil…in the hours of the night to ride up certain
beasts with Diana, the goddess of the pagans….wander from the right faith.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Witchcraft
in the Middle Ages. J B Russell<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBW43XiDlHFfUtNAXEQVGNPMxKxSieBR6-e1f_LPGX_EDO6TvCbMp4-iR6GbaovRF68CrNxfVu6ZG_XyiOuWmeInT2UefdEWA0NAB8Ostat-3cyVkqklPDaS7IvqvIkCdqGD36bIxLJMV/s1600/Diana_the_Huntress_by_Orazio_Gentileschi_%252817th-century%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioBW43XiDlHFfUtNAXEQVGNPMxKxSieBR6-e1f_LPGX_EDO6TvCbMp4-iR6GbaovRF68CrNxfVu6ZG_XyiOuWmeInT2UefdEWA0NAB8Ostat-3cyVkqklPDaS7IvqvIkCdqGD36bIxLJMV/s400/Diana_the_Huntress_by_Orazio_Gentileschi_%252817th-century%2529.jpg" width="241" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Diana the Huntress<br />17th century painting</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Part of
Diana’s legend was that she rode out into the night on a wild hunt, accompanied
by women and their cats. Diana’s female
companions were said to obey her, rather than the one true god. Indeed, documents
from the early church put worship of Diana on the same level as devil worship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As Christianity
began to spread, the early church had to tackle paganism head on if it wanted
to dominate. This meant demonizing paganism and especially the cult of Diana.
They did so with mixed success. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US">“Christian
people continued to practice ancient superstitions in a more or less disguised
form, and pagan and magical elements entered the saints’ cults.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So what
next? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The Church upped the ante by perverting the worship of Diana into a form
of witchcraft. Their propaganda preached the message that those who refused to give up the ‘old ways’ were actually worshipping the
devil. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUeQsFGkl5dLBVJ7YAaZv3PXd6ureWq4OIrPa4DqoX5I_6IKfxvW_Gi8M6Xrq_8u3FyBnC-iugujnbASl14eaCDAtzBIA8StysLdlkIaFmm6dkCDG5GMt594KUr9rH7MQ_JKBqlv6TbYz/s1600/tenbeforeinn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUeQsFGkl5dLBVJ7YAaZv3PXd6ureWq4OIrPa4DqoX5I_6IKfxvW_Gi8M6Xrq_8u3FyBnC-iugujnbASl14eaCDAtzBIA8StysLdlkIaFmm6dkCDG5GMt594KUr9rH7MQ_JKBqlv6TbYz/s400/tenbeforeinn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The isolated nature of life in the early Middle Ages</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Taking
things further still, the Inquisition were doing their part by coercing people
into converting. They weren’t afraid to use terror and intimidation in order to
make converts, and this often meant persecuting women who resisted and still
followed pagan ways. To be accused of “cat
worship” became a dangerous thing, which could result in being burnt at the
stake. Then according to the Inquisition, many of these ‘agents of the devil’
admitted in their dying confessions that they worshiped cats as agents of the
devil. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0JxiDQmNjJYtupWn1-NiqsEC2qSySEKM9t6D9OzMcMNHPJk7Zys626Y7Tb-wl-2UBQrPxTsActFoq7P7q3DtaEvKQnRpc27cEYtysAnwvZ1tnAUJFVvoqr1ay3TRE6ZsRFilzTVVfBW7/s1600/54747_popegreg_vii_sm.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk0JxiDQmNjJYtupWn1-NiqsEC2qSySEKM9t6D9OzMcMNHPJk7Zys626Y7Tb-wl-2UBQrPxTsActFoq7P7q3DtaEvKQnRpc27cEYtysAnwvZ1tnAUJFVvoqr1ay3TRE6ZsRFilzTVVfBW7/s400/54747_popegreg_vii_sm.gif" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pope Gregory VII</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">In the 11<sup>th</sup>
century these confessions were then seized up by Pope Gregory VII who issued a
Papal Bull stating that black cats were agents of the devil…and so the
persecution began. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mn60tqKJcZpiOGg8ByZlLj7MWsNYHA2bH9B-ogRpQoJvWh_HXP-UNSve0qCpbGSaroISuLR8mxHQb2XJjBBXdiwLzxWIDCZrp0J1yQiOZMQPfnLa93s2HOgXN01bOBUuN3Bg5NJT1nEr/s1600/rvejw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4mn60tqKJcZpiOGg8ByZlLj7MWsNYHA2bH9B-ogRpQoJvWh_HXP-UNSve0qCpbGSaroISuLR8mxHQb2XJjBBXdiwLzxWIDCZrp0J1yQiOZMQPfnLa93s2HOgXN01bOBUuN3Bg5NJT1nEr/s400/rvejw.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-91374428535112951512016-05-15T11:27:00.005-07:002016-05-15T11:27:45.377-07:00Why are Dogs 'He' and Cats 'She'? <div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Why is it
that dogs are referred to as “he”, whilst cats are “she”? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">One
explanation, perhaps the most obvious, is the graceful elegance of cats
gives them a feminine air. Whilst this is true, it’s only part of the picture
and the actual explanation is much less flattering to the feline. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW46tuxCCG4BnxV8alJed3cXpkX6VGp16l8nv_ETLvILyaZOvN0lnBXxL0ZlMEJxT-CMEwyGZdEuEin9ZrHCtCbnqUF9ZFpze4iGt6jBAseu8dkxJ0H6bz5v9JIv_csGdeDAiWOpuwKfS5/s1600/b9736573a64d5c3880a511b2fc0abe48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW46tuxCCG4BnxV8alJed3cXpkX6VGp16l8nv_ETLvILyaZOvN0lnBXxL0ZlMEJxT-CMEwyGZdEuEin9ZrHCtCbnqUF9ZFpze4iGt6jBAseu8dkxJ0H6bz5v9JIv_csGdeDAiWOpuwKfS5/s400/b9736573a64d5c3880a511b2fc0abe48.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gentleman with his hounds</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">To find the
answer we need to go back to a couple of centuries to the Georgian and
Victorians, and the birth of pet keeping. In the 18<sup>th</sup> century more
people had disposable income and keeping pets for pleasure (rather than as
working animals) became fashionable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">However,
not all pets were considered equal. For example, the eagerness of dogs to
please and to respond to training, earnt them a label as being loyal, brave,
and courageous, which were all desirable male characteristics. Thus dogs were
looked on as noble pets that were a fitting companion for man, and in general speech
referred to with the male pronoun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0png3cD42nbc3PSB4GvJMgq14x_4eZfK2wFw10XKhPUOXglbtpLU7NeDtGqSsSwvdrnLqewynQDrvsrSTwGRoGFiBytcR0H1iXPd5fSnhrsw2vInoT3BuAGEXa0EdRO3cpRf86pD4rvG/s1600/white+cat.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0png3cD42nbc3PSB4GvJMgq14x_4eZfK2wFw10XKhPUOXglbtpLU7NeDtGqSsSwvdrnLqewynQDrvsrSTwGRoGFiBytcR0H1iXPd5fSnhrsw2vInoT3BuAGEXa0EdRO3cpRf86pD4rvG/s400/white+cat.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Cats however
were a different case. Cats aren’t trainable and prefer to please themselves
rather than their mistress. This was strongly frowned upon by the Victorian
male who expected obedience from everyone in his household, and upright moral behavior
was treasured above all else. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">An
independent spirit was seen as rebellious, even in an animal. To make matters
worse, cats have a habit of escaping and finding a mate, which according to the
perceived wisdom of the day meant they were promiscuous. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu822f5w9kY0GUIJjFBjE_q7Hwy0XDNmeKLPo6E9P3_pB4LtV393lQ3nsB7F_iT7mgGwJk8Sdd0GSprr_eXG58WzVEmOnSGWR1GjPO4SP3GkpLcD1_oD2ygQzzVtSdRlu6tVBAZUk3sUx/s1600/140415_HIST_18thCentProst_TOP.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxu822f5w9kY0GUIJjFBjE_q7Hwy0XDNmeKLPo6E9P3_pB4LtV393lQ3nsB7F_iT7mgGwJk8Sdd0GSprr_eXG58WzVEmOnSGWR1GjPO4SP3GkpLcD1_oD2ygQzzVtSdRlu6tVBAZUk3sUx/s400/140415_HIST_18thCentProst_TOP.jpg.CROP.original-original.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The character of a cat was likened to that of a prostitute</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">According
to the judgmental Victorian male, the cats’ characteristics of independence
(read rebellion) and promiscuity made them akin to prostitutes, and the worst
sort of advertisement for feminine wiles. In short, cats became strongly
associated with the worst aspect of female behavior and acquired the female
pronoun. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Thus dogs
became ‘he’ and cats ‘she’. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EDfMMtbTReFM1tGN7Tjm48d2X6xs4HiLc0bypjRjpjTCzVpHfjyb7EG-V6RsIjK29HM1QdGhyZ_sGgi66nePfldOpaRr0XYQrx77BTYoT8nQyfRmqpSBXeGQuv0TqhYJMEtsPwPG6yvS/s1600/008-FUNNY-CAT-MEME+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EDfMMtbTReFM1tGN7Tjm48d2X6xs4HiLc0bypjRjpjTCzVpHfjyb7EG-V6RsIjK29HM1QdGhyZ_sGgi66nePfldOpaRr0XYQrx77BTYoT8nQyfRmqpSBXeGQuv0TqhYJMEtsPwPG6yvS/s400/008-FUNNY-CAT-MEME+%25281%2529.jpg" width="343" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-43955149615535026442016-05-01T12:13:00.000-07:002016-05-01T12:13:20.198-07:00Cardinal Wolsey, Cat Lover<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It hasn’t
always been safe to like cats. In 1484 Pope Innocent VIII issued a papal bull
(a law issued by the Vatican) that made it legal to burn those implicated
in witch craft, by virtue of owning a cat. Thus, being a cat-owner became a
high risk occupation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As hysteria
over witchcraft grew, persecution of cats and cat-owners continued for the next
couple of centuries. But in the early 16<sup>th</sup> century, and the court of
King Henry VIII one man was not afraid to like cats – Cardinal Wolsey. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8WsdWiCxiCTAVELMlzyx7bi2xCAX0337qMsfW6ZPEkd2e-TXNUekTywg-Q_l_QAs_uxrYcKD_JL-kf0XgvnQwsDoj2e04ba-X8C-9gt-kaxowc7LvwMP-NVxjD7ymvdJpXoDiMBvqoNx/s1600/Cardinal_Wolsey_Christ_Church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8WsdWiCxiCTAVELMlzyx7bi2xCAX0337qMsfW6ZPEkd2e-TXNUekTywg-Q_l_QAs_uxrYcKD_JL-kf0XgvnQwsDoj2e04ba-X8C-9gt-kaxowc7LvwMP-NVxjD7ymvdJpXoDiMBvqoNx/s400/Cardinal_Wolsey_Christ_Church.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cardinal Thomas Wolsey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Thomas
Wolsey was born in 1473, the son of a cattle dealer and butcher. The young Wolsey
studied at Oxford University and joined the church. Obviously a man of talent,
he became chaplain to the archbishop of Canterbury and then entered the household
of King Henry VII. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This Tudor
monarch was prepared to favor talent for its own sake rather than solely
promote the nobility, which found Wolsey in the right place at the right time. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Wolsey
quickly established a reputation for intelligence, diligence, and diplomacy.
When Henry VIII succeeded his father to be king of England, it was natural that
he appointed Wolsey as Almoner. The latter’s efficiency and ingenuity won Henry’s
trust, so that Wolsey rose and rose, eventually becoming Chancellor and
dominating the Royal Council. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHCFV8TdsF_UsG1GnfY0oNjFE6TWygJ2fixcbMmK4fhsTcW6NQdXEw5qR4jWx71BCz7HhuvSqWFghaCf5Ce5Ds0N1VWqRjzo9qbrO3aI_b_Be-tnkPSVWDXFOG6ZXcAreIgf_sC_IgsVM/s1600/1955039280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglHCFV8TdsF_UsG1GnfY0oNjFE6TWygJ2fixcbMmK4fhsTcW6NQdXEw5qR4jWx71BCz7HhuvSqWFghaCf5Ce5Ds0N1VWqRjzo9qbrO3aI_b_Be-tnkPSVWDXFOG6ZXcAreIgf_sC_IgsVM/s400/1955039280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Cardinal Wolsey in Ipswich town center<br />Note the cat peeking around his seat </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But at a
time when being a cat lover was dangerous, the Cardinal was just that. He had
several and they were said to keep him company whilst he worked hard on the
King’s business. A cat also sat with him during mass, behaving impeccably and
providing quiet comfort. A cat was often at his side during formal meetings. Indeed, Wolsey was said to take two cats along when he
accompanied the king of royal progress. It seemed people exercised tact rather
than point out the link between cats and witchcraft to one of the most powerful
men in England.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqRFFBK0AjtCf4glfSsKjtRIHigUuKsrdgRNICHSisWNeHtRQa5O66_6QNSzP3yRa6rJyTau9odRAltdayRi5ibmxS7rlGh9Ct1hUfbr4IZbjJH4_1dZoL8FGHhkpMXmr5mEzdBC5Rti-/s1600/_53773119_dsc_0035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqRFFBK0AjtCf4glfSsKjtRIHigUuKsrdgRNICHSisWNeHtRQa5O66_6QNSzP3yRa6rJyTau9odRAltdayRi5ibmxS7rlGh9Ct1hUfbr4IZbjJH4_1dZoL8FGHhkpMXmr5mEzdBC5Rti-/s320/_53773119_dsc_0035.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of the cat from the above statue</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Wolsey’s
story came to an unhappy end, but it was nothing to do with cats. When he
failed to do what Henry wanted most – to secure his divorce from Catherine of
Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn. This saw Wolsey dismissed from his
position as Chancellor on 22<sup>nd</sup> September 1529, and a rapid fall from
grace saw him stripped of most of his assets. He died in 1530<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePxmr8ESTGxW4dqy9OMCikXK1Hks_N-yW0LH1IwjxHiHWDY8J1qYoWzN5bipsWfxDDWZZ79q-hAy79pSQyOZOaRakIEB9EQxG_o3ukFaikpwODhkrcmM5krhyphenhyphen6KwuguP5LpHkwO5PSClB/s1600/evil-cat-is-evil_o_1597553.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgePxmr8ESTGxW4dqy9OMCikXK1Hks_N-yW0LH1IwjxHiHWDY8J1qYoWzN5bipsWfxDDWZZ79q-hAy79pSQyOZOaRakIEB9EQxG_o3ukFaikpwODhkrcmM5krhyphenhyphen6KwuguP5LpHkwO5PSClB/s400/evil-cat-is-evil_o_1597553.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-87038755729474029622016-04-24T07:55:00.001-07:002016-04-24T07:55:53.575-07:00How Cats made Good Pets in Medieval Times<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Apologies for a two-week absence of posts. This was due to the arrival
of Poggle the Puggle puppy! This week a short post about the character of cats
and how they made good illicit pets (at least in medieval times!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUK6D6OWK3UmDpbrlu5tFvK3wDyKfsBNq6XQJLwmnDUakK7brpik9jYb6Y063oCD0KXQg8q8v63Fsv_QcuhDRbTwga3LRgKcUJJfrfmR8hn02r6kQ_2XN8OU__jmhVkyrOCWPBhxnGwD6/s1600/2016-04-09+11.29.58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoUK6D6OWK3UmDpbrlu5tFvK3wDyKfsBNq6XQJLwmnDUakK7brpik9jYb6Y063oCD0KXQg8q8v63Fsv_QcuhDRbTwga3LRgKcUJJfrfmR8hn02r6kQ_2XN8OU__jmhVkyrOCWPBhxnGwD6/s400/2016-04-09+11.29.58.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New addition- Poggle!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the Middle Ages pet keeping was frowned upon. This was because
animals were seen as servants of man, as adorned by God and set out in the
Bible, and to ‘spoil’ them went against nature. There was also the argument
that in times of terrible hardship, keeping a pet took food out of the mouths
of the starving poor. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Indeed, noblemen did keep pet dogs and overfed them, since obesity was
seen as a way of showing off your wealth and that you had so much food you
could feed it to the dog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBzGx_aNrSJKTaZHdt1o3rZR3vLA18G5dQxFyjwax9dzjne3mYoWq3mlGn8XRV84aL2zuibYX8hhPSmsygCwt84BJ125Io0uWcL2JVFN29IStKxij45SfPjdVY35Wo7nm_2i4kMWYsfN3/s1600/BlGsEN-CAAA7kkk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqBzGx_aNrSJKTaZHdt1o3rZR3vLA18G5dQxFyjwax9dzjne3mYoWq3mlGn8XRV84aL2zuibYX8hhPSmsygCwt84BJ125Io0uWcL2JVFN29IStKxij45SfPjdVY35Wo7nm_2i4kMWYsfN3/s400/BlGsEN-CAAA7kkk.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three black cats using an early form of catdoor</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US">However, cats were hunters which meant they could fend for themselves
and not eat valuable rations. This meant in medieval times many people who had
no reason to keep a working dog, could justify contact with a cat. Indeed,
working animals were usually kept outside, but the nature of mice meant the cat
was allowed indoors, which provided another contact point between people and
potential pet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Women who lived and worked in the home, those in religious orders, and
scholars spent a lot of time indoors. The quiet nature of cats meant that those
in religious orders could pet a cat without being found out, and cats suited the
reflective nature of scholars. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<i>"I have seen in my own order, some lectors who despite being highly learned and of great sanctity had a blemish [pet-keeping] on account of which they were judged frivolous men."</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
Franciscan chronicler: <i>Salimbere de Adam</i><br /><span lang="EN-US"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQw6awEWK7__mipDMpEINQkMUF33Z_aJf3fSrU01RXy4XtsceeQLmyLXvA5nDYWE8oQ_KKrVlTg7Pmx_HzQRPxhnKcDnHxwY7_GqtBvrdZgnuEGzgIlGmIfc1MBJGWaVcThOPbB4Veblwj/s1600/WorkshopBestiaryEngland1185MSM.81fol.46v.MorganLib.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQw6awEWK7__mipDMpEINQkMUF33Z_aJf3fSrU01RXy4XtsceeQLmyLXvA5nDYWE8oQ_KKrVlTg7Pmx_HzQRPxhnKcDnHxwY7_GqtBvrdZgnuEGzgIlGmIfc1MBJGWaVcThOPbB4Veblwj/s400/WorkshopBestiaryEngland1185MSM.81fol.46v.MorganLib.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A bestiary illustration of cats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US">In religious orders especially, it was considered saintly to love wild
animals, but frivolous to keep them as pets. The Cistercian order banned
keeping of animals for pleasure. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">“Cats, dogs, and other animals are
not to be kept by nuns as they distract from seriousness.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US">But how do legislate against showing affection to the kitchen cat? In
reality, a blind eye was often turned when it came to cats, because of their
quietness and use as hunters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyFsyIHi2x5Jnw_FvkNkrrRrCqA8J_Z-t5zNE7GK_LUqG2cwmIYa7qAeESjlDTl2Nk9EGIrgTxnbnRnPfKl7llcSDpsbm5e4atwDR9tvzOC98p_AbGR5J8xHrE1AGThXf7F30Y256QkYG/s1600/95abce9c7471cc5bb54dec9f05ae0af3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyFsyIHi2x5Jnw_FvkNkrrRrCqA8J_Z-t5zNE7GK_LUqG2cwmIYa7qAeESjlDTl2Nk9EGIrgTxnbnRnPfKl7llcSDpsbm5e4atwDR9tvzOC98p_AbGR5J8xHrE1AGThXf7F30Y256QkYG/s400/95abce9c7471cc5bb54dec9f05ae0af3.jpg" width="337" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-61234720455501523592016-04-03T12:00:00.003-07:002016-04-03T12:00:25.223-07:00A History of Pet-Keeping: The Fascination with Bestiaries<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">What is a bestiary? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">A bestiary is a book about beasts (a sort of early natural history
volume); they were popular in the middle ages and reached peek interest
Victorian times. Bestiaries were the “Discovery Channel” of their day, offering
people a glimpse into an exotic world of fearsome and extraordinary animals
that they might otherwise not encounter. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aomWk6UnBhjblZSSIIebuWJv0HK6HVL835PjEtIjW9SotHExK0HMme0EMR_CgMSaaZOS4mFAy-lrBiWtucgSg6lD-Jl5iImP4WS9nUlHhdZTKElUyz7mMl3x_RUjQEL27Y7y6kJgMvm1/s1600/4befa663be28b3c609a7b097c10bffad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aomWk6UnBhjblZSSIIebuWJv0HK6HVL835PjEtIjW9SotHExK0HMme0EMR_CgMSaaZOS4mFAy-lrBiWtucgSg6lD-Jl5iImP4WS9nUlHhdZTKElUyz7mMl3x_RUjQEL27Y7y6kJgMvm1/s400/4befa663be28b3c609a7b097c10bffad.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bestiary image of an elephant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Then as now, people were hugely curious about animals, and a richly
detailed bestiary was a source of endless fascination. Indeed, in the 1730s the
first children’s natural history book was published and promised to ‘<i>entertain and engage’</i> attention such
that children would develop a reading habit for life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">But the details included were not always what we expect to read in the modern
day. For example William Wood’s bestiary of 1792 included descriptions of the
animal’s appearance and behavior, but it also described what they tasted like
when eaten. The Capybara (a large, guinea pig like rodent from South America)
was described as tasting: “<i>Fat and
tender…with an oily and fishy taste.”</i> And Edward Topsell’s ‘History of
Four-Footed Beasts’ described cat meat as having “<i>poisonous qualities”</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvLMi5zUeT1Gg9Z6pVlniDO37BqhVvIBG3XvKtBtuCkKdVwKlknr3PmCsw_D0zOW1ulpSppWL0U32LU2rIYWuJgOKyiC4XwCUov422uHsdtzTyFdlc-a7WumCGPZuA5o5Yv7F834uewmG/s1600/download.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvLMi5zUeT1Gg9Z6pVlniDO37BqhVvIBG3XvKtBtuCkKdVwKlknr3PmCsw_D0zOW1ulpSppWL0U32LU2rIYWuJgOKyiC4XwCUov422uHsdtzTyFdlc-a7WumCGPZuA5o5Yv7F834uewmG/s400/download.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bestiary images of cats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Bestiaries also held another, perhaps less obvious function. In the 16<sup>th</sup>
and 17<sup>th</sup> century the animal kingdom had yet to be categorized into
families, species, and genus. In other words all of animal creation was largely
a disordered jumble. To bring order to this chaos writers of bestiaries sometimes
ordered their subjects alphabetically, or by location, or by features such as
what they ate (carnivore or herbivore) as the author saw fit. By grouping animals
together within the pages of the bestiary, this fulfilled a perceived right of man, as top of the creation tree, to assert his superiority over other species. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">However, the divisions within a bestiary were not always “scientific” to
say the least. One 17<sup>th</sup> century book divided animals into “<i>Those that are hard to draw</i>” (including
the lion, unicorn, horse, and rhinoceros) and “<i>Rough and shaggy haired</i>” (such as dogs). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHV6DMuGWCmDbDn3vHVTgOCnx_x6x6Cbgpws5IW4fmgTR5rOxsBw9uaQwN9f-fHn_G4w8pWmJpEPgwclPxskOD-f9UyJ4eHWkgL1uWu9P7XSXBNVttQgQlcSpab0Q2ZvT_GDyvmxhGpISx/s1600/img4535.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHV6DMuGWCmDbDn3vHVTgOCnx_x6x6Cbgpws5IW4fmgTR5rOxsBw9uaQwN9f-fHn_G4w8pWmJpEPgwclPxskOD-f9UyJ4eHWkgL1uWu9P7XSXBNVttQgQlcSpab0Q2ZvT_GDyvmxhGpISx/s400/img4535.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Alternatively, they might be grouped as to the satisfaction they gave
the hunter. Beasts that were hunted included the duck, fox, roe, and marten,
whilst beasts that gave “<i>Good sport</i>”
included the badger, otter, and wild cat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">It was work by men of thought such as Ray, Buffon, and then Linnaeus who
began a movement to group animals according to scientific terms, rather than
appearance or moral grounds. This wasn’t without problem though, with some
authors of bestiaries apologizing that monkeys appeared too close in relation
to man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<i><span lang="EN-US">“…hoped the no specialist reader
would pardon the repugnance we feel to place the monkey at the head of the
brute creation, and thus to associate him with man.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2x0L37gLGqYlCGWi5_r1eSreIyeJpXT5hIARbdG-MUhSx_bauHCMVi-um4SqE7iMUopr2C_PhH0gZTC0UDlphXPb4PCPeMSqfdpxC9aohVPgysmPif1ri88fG_QhKW23rasYt1l26sZzU/s1600/Monkey3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2x0L37gLGqYlCGWi5_r1eSreIyeJpXT5hIARbdG-MUhSx_bauHCMVi-um4SqE7iMUopr2C_PhH0gZTC0UDlphXPb4PCPeMSqfdpxC9aohVPgysmPif1ri88fG_QhKW23rasYt1l26sZzU/s400/Monkey3.jpg" width="282" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monkey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">However, other people took an alternative view that the new-fangled
scientific groupings helped to emphasize man’s supremacy and his pre-eminence
and supremacy in creation. With whatever wry smile we might be tempted to think
of bestiaries in the modern age, it remains a fact that they had undying appeal
to an audience for whom this was the only way to gaze upon extraordinary
creatures and marvel.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkbtAhJY2SKX99n5a6vOR_pQe9ybS3tlf8Du9Rg2toTiolpBS7tpZ1r1Wbj6kPkjnmayA1lXoGNdCoee4F9HItB2gTiONXN7Zp7I3B2-LaK-T4YHN8_g-rnUFOrGb8iy_FrWrFlqtVlwL/s1600/research-cat-lolcat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlkbtAhJY2SKX99n5a6vOR_pQe9ybS3tlf8Du9Rg2toTiolpBS7tpZ1r1Wbj6kPkjnmayA1lXoGNdCoee4F9HItB2gTiONXN7Zp7I3B2-LaK-T4YHN8_g-rnUFOrGb8iy_FrWrFlqtVlwL/s400/research-cat-lolcat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-47017578089622290692016-03-27T03:07:00.001-07:002016-03-27T03:07:18.112-07:00A History of Pet-Keeping: When Animals had Free-Will<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Did you know the Pied Piper of Hamelin was a rat-charmer? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnTNcEVeumAL59dBmIxrGLqcapqnLD8fCHfxegQPs4MhqSmSF_4KMp9XRmDjTL06tl4FQNnM4jXSWT0LBiBjEER6iJP57nJVGfkeGGXu9y0fwoy6PtZpDPJeyw-B2GlaWx7ERY_bPoUJC/s1600/Hameln1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqnTNcEVeumAL59dBmIxrGLqcapqnLD8fCHfxegQPs4MhqSmSF_4KMp9XRmDjTL06tl4FQNnM4jXSWT0LBiBjEER6iJP57nJVGfkeGGXu9y0fwoy6PtZpDPJeyw-B2GlaWx7ERY_bPoUJC/s400/Hameln1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Pied Piper of Hamelin-<br />
charming the rats and inviting them to leave</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">What’s even more interesting is that in medieval times ‘rat-rhymers’
were an established profession. Their job was to write incantations or poems,
which were chanted aloud to induce rats to leave properties where they caused a
nuisance.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">The rationale behind this bizarre occupation was a widely
held belief that rats (and all other animals) were responsible for their own actions,
and had the ability to respond to a well-reasoned argument – should they see
fit. </span>It was also held that if an <span lang="EN-US">animal deliberately misbehaved in active defiance of their owners, then they must accept the consequences.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">This extended to animals being summoned as
witnesses in formal court proceedings. Indeed, early laws in England gave animals members of the household with the same rights as women and serfs
(turning this on its head, this could also be a reflection of the low regard in which women were
held).</span><span lang="EN-US"> </span><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxpi67LoH9okhc24J2KYrGCA2yQrO1uXuVqDTEKRIL-nu6jr9hVgNBpyx1_WuqmXxCcn3xrc0HbpEdk2dE9u2-BYUuFJExwzmhIZoUhpHTkoI-Eq4gAUUlUlyu-eNBXRfdGfF5RXvubuf/s1600/img188.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxpi67LoH9okhc24J2KYrGCA2yQrO1uXuVqDTEKRIL-nu6jr9hVgNBpyx1_WuqmXxCcn3xrc0HbpEdk2dE9u2-BYUuFJExwzmhIZoUhpHTkoI-Eq4gAUUlUlyu-eNBXRfdGfF5RXvubuf/s400/img188.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was held dogs could not live without man<br />
(Cats however ...)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">For example, if a farmer’s house was robbed and there were no human
witnesses to testify in court, it was not unusual to summon animal witnesses instead. Their
presence in court strengthened the victim’s case (although quite how this
worked is not clear.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">However, this also meant that animals could be put on trial held for their misdeeds and found guilty in
the same way as people. Thus a dog that followed their natural instincts and
worried sheep, could be tried in a court, found guilty, and sentenced to death by hanging.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">It took until the 19<sup>th</sup> century for the British authorities to
drop the practice of sentencing animals to death for their ‘crimes’ and instead
think of them as property <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">This led to a shift in responsibility from the animal onto the owner. It
was now the owner’s job to decide if his livestock were a risk to other people,
and take steps to prevent harm. Thus the female cat that bit someone interfering
with her kittens was no longer held ‘at fault’ and the action was acknowledged as typical of a nursing cat. Furthermore, when a farmer let a
vicious ram run amuck, it was no longer the ram that paid the price with his
life, but the farmer who was required to pay compensation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9soE90pPDU92GgVtSxjZhVwb4YF81NBs4wK1rV0QfdN929iY13M77PwyusADXlZCJXQcAEHFbLE-wBdJLgPmXZtCZzHOqhB6XkRB_uyvT3YE74n8tJtPgtQQgXY2Of8xurSvjOMGCWeDo/s1600/lutrell_psalter.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="312" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9soE90pPDU92GgVtSxjZhVwb4YF81NBs4wK1rV0QfdN929iY13M77PwyusADXlZCJXQcAEHFbLE-wBdJLgPmXZtCZzHOqhB6XkRB_uyvT3YE74n8tJtPgtQQgXY2Of8xurSvjOMGCWeDo/s400/lutrell_psalter.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The natural hunting ability of cats<br />
made them less dependent on man</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">This represents a fundamental shift in the relationship between man and
beast. But whilst it might be tempting to view this as a wholesale improvement for
animals, this change of attitude was not without its problems.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">This new shift meant that people had to assume responsibility the actions of their animals. This led to a change in attitude where people now exerted power over their livestock and expected the animals to
comply with their wishes. This was the beginning of people manipulating animals and
asserting power over them. In the fields of stock breeding and selective
breeding, man went a step further to show his influence by bending nature to
his own will. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">This in part goes to explain the 19<sup>th</sup> century attitude to cats,
a constant source of frustration to the authoritarian Victorian male. Cats failed
to conform to mans will in the same way as dogs and defied attempts at
selective breeding (by escaping and finding their own mate). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">At a time when animals were meant to yield their free will and be
willingly led, clearly no one explained this to the cats.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCzvG1HUtZQ7vWWlgNZaGS8fGaYLEtyIJcHnhANXuW0o5jb5pYnWDaFC6SrX3Z98damNzTjZQP6H7Nc_qo3syqfNVDgz4P2AO_piX2H7mUzjck0MA-aRhnHQfmFLSBovn5wrEXsYltudQ/s1600/4664900243900282a724542534bad415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCzvG1HUtZQ7vWWlgNZaGS8fGaYLEtyIJcHnhANXuW0o5jb5pYnWDaFC6SrX3Z98damNzTjZQP6H7Nc_qo3syqfNVDgz4P2AO_piX2H7mUzjck0MA-aRhnHQfmFLSBovn5wrEXsYltudQ/s400/4664900243900282a724542534bad415.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Promiscuous and in need of guidance:<br />
The 19th century man's opinion of cats and women</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">In a world where man measured success by his supremacy, the cat remained
blissfully aloof, and so man's answer was to label cats as promiscuous,
degenerate creatures –and also led to them being looked on as feminine
creatures and labelled as a womanly pet (as opposed to a noble, loyal dog who was
a manly pet.)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">The attitude of the Victorian male to both women and cats was remarkably
similar. He believed they both needed a firm hand to prevent them sliding into
their natural state of promiscuity and laziness! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXx4-uPoRHD8zY1uMlQRlySIPgoIzNshA4tJefejgnZvF97egStnr5oVvJbr61A6xscRG1CDP3GLkizV6JYuvnMk-2vmzxz27Y4xhBVBSLjWc0fPBcGmnc5i7IIRCgxl2aLgNj6lcjlJM/s1600/Conspiracy-Cat-Meme-Realizes-It-Might-Be-The-Pet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitXx4-uPoRHD8zY1uMlQRlySIPgoIzNshA4tJefejgnZvF97egStnr5oVvJbr61A6xscRG1CDP3GLkizV6JYuvnMk-2vmzxz27Y4xhBVBSLjWc0fPBcGmnc5i7IIRCgxl2aLgNj6lcjlJM/s400/Conspiracy-Cat-Meme-Realizes-It-Might-Be-The-Pet.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-73833299230300875022016-03-13T12:08:00.003-07:002016-03-13T12:08:57.898-07:00Cat-egorizing Cats 19th Century Style<div class="MsoNormal">
How do you
organize cats?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Last week
in <a href="http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/how-victorians-still-went-wild-for-cat.html">How
the Victorians went Wild for Cat Shows</a> we looked at the popular 19<sup>th</sup>
century pastime of visiting dog or cat shows. However, the organizers of cat
shows had a problem that dog show organizers did not have, which was how
to group the entries. With dogs it was relatively easy because they came in so
many varied sizes and shapes or breeds. Cats – not so much. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqKgErnCeMJKF2GMeJcbylGReKKIlctVUHzmkA6ib7ucFxBDZuJGRvez6vftbucqFE8s1YvLRTspJyDwatZHS0nkocM5YVNpvbuDVCleQ1t2ZLO2soCl0sC4lEyBrCSL6MjK_ShSgAw6Z/s1600/Wain_Cat_%2528realistic%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNqKgErnCeMJKF2GMeJcbylGReKKIlctVUHzmkA6ib7ucFxBDZuJGRvez6vftbucqFE8s1YvLRTspJyDwatZHS0nkocM5YVNpvbuDVCleQ1t2ZLO2soCl0sC4lEyBrCSL6MjK_ShSgAw6Z/s400/Wain_Cat_%2528realistic%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tortoiseshell and white cat by Louis Wain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Cat fancier
Harrison Weir, arranged the very first cat show, which took place at Crystal
Palace, July 16, 1871. His stated aim as organizer in “a labor of love to the
feline race,” was to draw attention and therefore favor to: “The different breeds,
colors, markings.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">However,
Weir had a problem because the existing description of cat breeds tended to
dwell on distinctions that highlighted their weaknesses. One obvious solution
was to arrange the cat classes by color. Gordon Stables, a man who was active
in both the dog and cat show worlds, suggested categorizing cats into 13
groups. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrte5yCRlJUoCwoQduQL1HDel8kJBm-Piv1WWL45_rDqLuYfvo8kkTCuPSesl2RVWpunh6D_JVKPPqTGRtXuhFdygjDpgI7UoeZkXZzoI4qez8rLdeXyjIcBLOSiki_jgOff1g8ybyLMm/s1600/Henri%25C3%25ABtte_Ronner-Knip_%25281821-1909%2529%252C_Katje%252C_1896%252C_Olieverf_op_paneel_%2528cropped%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrte5yCRlJUoCwoQduQL1HDel8kJBm-Piv1WWL45_rDqLuYfvo8kkTCuPSesl2RVWpunh6D_JVKPPqTGRtXuhFdygjDpgI7UoeZkXZzoI4qez8rLdeXyjIcBLOSiki_jgOff1g8ybyLMm/s400/Henri%25C3%25ABtte_Ronner-Knip_%25281821-1909%2529%252C_Katje%252C_1896%252C_Olieverf_op_paneel_%2528cropped%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tabby cat by Henriette Ronner Knip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">These colors
were:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tortoiseshell,
tortoiseshell-and-white, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Brow, blue,
and silver tabby<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Red, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Red,
red-and-white, tabby<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Spotted tabby<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Black-and-white,
black, white, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Unusual color
and any other variety. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Stables asserted
that color was actually key to the cats’ character, and that certain colors
were more likely to have certain character traits. In effect he was trying to
justify the color-grouped categories as being more significant than they really
were. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">He argued: “Properly
speaking color is often the key to [the cats] characters…temper…and qualities
as a hunter…and its power of endurance.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOn5REpGXYAbkrM5R2hkm2WJZj3M3ka160zfs796qSLxwFbVaKpQ7VQVGGWnwYixojACeZuGcFzYrh7lUnKqH_ao_VhJPBtPEDKB85xzpDiP0Qtzw3rFJnspG2L59Y_Ajxtl6nSKuHMv_q/s1600/Henri%25C3%25ABtte_Ronner-Knip_-_Katjesspel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOn5REpGXYAbkrM5R2hkm2WJZj3M3ka160zfs796qSLxwFbVaKpQ7VQVGGWnwYixojACeZuGcFzYrh7lUnKqH_ao_VhJPBtPEDKB85xzpDiP0Qtzw3rFJnspG2L59Y_Ajxtl6nSKuHMv_q/s400/Henri%25C3%25ABtte_Ronner-Knip_-_Katjesspel.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A black and white kitten by Henriette Ronner Knip</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This is an
interesting observation, because coat color does carry some associations in the
modern age. For example, tortoiseshell cats are often described as “naughty
torties” within vet clinics, because they have
reputation for misbehaving. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">According
to Stables:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Tortoiseshells
were “Good mothers and game as bull terriers”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Black cats
were “Noble and gentlemanly”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">White cats
were “Far from brave…fond of society…gentle, and often delicate”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And
black-and-whites “Sometimes…did not trouble himself too much about his duties
as a house-cat.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Stables
categories didn’t last long and soon went out of fashion. In the 1880s and 1890s
Weir replaced them with not dissimilar groupings but broke them down into yet
more colors, also long-haired or short-haired, age, and gender. However, he
added one final category that was a bit of a showstopper. This was “Cats belonging
to Working Men.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPIVEX2b5ZYCxcvKYPIAkscD6ro-p2sXcWp_DCdbwLJkCNvodhJo_nNMomkWsZFPKCNzrdsOlM1bRxfQQtR0TBP1lU80_RdnksvMrhztT3MhMRmQboir1a9IYdkAuUrniJCXOMuJ75nCl/s1600/Blue_Persian_-Gentian-.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXPIVEX2b5ZYCxcvKYPIAkscD6ro-p2sXcWp_DCdbwLJkCNvodhJo_nNMomkWsZFPKCNzrdsOlM1bRxfQQtR0TBP1lU80_RdnksvMrhztT3MhMRmQboir1a9IYdkAuUrniJCXOMuJ75nCl/s400/Blue_Persian_-Gentian-.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A blue Persian - in black and white</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The latter
category was put in place out of the notion that animal social standing
mirrored that of humans, and it wouldn’t do to have working men getting ideas
above their station. Incredibly, everyone seemed to go along with it, and in
1889, out of 511 entries, 102 were in the category Cats of Working Men. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As the
years passed, a greater study was made of the science of cat-breeding and
specialist breed cat clubs sprang, such as the Siamese or the Abyssinian cat
clubs, the Silver and Smoke Persian cat club or the Tortoiseshell society.
However, rather than breeding to improve the cats, the main criteria for
selecting animals to breed seemed to be rarity, with a cat with unusual colored
eyes or a particularly striking coat commanding the most money. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">But that
was reckoning without the character of cats, which were perfectly capable of
escaping and finding their own mate, much to the consternation of their own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZjokEdlC4vapuRxHWyi86SJqBmDF9Bk379yqysEi-tMSXpF9FM5B-SeFmMgxheZNXNT6BCR44hI5BYKc47LQC9g5KjydIXxPUhvJj6NDwPqE8OcScoUA6KDTUjl8I7pxD631WTEwYySQ/s1600/1572b1d50b8460051b27bc5e52318862.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZjokEdlC4vapuRxHWyi86SJqBmDF9Bk379yqysEi-tMSXpF9FM5B-SeFmMgxheZNXNT6BCR44hI5BYKc47LQC9g5KjydIXxPUhvJj6NDwPqE8OcScoUA6KDTUjl8I7pxD631WTEwYySQ/s400/1572b1d50b8460051b27bc5e52318862.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">What are
your experiences of different coat colors? Have you noticed distinctive
personalities based on color or is it a load of bunkum? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-73696574749092312612016-03-06T01:35:00.001-08:002016-03-06T08:13:09.576-08:00How the Victorians went Wild for Cat Shows<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;">In the 19</span><sup style="line-height: 150%;">th</sup><span style="line-height: 150%;"> century there was a mania for dog breeding and
dog shows.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Dogs proved to be ‘plastic’
when it came to manipulating their size, shape, and general appearance, which
leant itself to the Victorian desire to control everything around them. Cats,
however, were not so obliging</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOEyxWtUFL_TrU5WJe_y8xi2DqA8rweEpdoEouSXjkEKOG0-VIAVfQdBUBBznCq2QJP7PJPncMBKEGBbxFC8ap5y1UI0hyphenhyphenRTENx0XmnIQtDHqpi0f3LCnTHxp1mRjUntMlCdopAuw20KQ/s1600/Fulmer_Zaida_-_Silver_Persian.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOEyxWtUFL_TrU5WJe_y8xi2DqA8rweEpdoEouSXjkEKOG0-VIAVfQdBUBBznCq2QJP7PJPncMBKEGBbxFC8ap5y1UI0hyphenhyphenRTENx0XmnIQtDHqpi0f3LCnTHxp1mRjUntMlCdopAuw20KQ/s400/Fulmer_Zaida_-_Silver_Persian.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A prize-winning Persian cat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">For those ambitious cat owners who wished to exhibit their pet in a cat show and have other people appreciate them, their first problem was to devise categories
within which to classify the cats. For dogs this was easy because there were
distinct breeds ranging in size from a tiny Yorkshire terrier up to a giant Newfoundland. Not so for cats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">It was ever the bane of the Victorian pet keeper that cats defied their
master’s (or mistresses – as cats were far more likely to be kept by women)
wishes. Cats had a habit of breeding willy-nilly and behind their owner’s back,
which made manipulating matings to produce a specific look all the more
difficult. Indeed, Charles Darwin himself said as much in 1868.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEMkpKQczStOBML0n95N56mZuIqOxLFnfSR4hZ9ljkViXbXnRbBmixgq8dwMZc0gbc5v95ZKn7Xb4i-E-vfvAmHqhLEk1YfFNFnrgbl3Kd9sVe5eOI5FKKYTyfilb1pJL4SA5iMjuwN-O/s1600/Crystal_Palace_cat_show.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEMkpKQczStOBML0n95N56mZuIqOxLFnfSR4hZ9ljkViXbXnRbBmixgq8dwMZc0gbc5v95ZKn7Xb4i-E-vfvAmHqhLEk1YfFNFnrgbl3Kd9sVe5eOI5FKKYTyfilb1pJL4SA5iMjuwN-O/s400/Crystal_Palace_cat_show.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first Crystal Palace cat show - 1871</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Darwin noted that people’s effort to alter the appearance of cat’s had
done – “…nothing by methodical selection, and probably very little by
unintentional selection…” except to save the cutest kittens and destroy adult
cats that poached gamebirds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Thus it was accepted that the aspiring cat breeder was actually rather
deluded, and that even if they created a stunning cat with wonderful potential,
it could all go to pot with the next generation. This was also reflected in the
price of purebred kittens, where £1-2 was considered a high price for a kitten “Good
enough to win a first-class exhibition.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXN4-YEq0udumw1unYV63xIs-gH-H3RyPuXjzWpu_kuSnoKKmOQa6VBFQ-2YOjllp0MF2sguKPN0sGINL-09XVHUM07b6MQS-P_gp0bqIW0sSA0cEPxjeWx4Bg5CC-b2KRDJYBEBbrmZc/s1600/Harrison_Weir_-_Corke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXN4-YEq0udumw1unYV63xIs-gH-H3RyPuXjzWpu_kuSnoKKmOQa6VBFQ-2YOjllp0MF2sguKPN0sGINL-09XVHUM07b6MQS-P_gp0bqIW0sSA0cEPxjeWx4Bg5CC-b2KRDJYBEBbrmZc/s400/Harrison_Weir_-_Corke.jpg" width="397" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harrison Weir- organizer of the first cat show</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">However, the lack of diversity in the size and appearance of cats did
not deter cat fanciers. On July 16, 1871, the first ever cat show took place.
Held at Crystal Palace, it was organized by a well-known writer on animal topics and illustrator, Harrison Weir. His objective for the show was to raise
awareness of the “Different breeds, colors, markings etc.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazTKsBA2RuqoaI6lhQ8If3Fq0HOEBhzAx2BMTMGDRD4ZilKODAPi0vP_1JyGMHEBjenmSTueqQspPw7rVJOUu704c5Ko2UNviYKG1qlGI1xQ6cboNRlxH2RNtdrDldcPCe77hhLWd5Xq5/s1600/Cat_Show_-_Grooming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="393" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiazTKsBA2RuqoaI6lhQ8If3Fq0HOEBhzAx2BMTMGDRD4ZilKODAPi0vP_1JyGMHEBjenmSTueqQspPw7rVJOUu704c5Ko2UNviYKG1qlGI1xQ6cboNRlxH2RNtdrDldcPCe77hhLWd5Xq5/s400/Cat_Show_-_Grooming.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An exhibitor grooming her cat at a show</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Despite Weir’s best intentions, the main method he hit upon of
distinguishing the different categories of cats was color. Even so, the show
was a success and within ten years, many of the larger cities followed his
example and could “boast of an annual exhibition of feline favorites.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">Next week we look at the categorization of cats at cat shows and the
vagaries of fashion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jXgGb0e1vn8iXZA_xamB68JD7XUFdH-MF55jq3vbQn7ng3_1AUlpP37zKePV31j6orV1sIJPMQrUelkumREqe-SsNfZUn1_5MVRpzKI7vCIR_zORhH7J7TXsl9dfuKss0WE6wxrAZzYz/s1600/14170738226_d034917b43_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6jXgGb0e1vn8iXZA_xamB68JD7XUFdH-MF55jq3vbQn7ng3_1AUlpP37zKePV31j6orV1sIJPMQrUelkumREqe-SsNfZUn1_5MVRpzKI7vCIR_zORhH7J7TXsl9dfuKss0WE6wxrAZzYz/s400/14170738226_d034917b43_o.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-52290299294851665182016-02-28T02:21:00.003-08:002016-02-28T02:21:40.291-08:00Cats as People in the 19th Century<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">In earlier posts we learnt that in the 19<sup>th</sup> century dogs’
embodied masculine superiority and cats’ feminine promiscuity. The Victorian’s
liked people to be neatly pigeon-holed within society and kept nicely in their
place. This even extended to the images in popular culture which reinforced the
message that people were happier when they accepted their proper rank. To emphasize this message, there was a fashion for vignettes of animals
depicted as people, looking civilized, content, and happy because they had decided to conform to human standards. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8Sz4PkwbtY6CpHl4OCho0gKz369Jb6_9Dqj8pjmf4stQe17bY8MxDb7QmaSuIBYJCDizI9elX2PNcv7xQ93s6VnREB_0g1WwGuvUtEX7mtz_YIFXaq_sDPbYf8TddxAL11UG4VKyikdw/s1600/cats-wedding_1737761i.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8Sz4PkwbtY6CpHl4OCho0gKz369Jb6_9Dqj8pjmf4stQe17bY8MxDb7QmaSuIBYJCDizI9elX2PNcv7xQ93s6VnREB_0g1WwGuvUtEX7mtz_YIFXaq_sDPbYf8TddxAL11UG4VKyikdw/s400/cats-wedding_1737761i.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail from Walter Potter's "The Kittens Wedding"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">A typical example is the work of Walter Potter, an hotelier by day and a
taxidermist by night (he ran a hotel in Sussex and used his wages to finance
his hobby.) He started small by stuffing birds and worked his way up to
large-scale scenes depicting animals engaged in human activities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">His tableaus may seem bizarre (and even repulsive) to modern tastes but
at the height of his popularity Potter’s scenes attracted 30,000 visits a year.
It was the human-like qualities of the stuffed animals which made them so
popular, of which perhaps one of his best known exhibits was “The Kitten’s
Wedding”. (Sold in 2003 for £21,150!) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFXzakgcJD2ZXgm-ZnUaLvPrUPEMByuoTFlNQmStQWrB0nA40dZwAtAyohU0xwHsptzZIb3yTo5UrkyZdOR4ND-wfEpAiRHDTJCbucr-ac0wuFVCtIbI_1FVqS5IdP8LSF_CEWuw0_Zt2/s1600/Beatrix_Potter%252C_Miss_Moppet%252C_Ties_Mouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFXzakgcJD2ZXgm-ZnUaLvPrUPEMByuoTFlNQmStQWrB0nA40dZwAtAyohU0xwHsptzZIb3yTo5UrkyZdOR4ND-wfEpAiRHDTJCbucr-ac0wuFVCtIbI_1FVqS5IdP8LSF_CEWuw0_Zt2/s320/Beatrix_Potter%252C_Miss_Moppet%252C_Ties_Mouse.jpg" width="275" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beatrix Potter's 'Miss Moppet'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">In the modern age it is entirely distasteful to think of kittens being
killed to provide corpses to put on display (but before getting too irate, don’t
forget the numbers of pets which are killed each year because shelters can't house them. OK we don’t display their corpses, but modern society
isn’t above killing for convenience.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">It is perhaps the execution (taxidermy) we find unpleasant, rather than
the images themselves. Think of Beatrix Potter (no relation to Walter), Louis
Wain, and Aesop’s Fables and animals acting out human adventures becomes more
engaging than repulsive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">What we also have to remember is that in the 19<sup>th</sup> century
cats had a more conflicted popular image than today. Memories were long and
cats were still associated with witchcraft and devilment, and thought of as
dangerously independent (at a time when obedience was prized) and sexually promiscuous
(scandalous and totally unacceptable). Cats were linked to behaviors which were
frowned upon, such as being independent and promiscuous, and therefore seeing
them ‘civilized’ in humanized vignettes made the average Victorian feel
self-righteous, masterful, and triumphant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pgwPfAiibzasdOVtF-FMg79JlYFlBBzQGj5bYiFXZ5ZBGVSuNM7xZNxlhNA0SHYakGp9AhQNZdNwG6QJpAZlpX8y5u1hv6hAcOoaMHYC0fsihspITsOOb1GrGxCzw_3dePs2JpJ5O63-/s1600/il_fullxfull.652252317_mxd4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-pgwPfAiibzasdOVtF-FMg79JlYFlBBzQGj5bYiFXZ5ZBGVSuNM7xZNxlhNA0SHYakGp9AhQNZdNwG6QJpAZlpX8y5u1hv6hAcOoaMHYC0fsihspITsOOb1GrGxCzw_3dePs2JpJ5O63-/s400/il_fullxfull.652252317_mxd4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis Wain showing cat's behaving badly.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">The message in scenes such as ‘The Kittens’ Wedding” was seen and
understand by the Victorians. It rather amused them to see cats standing
upright like people and engaged in ‘polite society’ activities such as being
guests at a wedding. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span lang="EN-US">By having the kittens participate in such a human activity, it emphasized
the difference between human civilized society and the behavior of cats. This amused the
Victorians and made them feel superior to see animals successfully
integrated (or redeemed from their base nature) in this way. Clearly, if you
wanted to be accepted in the 19<sup>th</sup> century this meant conforming – no
quarter given to individuality and instinct, especially if you were a cat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-75087421751973955732016-02-14T13:43:00.001-08:002016-02-14T13:43:52.892-08:00How Cats were Used to Discredit the Suffragettes<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In earlier posts we saw how the Victorian’s viewed pet
cats as overtly female - and this wasn’t a good thing. For a start, the
Victorian’s used the link in a negative way</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> by implying both cats and women were promiscuous
with a natural inclination to low morals, and therefore in need of a firm male
hand for their own good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The independent nature of cats was another negative
point against them. A good wife and mother was obedient to her husband, and her
purpose in life was to please her husband (qualities more associated with dogs
than cats). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxarLzCpAzCPosGOrVZ3eFQ2kR9Pg_6SspHQe_f0tg-yitRPVm_W3d7gwGA20j5guijD7_plUQBMMwMrK2NG2JEmVNsvnqNU8-zvS1ysuYsZKRrLPif2z8Ye4283zjo7lwwqWj9GAc1qp/s1600/198liv7az7i8kjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxarLzCpAzCPosGOrVZ3eFQ2kR9Pg_6SspHQe_f0tg-yitRPVm_W3d7gwGA20j5guijD7_plUQBMMwMrK2NG2JEmVNsvnqNU8-zvS1ysuYsZKRrLPif2z8Ye4283zjo7lwwqWj9GAc1qp/s400/198liv7az7i8kjpg.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A hard-done-by husband struggling to cope at home,<br />whilst his suffragette wife is out.<br />Note the scalded cat under the table</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Therefore what better way to discredit the growing women’s
suffrage movement than to use propaganda images of cats? Linking women to cats
in such an obvious way sounded a warning shot across the bows of early female
emancipation, subtly linking independence with promiscuity, and making the
former seem less desirable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the mid to late 19<sup>th</sup> century women
fought for the right to vote in public elections. Prior to this they had no
political rights and were not allowed to vote in elections. This was because
husband’s looked after their women, freeing them from the need to worry about
political matters so they could concentrate on rearing children and keeping their
husbands happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">However, since the industrial revolution many women now worked full-time, and the inequality of their lives became
increasingly difficult to ignore. Incensed by their lack of rights, women organized
themselves into groups to campaign for the right to vote. As you can imagine,
their menfolk were less than thrilled and felt threatened by their women
wanting to be more independent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cXO2QtjETemUHxLSwJI6ack2W7WTmU0dWcfi1eDLVf6c0eFW3ZeI4snM1PMqQZbVYFgGRRisj_Z5ViVn4_nxyDmZK6BHrWXaQSYNQ-VX7I7HVW1Fb8_SAqUdWlYdTRcxpDZIDaRNn0zM/s1600/198liudpcy82ojpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6cXO2QtjETemUHxLSwJI6ack2W7WTmU0dWcfi1eDLVf6c0eFW3ZeI4snM1PMqQZbVYFgGRRisj_Z5ViVn4_nxyDmZK6BHrWXaQSYNQ-VX7I7HVW1Fb8_SAqUdWlYdTRcxpDZIDaRNn0zM/s400/198liudpcy82ojpg.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You couldn't be both feminine and a suffragette.<br />Being a suffragette changed you into a hissing spitting monster<br /><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /><div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In the 19th century, women Suffragists worked towards 'The Cause', which was a general movement to improve women's rights. Originally apolitical, as time passed the idea of 'Votes for Women' took shape and became a focal point. At first the suffragists campaigned using entirely peaceful means, but by the early 1900s a breakaway movement led by Emmeline Pankhurst became impatient with the slow progress and became increasingly militant. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">By 1912 their motto was “Deeds not words” and these
new suffragettes were prepared to go on hunger strike and use violence to draw
attention to their cause. All of which left male politicians with the problem
of how to handle this political insurrection. One tactic was to discredit the
suffragettes, and for that they used images of cats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihT0SP3Q1zX0p0ILfEq6E1aWJ6yfwkZ8fvLp_-qO1j5aXBABk3pefyUbs2hbq0WOOOFVpqphEQoW0QS0H7t6DH8BDnfPItNBoiMCOpXaowYkse6m2cgZhhtQRNcPIdVffLGOU_LqH10WlO/s1600/198ligyat66g7jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihT0SP3Q1zX0p0ILfEq6E1aWJ6yfwkZ8fvLp_-qO1j5aXBABk3pefyUbs2hbq0WOOOFVpqphEQoW0QS0H7t6DH8BDnfPItNBoiMCOpXaowYkse6m2cgZhhtQRNcPIdVffLGOU_LqH10WlO/s400/198ligyat66g7jpg.jpg" width="263" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A fat conceited cat making a fool of herself<br />by demanding a vote</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Postcards were circulated showing images of hissing,
spitting cats, sending a message that femininity had gone terribly wrong. Other
images, showing an angry cat holding a placard saying “Down with the Tom Cats”,
which implied men had better watch out if women got the vote. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Another image showed a fat, ugly cat dressed in a
suffragette’s sash, lecturing a room full of toys. The message being that the
cat is self-important and engaging in a childish fantasy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">By 1914 the suffragettes learnt to fight fire with
fire. They created the powerful “Cat and mouse” poster, in response to the Prisoner’s
Temporary Discharge Act (April 1913)-also known as the “Cat and mouse” act. The
government used this law to release women on hunger strike from prison, only to
have them re-arrested once they had gained weight and health back at home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-qtN-_BwPOiNyaeqqiPZKrfX6ZA9YM_eGR7k9IMKxwA7NK8Qq-z6jYDMsdLTWPgKSnnUVwHmECk5YXRzWx40hUdRBcJymAjSes4FFWiB1yG6bCrGQ8w_wfGvAvmZP6nqi5c-6rrkkXvv/s1600/Cat+and+Mouse+Act.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-qtN-_BwPOiNyaeqqiPZKrfX6ZA9YM_eGR7k9IMKxwA7NK8Qq-z6jYDMsdLTWPgKSnnUVwHmECk5YXRzWx40hUdRBcJymAjSes4FFWiB1yG6bCrGQ8w_wfGvAvmZP6nqi5c-6rrkkXvv/s400/Cat+and+Mouse+Act.jpg" width="258" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The suffragettes turned male/ female iconography<br />on its head, to great effect</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">The “cat and mouse” poster reversed traditional roles,
and had men play the part of a cold-blooded killer (the cat) preying upon the defenseless
mouse (the woman). As a propaganda poster it made a huge impact, largely
because it reversed the imagery associated with men and women. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">In Britain, women over 30 gained the right to vote in
1918. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-26673069147163405672016-02-07T06:00:00.002-08:002016-02-16T00:07:42.697-08:00Victorian Animal Welfare: Don't Leave Your Cats to Starve<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In this
series of blog posts about attitudes to cats in the 19<sup>th</sup> century,
this week we look at cat welfare...but all is not as it seems . <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBdd0Wq-RqxiqsjS1mcJ5lGssbYKzXZXqZzZgJ33HeMrwwumcHBJeaHMSaVN8kxj1g49lv2J5-zf0yLnkzfqWbTyjfcZ4SfqG6MYjJxGnMNc3jfiEhA37Puc6abXQrDBAyQFd7NyTdf67/s1600/a63a3b0daec02efbffdc09b1cce4e973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVBdd0Wq-RqxiqsjS1mcJ5lGssbYKzXZXqZzZgJ33HeMrwwumcHBJeaHMSaVN8kxj1g49lv2J5-zf0yLnkzfqWbTyjfcZ4SfqG6MYjJxGnMNc3jfiEhA37Puc6abXQrDBAyQFd7NyTdf67/s400/a63a3b0daec02efbffdc09b1cce4e973.jpg" width="242" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ideal pet cat was passive and well-behaved,<br />
just like their female owner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Victorian
(male-dominated) society regarded cats as the embodiment of femininity – and
this wasn’t meant as a compliment. Cats were seen as promiscuous, innately
sexual, and too independent for their own good and only made good pets if they
were less…well…cat-like.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In the 19<sup>th</sup>
century men expected their wives to be obedient, chaste, and biddable. The
message was clear: women needed firmly keeping in line, or much like any untrustworthy creature their
morals might degenerate to those of an alley cat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodWfjlbIpNpWYW0-c453ThHHG8nCBTDxKN3aVVIgS0FkglsMoXVfcq7xZdKTtxmuyHayIevLEYohCVtv2GCE4KfXleKfw5-PXlhql0UDeowj8PAw1ORJeKtWc5Wf1lVaDPSryJaLS1hOk/s1600/19th-century-cat-drawings_002-550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjodWfjlbIpNpWYW0-c453ThHHG8nCBTDxKN3aVVIgS0FkglsMoXVfcq7xZdKTtxmuyHayIevLEYohCVtv2GCE4KfXleKfw5-PXlhql0UDeowj8PAw1ORJeKtWc5Wf1lVaDPSryJaLS1hOk/s400/19th-century-cat-drawings_002-550.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">By the end of
the 19<sup>th</sup> century it was estimated most households owned at least one
cat, but these were working animals. They lived outdoors, and allowed in during
the day to catch mice and keep vermin down. However, there were a significant
number of middle class women who kept a pet cat. This was acceptable if the pet
was well behaved, because it exemplified the triumph of civilization over baser
nature; woman over cat, man over woman. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The problem then
arose as to what happened to that pet cat when the household went on holiday.
Frequently the answer was to turn the cat out onto the street for the duration
of the time the owner was away. However, by the 1880s there was a ground swell
of opinion, given voice by the newspapers and pet-keeping manuals, against this
practice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“Don’t leave your cats to starve while
you go for an enjoyable holiday.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixx4hBYdx-OIPgvH5CL1ve0LK2O11aRRzRzKaYfK_eW_RBFe5l397v7sQ7M95dn8re7z2t73uAVc2eiaUr7mPzJlOzPIQfYTCMtC_0YH-9MX_mrpQxjij_VSF6N5jXelZri9NvrO2X4Xe0/s1600/Vieux-chat-et-jeune-souris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixx4hBYdx-OIPgvH5CL1ve0LK2O11aRRzRzKaYfK_eW_RBFe5l397v7sQ7M95dn8re7z2t73uAVc2eiaUr7mPzJlOzPIQfYTCMtC_0YH-9MX_mrpQxjij_VSF6N5jXelZri9NvrO2X4Xe0/s320/Vieux-chat-et-jeune-souris.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">On the face
of it, this would seem to be the birth pangs of animal welfare concerns for our
feline friends. But when you delve deeper it seems the appeal was not made for
the reason you might suppose (i.e. the poor animal suffering through lack of
food) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The
motivation behind this appeal was that a cat forced onto the streets, without the civilizing influence of man, would
revert to their bestial habits. This
wasn’t a case of chastising owners for abandoning their pets, but shining a
light on the weak moral nature of cats, as proven when they reverted to natural
behavior.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Stray cats
were regarded as the equivalent of prostitutes, while a pet cat was equivalent
to a good housewife. To turn one (the wife) into the other (a prostitute) was
what the protests objected to – not because they were worried about cat
welfare, but because of the example it to women. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33WAMgVRWqZV1x_5c1shfu-6Vh1gmHw-OKD3QOck7KAHJicaobPfdgPjbNFKG0YvyAW5ifJrYs0ldb4iVgXcTI0T_yB8k4Ew0Ka-H93-_G8XjVhPTJSJh03-82Xr8BGA6AIr8vdLzdTpB/s1600/op582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj33WAMgVRWqZV1x_5c1shfu-6Vh1gmHw-OKD3QOck7KAHJicaobPfdgPjbNFKG0YvyAW5ifJrYs0ldb4iVgXcTI0T_yB8k4Ew0Ka-H93-_G8XjVhPTJSJh03-82Xr8BGA6AIr8vdLzdTpB/s400/op582.jpg" width="318" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female cat owners were often stereotyped</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">A cat left to
fend for themselves, was “</span><i style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">corrupted by their
own impulses</i><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">” (presumably to eat and reproduce) and the degraded animal was
no longer a suitable companion for a gentlewoman.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">So there we
have it: <i>“Don’t leave your cat to starve”…</i>but
because 19<sup>th</sup> century men feared it might corrupt their wives. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K6zBvYw-Hpjf9ano0uYBA8dTaJadaPrEwNWVQdbi9J3EtQdWnZa748sWdhbITKel0rCT4Z6CvFPIFKNzPL2bjtRPEV8jjnmai0sUW8MkOE8WUfm87lHfKrr1s9CHwFWZlMvKzD0n9cAH/s1600/35565544c96ffa19871df12eea7e6fcfe57d6694c62b9e561a445e602b87ffd9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K6zBvYw-Hpjf9ano0uYBA8dTaJadaPrEwNWVQdbi9J3EtQdWnZa748sWdhbITKel0rCT4Z6CvFPIFKNzPL2bjtRPEV8jjnmai0sUW8MkOE8WUfm87lHfKrr1s9CHwFWZlMvKzD0n9cAH/s400/35565544c96ffa19871df12eea7e6fcfe57d6694c62b9e561a445e602b87ffd9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Next week:
The Suffragettes and Cats. As a taster, what do you make of the imagery in the postcard show below? Do share your thoughts and leave a comment. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV-Id_4XJAZuXyZ1JgvNKJaFgT7SbtX2nLv5ta0aowBKECQWxOkidvOX8U8Qg-Hx0ixAs9VnZIeSvPciXe0mRflcNrtPOD_lQjUWxW9kzvuXIjfOUWJ21X6kfNh8KuUaXQzoWrZEehg1b/s1600/198liudpcy82ojpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmV-Id_4XJAZuXyZ1JgvNKJaFgT7SbtX2nLv5ta0aowBKECQWxOkidvOX8U8Qg-Hx0ixAs9VnZIeSvPciXe0mRflcNrtPOD_lQjUWxW9kzvuXIjfOUWJ21X6kfNh8KuUaXQzoWrZEehg1b/s400/198liudpcy82ojpg.jpg" width="253" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-8136280053309371152016-01-31T03:32:00.000-08:002016-01-31T03:32:28.301-08:00Victorian Snobbery about Cats as Pets<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Last week I
asked if you own an iPhone. This week my question is: Do you drive a Skoda or a
Ferrari?</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlZ2i7D5rLMiWMxgKuiwZPY34j4-wc6pW0ubkG1lkA5XMc-yLaxabZtM0iWgZhbASa1SWEcBrk6XU7KGvwVSl326glX-vny4bH1FWtgNQKna414mRQEMTFjxD-VF_qi_bJq4Y6fJ6N-AY/s1600/1st-cat-show-squidoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQlZ2i7D5rLMiWMxgKuiwZPY34j4-wc6pW0ubkG1lkA5XMc-yLaxabZtM0iWgZhbASa1SWEcBrk6XU7KGvwVSl326glX-vny4bH1FWtgNQKna414mRQEMTFjxD-VF_qi_bJq4Y6fJ6N-AY/s400/1st-cat-show-squidoo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The reason is
to illustrate how the Victorian’s could be very sniffy about cat-ownership. If
we think of this snobbery in terms of cars (rather than cats – See what I did
there), those people who own and drive a luxury brand such as Ferrari or
Porsche, wouldn’t be seen dead anyway near a humble Skoda. Likewise, you may
form a very different mental picture of a stranger based on the vehicle they
drive. Thus was also the case for pet ownership in the 19<sup>th</sup> century.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RyQaQ-IGfvis4chdb77-wjqf-6y7niT9MILe5tKY9IaDC7YydmhlzYYjVNiXxpdx8H-ZDr0Q2O-LKohnEu9mhD2NgEDQwsNJh1-I47rnAc6ob-Av3EZllmGrhgxVmN4XulaSTOWN3PYT/s1600/9eafd714de516ee4767247ee667f4ff9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8RyQaQ-IGfvis4chdb77-wjqf-6y7niT9MILe5tKY9IaDC7YydmhlzYYjVNiXxpdx8H-ZDr0Q2O-LKohnEu9mhD2NgEDQwsNJh1-I47rnAc6ob-Av3EZllmGrhgxVmN4XulaSTOWN3PYT/s400/9eafd714de516ee4767247ee667f4ff9.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The Victorian’s
jumped to a lot of conclusion about your status and importance, based on the pets
you kept. When it comes to our feline friends the very attributes that made them
ideal pets in the middle ages made them less acceptable in the 19<sup>th</sup>
century. Quite simply, the idea that cats caught mice gave them the mantle of a
“poor man’s pet”. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">A lot of
responsibility was placed on the furry (or feathered) shoulders of a Victorian
pet. For a start, an animal that was welcomed into the home was expected to
ditch their “beastly” attributes and become civilized. Indeed, the pet’s behavior
reflected on the morals of the owner, so the independent nature of cats, plus
their propensity to roam and find boyfriends, made them far too base and
lascivious for Victorian tastes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtYxOe8Jf2DGrrflBQTLUQrYCzWqXbW4nzPfuX_Iycnq0fPBGrgiRHxxwMpinkxh7dAaFwr-UufS9_ICt6JvL2dRPP1a5HRRFBY7TKz9HLZFI54-5BK6NTukNPBNPmzH24sHHA6z8PerO/s1600/Louis_Wain_The_bachelor_party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNtYxOe8Jf2DGrrflBQTLUQrYCzWqXbW4nzPfuX_Iycnq0fPBGrgiRHxxwMpinkxh7dAaFwr-UufS9_ICt6JvL2dRPP1a5HRRFBY7TKz9HLZFI54-5BK6NTukNPBNPmzH24sHHA6z8PerO/s400/Louis_Wain_The_bachelor_party.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Louis Wain's "The Bachelor Party" - Cats behaving badly</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Indeed, dogs
were thought to show masculine qualities (and were therefore superior) such as heroism
and loyalty, whereas cats exhibited inferior female tendencies such as perfidy
and sexual inconsistency. In fact, in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century militant
suffragettes sought to dissociate the link between women and cats in order to
get men to take them more seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Anyhow, I
digress. Most pet cats were expected to catch mice, and to encourage this cats
were often kept hungry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“…the cruel mistake of supposing that
a cat will be a keener and better mouser if not sufficiently fed.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">However,
there were some people who kept cats and were proud of it. But if they decided
to sell the cat, for whatever reason, they tended to stress their practical
qualities. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“Angora cats. Several very handsome
ones, splendid mousers.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jGMr5MECFdm23iPiaDtGNUQF0mePFnOJVgWkycdYQ3tzt1TsVoVYiB80YFpOdoesp7BbOtepaVm0JhAOIb8jso-N4oI5lgwptkjEAPHr7V6RgtF5g6rvKQ68Wy77qTAS2xjT5Qlzs8fz/s1600/present-meme-400px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_jGMr5MECFdm23iPiaDtGNUQF0mePFnOJVgWkycdYQ3tzt1TsVoVYiB80YFpOdoesp7BbOtepaVm0JhAOIb8jso-N4oI5lgwptkjEAPHr7V6RgtF5g6rvKQ68Wy77qTAS2xjT5Qlzs8fz/s400/present-meme-400px.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">So whilst the
Angora was a rare and expensive breed, it was still thought best to point out their
hunting prowess. Indeed, the breeding of pedigree cats was considered second
rate compared to that of dogs, and ranked alongside breeding rabbits, guinea
pigs and other pets of the working man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">It took the
founding of the National Cat Club in 1887 for the social status of cats to see
an upward swing. However, in part this was done by arranging working men’s cats
to be exhibited in a separate class, as if to emphasize the difference between
cats belonging to the less affluent and those of the middle or upper classes! Evidently
this was a sort of social segregation for cats, or a feline apartite, the like
of which would hopefully never see the light of day in the modern age. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmoebgeUGqANnCw0myU9FWQwR_yC5wYw4g5r-XJ6hGg3C2356kC83bz5Wfjyo6ICSU2tPXNzXFmBxncnfOoS74Bng0Ax2x1SdAIXAu3rE1q0j7nEGUY72tvtty3fcek51IbnNcoAVnngl/s1600/overconfidence-cat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtmoebgeUGqANnCw0myU9FWQwR_yC5wYw4g5r-XJ6hGg3C2356kC83bz5Wfjyo6ICSU2tPXNzXFmBxncnfOoS74Bng0Ax2x1SdAIXAu3rE1q0j7nEGUY72tvtty3fcek51IbnNcoAVnngl/s400/overconfidence-cat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-56833394358256346292016-01-24T04:42:00.000-08:002016-01-24T12:57:56.902-08:00The Importance of Pets to the Victorians<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Do you have
an iPhone 6? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">If so, why
did you choose it: Did you buy into the latest trend or was it because of
the functionality (or a bit of both)? In the 19<sup>th</sup> century consumerism
was in full swing, and pets were every bit as important to advertise your
disposable income as an iPhone 6 is in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJolEmtFISFzqc5ihn05UL_1XpSDLlTVwzU96i6Q3EjeQsh4cLL8WsD9Epxg0MqqaPSV9n8ySG6rWSto_OFCfcpmNU_tN6HTrSWUFljR8B5myWw0a703h4mQ76x44Mr-bqqSC6V8vw8Za/s1600/73b77ece9d79ad2135affef91e817728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJolEmtFISFzqc5ihn05UL_1XpSDLlTVwzU96i6Q3EjeQsh4cLL8WsD9Epxg0MqqaPSV9n8ySG6rWSto_OFCfcpmNU_tN6HTrSWUFljR8B5myWw0a703h4mQ76x44Mr-bqqSC6V8vw8Za/s400/73b77ece9d79ad2135affef91e817728.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Control and discipline of pets<br />
was a must</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Indeed, the
18</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> and 19</span><sup style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> centuries there was a huge upsurge in pet
keeping and activities such as visiting the zoo. By 1851 over half the population
of England lived in cities, and yet this was a time when people were still
strongly connected to animals. You only have to think of the horse troughs in
High Streets to realize how different life was back then.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">But the role
of animals was changing from being beasts of burden or livestock, to something
altogether more social. The new phenomenum of keeping animals as pets was
catching on. Indeed, visiting zoos became hugely popular, where the exhibits
were regarded as public pets and objects of scientific interest. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFi5xSOtg8J471UaYd0KPfnnaVqM7UkestckXJzF8k39qv6TvAe2H8kH7xR4T_i4VyIEiydBr_ISBmWsrtpcr2Wvpc4gxLtTRoDyi8HR_-UM5ICbxmry_uYiuSx0D4uJ0rqOXNK8F6FPR/s1600/article-2521389-19FF8CE400000578-533_634x482.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCFi5xSOtg8J471UaYd0KPfnnaVqM7UkestckXJzF8k39qv6TvAe2H8kH7xR4T_i4VyIEiydBr_ISBmWsrtpcr2Wvpc4gxLtTRoDyi8HR_-UM5ICbxmry_uYiuSx0D4uJ0rqOXNK8F6FPR/s400/article-2521389-19FF8CE400000578-533_634x482.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The idea of the hidden beast within man led to some confusing ideas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">However,
keeping pets was more complicated than having a cozy companion to snuggle on
your lap. The Victorians, being Victorians, believed that an animal’s behavior was
a reflection of their owner. Therefore the lapdog, caged parrot, or house cat
became a symbol for the morals of their owner. Indeed, the human – animal bond
became an expression of many of the inequalities of Victorian society such as
social hierarchy and class, and your gender or ethnic origins. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzImFkpCDTttIncl6bZyddZifSP5qLqpXF1x7ITh4r_RR6yX62w3oNUEJJS3dbN3SxmUWdQHBjWTrKkXM2xFeGHTu9nPMoVt9XligvyEg7C2NEsbhAGA4qHDrwKdkM8tNcsdNQ95kEISLR/s1600/b22177d44f201447ee86570fa376f537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzImFkpCDTttIncl6bZyddZifSP5qLqpXF1x7ITh4r_RR6yX62w3oNUEJJS3dbN3SxmUWdQHBjWTrKkXM2xFeGHTu9nPMoVt9XligvyEg7C2NEsbhAGA4qHDrwKdkM8tNcsdNQ95kEISLR/s400/b22177d44f201447ee86570fa376f537.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Good behavior reflected well on the owner</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">This belief
system intensified with the publication of Charles Darwin’s The Origin of the
Species (1859). This stimulated debate (amongst other things) about how man’s
genetic kinship to animals and amplified anxieties about the hidden beast
lurking within man.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">It became
doubly important to have control over your pets, because well-behaved animals
were an indicator of a harmonious household run by a civilized master. Hence
there was a strong emphasis on discipline when it came to dog training – and the
beginnings of the misplaced “wolf-model” of dog behavior are evident, with it
being crucial to dominate your dog in order to prove man’s superior status. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Uy9hTNyyuiBFx0I62XPqLT6brsOGt9G01xT8wzCD4jirks6uvBR7bGhnScMGsB1uIKUxJNtKEPdrgUZ-SoQcnh3KnMw3uXfK6X-vGvFZ0CGpHItrgW1Jp0RT7UxG6x7BlXIKA5qxmrIy/s1600/zx33a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Uy9hTNyyuiBFx0I62XPqLT6brsOGt9G01xT8wzCD4jirks6uvBR7bGhnScMGsB1uIKUxJNtKEPdrgUZ-SoQcnh3KnMw3uXfK6X-vGvFZ0CGpHItrgW1Jp0RT7UxG6x7BlXIKA5qxmrIy/s400/zx33a.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">At the same
time, another side of pet-keeping was growing – that of “Animal Fancies” or
breeding animals to enhance beauty. In the latter part of the Victorian era
this saw the rise of dog and cat shows, as well as exhibitions to display the
latest in pet-keeping accoutrements such as cages, collars, and luxury beds. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The singular
relationship of Victorians to animals was recognized by foreign nations, who
frequently gifted exotic animals to the crown or her government in order to
curry favor. But this gives just a hint of the complex flavor of the Victorian’s
attitude to pets… to be explored in future posts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXBt5g4SthZswPSBzkRqTDAVn-PFgqfNtUGrUEaDKXeeRK-tD21pcSvjbqLjA84EtsptdIi4ShM-gUBjGFD5JPxg1dzaJGsRAmpawLx5Y10zcVFS4XwWznlzOYl_TE5ihQyW941necxeV/s1600/my-girlfriend-wanted-a-cat-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguXBt5g4SthZswPSBzkRqTDAVn-PFgqfNtUGrUEaDKXeeRK-tD21pcSvjbqLjA84EtsptdIi4ShM-gUBjGFD5JPxg1dzaJGsRAmpawLx5Y10zcVFS4XwWznlzOYl_TE5ihQyW941necxeV/s400/my-girlfriend-wanted-a-cat-meme.jpg" width="366" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-67934011115576680182016-01-10T12:07:00.000-08:002016-01-10T12:07:10.456-08:00What is a Pet? A Historical Perspective<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Pets are
important to me and I can’t imagine life without them. Fortunately, in the
modern day pet keeping is accepted and thought of as normal – but this wasn’t
always the case. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In medieval
times it was the strongly held Christian belief that God created animals for
the use of man. Animals had the status of slaves, there to serve, with man as
their superior. It was held that a deep affection for a pet was a sin. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi995obLgYk67gIZUyJI-JIbZVj5kjJVcZDGHBsLfh3Dvh3IbuoFNy1sHvH8Yc02PpoEkSzh84AS3PMsG7LDY-tfVuiDc2qMfiIgfxXxcfdYWuIbkBPNWL4G9C7bs4frU14ppZjA1y3XygN/s1600/medcat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi995obLgYk67gIZUyJI-JIbZVj5kjJVcZDGHBsLfh3Dvh3IbuoFNy1sHvH8Yc02PpoEkSzh84AS3PMsG7LDY-tfVuiDc2qMfiIgfxXxcfdYWuIbkBPNWL4G9C7bs4frU14ppZjA1y3XygN/s400/medcat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Times were
tough so you can understand this functional outlook on life. After all if you
were a regular man or woman struggling to feed your family, then it could
easily be argued it was a sin to put food into the mouth of an animal that didn’t
have a use or purpose. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Although
people did keep pets in the dark and middle ages, this was largely the preserve
of the wealthy. Any self-respecting Lord and his lady kept pets because they
had the money to do so and wanted to advertise the fact as a sign of their
status and power. Indeed, these pets were often overweight as they were overfed
to make it obvious that their owner wanted for nothing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyexiy63sTw8VKoTE5aiOzssEOA5EUSw7HF6eyuZBXnTQ5XYtLm8TQJP0kNT-z6rCG0QkZiSuWv75u_NY_R61C4jQeDEVsK3edtX1axNqRyXf7mBaFM6XBvexlqGZk49oxksMyGVutnAf/s1600/6a00d8341c464853ef017ee810224a970d-500wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="332" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigyexiy63sTw8VKoTE5aiOzssEOA5EUSw7HF6eyuZBXnTQ5XYtLm8TQJP0kNT-z6rCG0QkZiSuWv75u_NY_R61C4jQeDEVsK3edtX1axNqRyXf7mBaFM6XBvexlqGZk49oxksMyGVutnAf/s400/6a00d8341c464853ef017ee810224a970d-500wi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In medieval
times people expected animals to live outdoors and to be functional, so the
idea of indoor animals that existed purely for companionship or amusement
seemed alien and extravagant. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It took a
shift in attitude in the 18<sup>th</sup> century, for pet-keeping to become
more widely accepted. This change took place because of a philosophical
argument that taking good care of animals articulated what it was to be a human
or “humane”. Keeping a pet was looked on as a sign of moral-care rather than
profligacy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In the 18<sup>th</sup>
century saw the birth of consumerism. More people were living in towns and
cities, and so more people were spending more time indoors. The idea of “indoor
animals” or pets was truly born. As the British Empire expanded and travelers
returned with exotic animals, this coincided perfectly regular people having a
modicum of disposable cash and their interest in keeping pets. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvf8t2k8_tzvG8iK1WYXXK5EUVVFEX1lVLOyuryW0Z7mnOou6YRgrUrwmIhScoTx9Qy_IdyPvtIXU_pnnraZH96gRpWcoqkIwmOCK0Wif5KXNWwWGH6Suwl04dMKXqgIcp-9Z07JUIdung/s1600/download+%25282%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvf8t2k8_tzvG8iK1WYXXK5EUVVFEX1lVLOyuryW0Z7mnOou6YRgrUrwmIhScoTx9Qy_IdyPvtIXU_pnnraZH96gRpWcoqkIwmOCK0Wif5KXNWwWGH6Suwl04dMKXqgIcp-9Z07JUIdung/s320/download+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">But what of
the word “pet” itself? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The first
reference to a “pet” comes from 1539 and refers to a lamb hand-reared in the
house. These two characteristics, being tame and living in the house, formed
the basis for the definition of pet but fails to hint at the favoritism with
which pets are held.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">A modern
definition is: <span style="background: white; color: #222222;">“A domestic or
tamed animal or bird kept for companionship or pleasure</span>.”</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">And finally,
historian Prof Keith Thomas proposed three defining features of a medieval pet:
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It’s
kept in the house<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It’s
given a name<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-left: 21.0pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">It’s
never eaten…<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Can’t say
fairer than that! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZqhFfmbPAHCIlOzatV9CfdDRL0MZlTqRuidtHBsm9y5FIA9jC26-GWssxGkrmMIJDsWD5Il_yVx3WQ2XDIQ52kFuRSc0a4TgmSLMV9DbISQEeDQ0LCo-v_sUDQHlPPqXgSt037aQvXeI/s1600/Conspiracy-Cat-Meme-Realizes-It-Might-Be-The-Pet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZqhFfmbPAHCIlOzatV9CfdDRL0MZlTqRuidtHBsm9y5FIA9jC26-GWssxGkrmMIJDsWD5Il_yVx3WQ2XDIQ52kFuRSc0a4TgmSLMV9DbISQEeDQ0LCo-v_sUDQHlPPqXgSt037aQvXeI/s400/Conspiracy-Cat-Meme-Realizes-It-Might-Be-The-Pet.jpg" width="282" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-58098634514940727802016-01-03T04:34:00.000-08:002016-01-03T04:34:03.824-08:00Van Amburgh: Animal Trainer or Bully?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Many things
interest me- from animal be</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">havior to history. So it was with interest that I
came across a reference in a Victorian book to training cats. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The author (Henry Ross) was talking in general
terms about the independent nature of cats.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“It must not be inferred, however, that
they</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> [cats] <i>are untamable, for every creature is capable…of
being trained by man, provided it</i> [the animal] <i>receives due attention.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">This sounds
promising – and I went on to read:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“We have sufficient evidence in the
feats performed by the lions and tigers of Mr. Carter and Van Amburgh that
felines are by no means destitute of intelligent docility.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Keen to know more,
I researched Isaac Van Amburgh, but was horrified by what I read. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGgQ9GCK1hRFR14hfeqZtOQp4ry9Q7EkI1yu4YQQsCmiYg7MohmgRb7iiabZa_lv_d7LjZOohDX06fo0tfnitLP2zsxZBAtL_TXal7_n-dYa9j7Nudu5fFckLRJDGC_s8FWZfvp_BdVeL/s1600/Menagerie.amburgh.portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwGgQ9GCK1hRFR14hfeqZtOQp4ry9Q7EkI1yu4YQQsCmiYg7MohmgRb7iiabZa_lv_d7LjZOohDX06fo0tfnitLP2zsxZBAtL_TXal7_n-dYa9j7Nudu5fFckLRJDGC_s8FWZfvp_BdVeL/s400/Menagerie.amburgh.portrait.jpg" width="242" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Van Amburgh’s Legend<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Born in 1811,
Van Amburgh started out from humble origins working as a cage cleaner at
the Zoological Institute of New York. He became fascinated by the biblical
story of Daniel in the lions’ den and the idea of dominating big cats. Indeed,
as he went about his work cleaning out the lions and tigers, his employer
noticed the commanding control he had over them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">An animal
dealer, Titus, with links to the Zoological Institute saw the potential for a
novel act, where a man “tamed” wild animals. In his own words:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Novelty plus publicity meant money.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiC6nhgtA5q5j3fTGANv3BlsR7gUmW-27vGEeVYxq2v6A06jqxG-he5drxHVCCLpX0VDFY1WrFjk7oyaGw2WYP4mth_dlopFyIPC0Ou84QZlYkghn2tPL-EqW46kQJZ4kTqPrOkwr5Nep/s1600/Menagerie.amburgh.lions.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPiC6nhgtA5q5j3fTGANv3BlsR7gUmW-27vGEeVYxq2v6A06jqxG-he5drxHVCCLpX0VDFY1WrFjk7oyaGw2WYP4mth_dlopFyIPC0Ou84QZlYkghn2tPL-EqW46kQJZ4kTqPrOkwr5Nep/s400/Menagerie.amburgh.lions.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Van Amburgh in his early costume of a Roman toga</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Titus’
instincts were correct, and the act that made Van Amburgh a rich man, went from
strength to strength. He entered a cage containing a lion, lioness, panther,
leopard, leopardess, and a black-maned lion. The animals shrank away from him,
such was his commanding presence. Then he reclined and commanded each animal to
approach him, one by one, and lick his feet in deference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“The effect of his
power was instantaneous. The Lion halted and stood transfixed. The Tiger
crouched. The Panther with a suppressed growl of rage sprang back, while the
Leopard receded gradually from its master. The spectators were overwhelmed with
wonder ....<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>“</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrz6UINhdUCDPYrI3JU5JGqVjATXbSBqxmpD2tGXhQJJh8C0slStsOxZYsogmDvKLeVt6VmomQgtF49aCnZx37Czp8Y75kXfEnr5Ya8qdsyIWrfIdI3jHOKWCX3_b-cftsdTODu-O0Jkk/s1600/Menagerie.amburgh.1838.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwrz6UINhdUCDPYrI3JU5JGqVjATXbSBqxmpD2tGXhQJJh8C0slStsOxZYsogmDvKLeVt6VmomQgtF49aCnZx37Czp8Y75kXfEnr5Ya8qdsyIWrfIdI3jHOKWCX3_b-cftsdTODu-O0Jkk/s400/Menagerie.amburgh.1838.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Indeed, Van
Amburgh was a sensation not just in America, but in England where he performed
for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He refined his act, adding in such
spectacular feats as putting his head in the lion’s mouth. Victoria, filled
with admiration, even commissioned Sir Edwin Landseer to paint Van Amburgh’s
portrait. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><b>Van Amburgh’s Methods</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Van Amburgh
was a mega-star in his time and his act made him a wealthy man. However his
methods were not without controversy, even during his life time, and looking
back it has to be said that his training methods were shameful. However, his
immoral methods paid off, he earnt a fortune and died a wealthy man safe in his
bed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">He regularly
beat the animals with an iron bar, and his “training” method was to intimidate
the big cats using pain, fear, and hunger. Van Amburgh’s publicity agent even admitted the lions were starved for days
prior to a royal performance, as if this was something to be proud of. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOvE1svHMenDtd_YSPvuSYS8SvXgQAi9IeRHn_KILrG_N5I33LPqA96GBOsExaHOqlydMFu-A_234Rq2ZqPcj5kl066y7TkjTjaYW5fRB4YnsLxnK2L7kVK5NqVFi4xn39qEDNVGrNRcC/s1600/800px-Landseer.amburgh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhOvE1svHMenDtd_YSPvuSYS8SvXgQAi9IeRHn_KILrG_N5I33LPqA96GBOsExaHOqlydMFu-A_234Rq2ZqPcj5kl066y7TkjTjaYW5fRB4YnsLxnK2L7kVK5NqVFi4xn39qEDNVGrNRcC/s400/800px-Landseer.amburgh.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landseer's portrait of Van Amburgh</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">In fairness,
right-minded Victorians were horrified, but Van Amburgh’s defended his methods
by quoting the bible, and Genesis 1:26 saying that God had given man dominion
over the animals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Van Amburgh
appears to have been an early proponent of an extreme form of dominance method
of training, so popular in dog obedience
circles until it’s debunking in recent years. The physical and mental abuse of
animals for human entertainment completely immoral, and beating animals into
submission is wholly unacceptable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Let us hope
against hopes that if in the modern age a similar misuse of animals took place
for our entertainment, we would not be taken in and object in the strongest
terms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-75586530942292996552015-12-20T11:42:00.003-08:002015-12-20T11:42:38.310-08:00Some Old Sayings about Cats<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Some
expressions concerning cats are well known, such as “Not enough room to swing a
cat”, or “<a href="http://graceelliot-author.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/popular-feline-sayings-and-their-origins.html" target="_blank">Let the cat out of the bag</a>”, but what of some of the more unusual
sayings. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">There were actually a surprising number, although few if any are still in wide parlance, which is a shame judging from the few that I’ve
listed below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYyiRlY-7Xl-ETujU6NJVyb2CSKhA5FqLzt_0csX_GWHgMe5F4EKMetltteOuJYVKLRnGNyVTvVbVQck-vNloxiqUkyUCDW3zM3Vf0qEmNK8tDSxG8S_xmuqZACfynMoewtsexNMqaUtt/s1600/funny-hiding-plastic-bag-carrier-cat-looking-evil-soon-pics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzYyiRlY-7Xl-ETujU6NJVyb2CSKhA5FqLzt_0csX_GWHgMe5F4EKMetltteOuJYVKLRnGNyVTvVbVQck-vNloxiqUkyUCDW3zM3Vf0qEmNK8tDSxG8S_xmuqZACfynMoewtsexNMqaUtt/s400/funny-hiding-plastic-bag-carrier-cat-looking-evil-soon-pics.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“Fain would
the Cat fish eat, but she is loth to wet her feet” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">In more
modern language:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“The cat would eat fish, but will not
wet her feet”. <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The saying is
about wanting the result but not being prepared to put the effort in – a fancy
way of saying “No pain, no gain.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The first
written record of this saying goes back to 1380 and Chaucer’s “House of Fame.”
The expression seems to have been in wide usage and is mentioned by numerous
other authors in the middle ages, and then by Shakespeare<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“How can the cat help it if the maid
be a fool?” <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">This is
asking a basic question of morality: How can it be stealing if temptation is
left in one’s path. So that fish that’s left on the table is asking to be eaten
by the cat (without getting her paws wet!) This is an old American saying
dating from around 1810, and implies a certain abrogation of personal
responsibility. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVRcWJEl0xyde7k1g90H8Xz7WqXAKFXAHGta0nKI5PLF7EBn8secE8u31j_63AXmiBeqgnUnq7ZNSODxlhObysdsVLk0FD6YVOtwVOzNE8K6kHGdpxvxy2u287u45gI5AgsJzEIBA_l5J/s1600/6e5305af63dd7ac77e396fd997ef755ed0275d7a6b18f9db33dd3fbea3f27f74.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVRcWJEl0xyde7k1g90H8Xz7WqXAKFXAHGta0nKI5PLF7EBn8secE8u31j_63AXmiBeqgnUnq7ZNSODxlhObysdsVLk0FD6YVOtwVOzNE8K6kHGdpxvxy2u287u45gI5AgsJzEIBA_l5J/s400/6e5305af63dd7ac77e396fd997ef755ed0275d7a6b18f9db33dd3fbea3f27f74.jpg" width="395" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“A cat always falls on its feet.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Dating from
the early 18<sup>th</sup> century, this is a marker of good luck.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"> “[He] <i>had
a cat’s luck, always landing on his feet.” </i>Church History. 1713<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Or there’s
this optimistic way of saying that truth will out in the end. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“<i>Truth is like a cat and always comes down on
its feet; jerk it as high as you please</i>.” Cooper’s Letters. 1831. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBKNBbwEy7bTIswBZMMWX9UkuryZPCe2BR4a8njtUWCSn7_fhdDH77bs6ILDVrkyujiUepjhA14GMM654v5t2R7X2FAtAH6fRJVCWsXFY4G1e5ARDyGMyCtwRokLRlGpj9KLSfXN3HJ7k/s1600/Falling-Cats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSBKNBbwEy7bTIswBZMMWX9UkuryZPCe2BR4a8njtUWCSn7_fhdDH77bs6ILDVrkyujiUepjhA14GMM654v5t2R7X2FAtAH6fRJVCWsXFY4G1e5ARDyGMyCtwRokLRlGpj9KLSfXN3HJ7k/s400/Falling-Cats.jpg" width="115" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Of course the
last part of this statement is not technically correct, as there is an optimum
height for cats to fall from, in order to rotate fully and land with all four
paws on the ground. Also “High rise syndrome”
refers to cats that fall from above two floors high, and hit the ground so hard
they break their jaws and pelvis – so not even landing on all fours is enough to
protect you from injury in some circumstances. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“The cat in gloves catches no mice.”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Another
American saying dating from around 1754. I rather like the allusion, a cross
between having the right tools for the job and not handicapping yourself. In
fact, it would make rather a good personal motto. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjed7rOdLQ-HAeydkfw6eMbWC5_YyMgG3PoRaMkUErv5TT4PWevkbQjEu4AURRXejueTL9iLxu5fSvVmJ1e_h9vuoJqN4sKwPXwBUrlKUio-fWoVWOb8Rdn2k5-jqzD4eAw-Pjd3dsQOnug/s1600/download+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjed7rOdLQ-HAeydkfw6eMbWC5_YyMgG3PoRaMkUErv5TT4PWevkbQjEu4AURRXejueTL9iLxu5fSvVmJ1e_h9vuoJqN4sKwPXwBUrlKUio-fWoVWOb8Rdn2k5-jqzD4eAw-Pjd3dsQOnug/s400/download+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-44186992586062104342015-12-14T00:55:00.001-08:002015-12-14T00:55:36.240-08:00Gib, Gyb, or Gibbe: An Old Word for Cat<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Gib or Gibbe is an old term for a cat, which was familiar to
many medieval people and those in the following centuries, including Shakespeare.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">“I am
as melancholy as a gib cat or a lugged bear.” </span></i><span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">—</span><cite><personname xmlns=""><surname><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Shakespeare:</span></surname></personname></cite><span class="apple-converted-space"><i> </i></span><cite><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">1 Henry IV.</span></cite>, i. 2.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdJWPTX6_QNZYCK1NSOLar5nf75jcJ-V1MYky-Irw_qRbKjmG4O-a_P2UQ6hm1JXUyz57AoUP5SVQ7wBahInOoZpqFUdYXKmP3HqTyDFxIEh3EidgNq2TtQYm39KYBpgDDdmVD2lMe_Hq/s1600/corner-cat-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJdJWPTX6_QNZYCK1NSOLar5nf75jcJ-V1MYky-Irw_qRbKjmG4O-a_P2UQ6hm1JXUyz57AoUP5SVQ7wBahInOoZpqFUdYXKmP3HqTyDFxIEh3EidgNq2TtQYm39KYBpgDDdmVD2lMe_Hq/s400/corner-cat-meme.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">The name Gib is a contraction of the name “Gilbert” and used
in a similar way that Tom cat is today. This name isn’t just restricted to the
UK, but used in a slightly different form in France. The French equivalent was
Tilbert or Tybalt, with the name ‘Tibbs’ being the equivalent of Gib. Indeed,
Chaucer mentions both words for a cat in his <i>Romance of the Rose</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">A
Digression<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Interestingly, Tibby and Tibbles are sometimes still used as
cat names, and this isn’t a million miles from Tiddles (could it be as a result
of mishearing Tibbles?). However, a quick internet search reveals that Tiddles
seems to be a derivative of an old English word ‘Tid’. This word has two
meaning, of which one is a small piece, and from this we also get the word
tid-bit, meaning a morsel. The other meaning is to fondle or indulge, which I
guess in the context of cats makes a lot more sense. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnkEbovPNePPULcKitTLy9CZ9n5qMhCUwZYZXNg9Ewl6tteOhgDBEdxIVA3jlvgs2vfDrMjTLSBG3VRioHXRjKcL8cfBn4u02BZDFrBkc8h3_KKKWRqDyeD3vDWX5HN7TsNiqWViuwNQn/s1600/27-I-will-nap-here-cat-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggnkEbovPNePPULcKitTLy9CZ9n5qMhCUwZYZXNg9Ewl6tteOhgDBEdxIVA3jlvgs2vfDrMjTLSBG3VRioHXRjKcL8cfBn4u02BZDFrBkc8h3_KKKWRqDyeD3vDWX5HN7TsNiqWViuwNQn/s400/27-I-will-nap-here-cat-meme.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Tiddles
and Lord Nelson<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">There is also an urban myth attached to Lord Horatio Nelson
and a cat called Tiddles. There is a lovely story that Lord Nelson went into
the Battle of Trafalgar accompanied by a brave companion called Tiddles. This
tale gained wide and popular credence, only to be debunked in 2005 when the widow
of the perpetrator came forward with the truth about her late husband's deception. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Her husband, Guy Evans, a National Trust employee, started
the myth around 1990 when he falsified footnotes to a historic document and
then wrote about his discovery in the Nelson Society Journal. She came forward
in 2005 to expose the fraud, after the story was mentioned by Stephen Fry on
the BBC’s QI program. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6gmC_6lqXVg3bm_WQwjbcpKkoXktOXRHz-QzYwVDDddOXBVjFCGiR2zRyHOR6WCKFzp17Ms8JdbRfuY8W1ijavFRREvff20tV9gV5c_tdoBSHh9kjynop3UIaiJxHYdmlyydwDe4gd3-/s1600/I-think-my-name.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6gmC_6lqXVg3bm_WQwjbcpKkoXktOXRHz-QzYwVDDddOXBVjFCGiR2zRyHOR6WCKFzp17Ms8JdbRfuY8W1ijavFRREvff20tV9gV5c_tdoBSHh9kjynop3UIaiJxHYdmlyydwDe4gd3-/s400/I-think-my-name.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Back to
Gib or Gibbe Cats<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Tom cats are still widely talked about, but the term Gib has
largely fallen into disuse, however this wasn’t always the case. Dr. Johnson (a
great cat lover himself) remarks that “<i>Gibbe
means an old cat – I know not why.”</i> This is interesting as a Tom cat is
generally an entire (not castrated) male, whereas Gib implies old age – so perhaps
we just don’t feel the need for a word describing older animals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">However, another doctor, this time Dr. Percy reports that in
Northamptonshire the term means a he-cat (or male cat) which is also referred
to as a ram-cat (implying they are not desexed) or in Shropshire a tup-cat
(similar meaning.) However, numerous dictionaries, including Merriam-Webster
give the definition of Gib as meaning neutered or castrated, which is all very
confusing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8b0ZKsrFR29pwpIUUp-Z5vfcjDu2QiaXT2BnIXSHi7Ke9zj3crePuInCEoWmD-cWvVMkOCos9qlBBZiD9lulPA_8V8qW6OiuNzfT4I7zt2xhWO0gg2JMrbLAuzN5uMQYn26LjahpljfZI/s1600/jealous-cat-memes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8b0ZKsrFR29pwpIUUp-Z5vfcjDu2QiaXT2BnIXSHi7Ke9zj3crePuInCEoWmD-cWvVMkOCos9qlBBZiD9lulPA_8V8qW6OiuNzfT4I7zt2xhWO0gg2JMrbLAuzN5uMQYn26LjahpljfZI/s400/jealous-cat-memes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Phillip
Sparrow<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; color: #515050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Another mention of Gib the cat comes in the 15<sup>th</sup>
century poem, The Book of Phillip Sparrow by John Skelton. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<i><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To call Phylyp agayne,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<i><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Whom Gyb our cat hath slayne.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<i><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gib, I saye, our cat,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<i><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Worrowyd her on that<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<i><span style="color: #505050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Which I loved best:<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This poem tells the
story of the loss of a pet sparrow, murdered by a cat.. called Gib.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So is the name Gib or
Gilbert creeping up the list of names to call your next cat…or perhaps Tiddles? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTDuCvjNNGnPb2o4dCQ_ntj0hPwcGFTu4NOb0MG4diMR0fmVRe1BEWq0GS4aR1r5I6uW6GvnaB3wNkiH4vcfhH7RlFYU-ux_9OD9V2V9giNhknz8i4ku4VPfcNNGdVT8pM6baBJ4RJflC/s1600/My-fur-is-delicious-cat-meme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXTDuCvjNNGnPb2o4dCQ_ntj0hPwcGFTu4NOb0MG4diMR0fmVRe1BEWq0GS4aR1r5I6uW6GvnaB3wNkiH4vcfhH7RlFYU-ux_9OD9V2V9giNhknz8i4ku4VPfcNNGdVT8pM6baBJ4RJflC/s400/My-fur-is-delicious-cat-meme.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 18.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: -12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #505050; font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-36804749887014621102015-11-30T12:00:00.000-08:002015-11-30T12:00:18.342-08:00Women’s PostWar Problems by guest, Freda Lightfoot<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Today I'm delighted to welcome Sunday Times best-selling author Freda Lightfoot to "Fall in Love with History". </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Freda has written a thought-provoking post about how people change during wartime, and how a reunion did not always mean a happy ending. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">G x</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXD2q_NMyZ3I-MB-kBunoVCO5kwdATUpQprYyatZ1Z7Fm92TRSTYaG6grElRhU_e8rXh8mtT3l6v_csFtiAwacpX-xXTBR1q__R0ZyPulDT3vm3YVt69ctyrEGsdEpnqcp9moFNpddVyk/s1600/Freda+Lightfoot+Author+Picture+%2528C%2529+Roger+Moore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbXD2q_NMyZ3I-MB-kBunoVCO5kwdATUpQprYyatZ1Z7Fm92TRSTYaG6grElRhU_e8rXh8mtT3l6v_csFtiAwacpX-xXTBR1q__R0ZyPulDT3vm3YVt69ctyrEGsdEpnqcp9moFNpddVyk/s320/Freda+Lightfoot+Author+Picture+%2528C%2529+Roger+Moore.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">WOMEN'S POST WAR PROBLEMS</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Most
women had endured six years of war work and being entirely responsible for
their children. Sometimes children were sent away as evacuees, so there would
have been no family life. Women became much tougher as a result of doing men’s
jobs, which didn’t always go down well. When their husbands returned they did
not expect their wives to have gained so much freedom and independence. They
had dreamed of the young and beautiful girl they’d married. Now she’d aged
somewhat and that didn’t always appeal either. She could find herself dismissed
from her job when the fighting men returned, even though she might be a war
widow with no home or pension, or even a deserted wife. The government insisted
she return to her wifely duties, keeping
house and producing and caring for children, which felt to some like going back
to prison.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">She
also might have to deal with a shell-shocked or disfigured husband, who
suffered from sleepwalking or nightmares, outbursts of violence or depression.
He could have turned into a bit of a bully if he was accustomed to giving
orders. He might also struggle to find work, or resent having to return to his
boring desk job, finding it difficult to settle back into Civvy Street.
Children too would often react badly as they didn’t even know their father,
having rarely seen him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">But
women too had suffered traumas. Perhaps remembered being buried alive for hours
in a bombed-out house. The after effects might mean they couldn’t bear to go in
lifts, sit in dark places such as a cinema, or experienced fainting fits or
even heart attacks. She was most likely to be exhausted after the years of hard
work, something their men folk didn’t always comprehend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
effect of war upon a marriage or relationship was not always good either. Some
couples were happy to be back together again and their love blossomed. Others
were less fortunate, particularly if they’d suffered traumatic situations, or
long periods of separation. It was often considered acceptable for men to
satisfy their needs while fighting overseas and befriend girls, but complete
fidelity was expected from wives. Why would a woman feel happy about that? And
once back together, their personalities having changed somewhat, they could
feel like strangers. This was particularly true of hasty war marriages. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">When
World War II ended there was a strange sense of anti-climax, as if the bright
blue, sun-filled sky had clouded over leaving a feeling of uncertainty about
the future. But then the country was in a mess, still enduring shortages and
rationing, a lack of homes and jobs, and near bankruptcy. There were bombed
areas and rubble everywhere, homes lost or wrecked, many empty shops, huge bomb
craters everywhere, and loved ones lost. This was the brave new world that women
had fought for, but not at all what they’d expected. They needed infinite
patience, tact and strength to rebuild their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Thank you, Freda! It hadn't struck me before, how peoples differing experiences of war could push them apart. It sounds a great idea for a novel. Oh wait....</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">G x</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5sf3ZI-OLj8qE0f4qLaPAcFrelZ3DcBg54w_TVHXYC7CeQkcZeUH2-xJsIwjvCl6mH6il9SirhfkarOj0V2IXE8qqbuhp2tqEiamz8bl87lZPPmE_cbwDEbFYiyDnHIayj-0T60Ks_YP-/s400/Home+is+Where+the+Heart++is+-+Jacket.jpg" width="252" /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><b>'Home is Where the Heart Is'</b> Blurb<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Pa3" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="A2"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">1945:
Christmas is approaching and Cathie Morgan is awaiting the return of her
beloved fiancé, Alexander Ramsay. But she has a secret that she’s anxious to
share with him. One that could change everything between them. Her sister has
died and she wants to adopt her son. When the truth is finally revealed, Alex
immediately calls off the wedding, claiming that the baby is actually Cathie’s,
causing all of Cathie’s fears to be realised. As Cathie battles to reassure
Alex of her fidelity, she must also juggle the care of the baby and their home.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="Pa3" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="A2"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">But
then Alex crosses the line with a deceit that is unforgivable, leaving Cathie
to muster the courage to forge a life for her and her nephew alone. </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Pa3" style="text-align: center;">
<span class="A2"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Will
Cathie ever be able to trust another man again and as peace begins to settle
will she ever be able to call a house a home… </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i><b>Freda's Bio:</b><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Born in Lancashire, Freda Lightfoot has been a </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">teacher, bookseller and in a mad moment even tried her hand at the
'good life' as a smallholder in the English Lake District</span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">. Inspired
by this tough life on the fells, memories of her Lancashire childhood, and her
passion for history she has published over forty sagas and historical novels. Freda has lived in the Lake District
and Cornwall but now lives in Spain in the winter </span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS Mincho";">but still likes to spend rainy summers in the UK</span></i><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><i>. </i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">For more information visit her <a href="http://www.fredalightfoot.co.uk/" target="_blank">website</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;">Find Freda on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Freda-Lightfoot-Books/149641371839646?ref=hl" target="_blank">Facebook</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">Or on <a href="https://twitter.com/fredalightfoot" target="_blank">Twitter</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; line-height: 29.3333px;">And at <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/448774.Freda_Lightfoot" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34_L09zN_jP6EIr0aq-Q-l2yHFX5NZre1UXS48_nSjbafMdOasu6t8y2ZyXWC3bUEfznB-BBXqOAmMWMVxtE9c2xW6a0soWK8qlCn-JxspZuQNrL58U95Sq_9Jn5yNeBaBKkBlUZyDvpC/s1600/blog+tour+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34_L09zN_jP6EIr0aq-Q-l2yHFX5NZre1UXS48_nSjbafMdOasu6t8y2ZyXWC3bUEfznB-BBXqOAmMWMVxtE9c2xW6a0soWK8qlCn-JxspZuQNrL58U95Sq_9Jn5yNeBaBKkBlUZyDvpC/s400/blog+tour+banner.jpg" width="366" /></a></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-27713405511645672502015-11-29T11:15:00.000-08:002015-11-29T11:15:38.391-08:00Gottfried Mind: The Cat Raphael<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Recently, in
a Victorian book of cat miscellany (*) I came upon a passing reference to Gottfried
Mind, as the “Cat Raphael”. This of course, whetted my appetite to find out
more because anyone who can capture the character of cats is all right by me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMp4Tus1VvDPxGRcg7E5K3liW9Wm261ggP8bWkPmwHqp3d1Ld08PyK-ckdM9AZ1z1tpmtE9M_3tNapXKLjl3wZesNs73Xz5n1Zn-yVLy-wCgs8cvIzdwvi0DlRKQoEsj4xT9A7M_GOZoXy/s1600/Die_Gartenlaube_%25281868%2529_b_741_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMp4Tus1VvDPxGRcg7E5K3liW9Wm261ggP8bWkPmwHqp3d1Ld08PyK-ckdM9AZ1z1tpmtE9M_3tNapXKLjl3wZesNs73Xz5n1Zn-yVLy-wCgs8cvIzdwvi0DlRKQoEsj4xT9A7M_GOZoXy/s320/Die_Gartenlaube_%25281868%2529_b_741_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gottfried
Mind (1768 – 1814) was born in Switzerland, the son of a carpenter. But Mind
was a sickly child with a weak constitution, and he was also autistic. At an
early age Gottfried showed a talent for drawing, but his father believed the
only medium worth working with was wood. He would give his son pieces of wood
and indeed the young Gottfried became a talented carver. His miniature sheep
and cows were popular with the locals, who displayed them on their
mantelpieces. However, Gottfried’s real passion was drawing. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRlmZHknOyejMxbVVoAybBfaNABGEwi1KowipFDg1QDKF3V4leY2J9W0Lfd_R8aGIfGml0EZzd_qg1IL1TKa1edHj43cVaDtzbdPPfQ4zD7KC_7q8ryDvSdfIeUbKFhKfK3xUTDnSf5sZ/s1600/Gottfried_Mind_Katzen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSRlmZHknOyejMxbVVoAybBfaNABGEwi1KowipFDg1QDKF3V4leY2J9W0Lfd_R8aGIfGml0EZzd_qg1IL1TKa1edHj43cVaDtzbdPPfQ4zD7KC_7q8ryDvSdfIeUbKFhKfK3xUTDnSf5sZ/s400/Gottfried_Mind_Katzen.jpg" width="336" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gottfried was
sent away to school, but lasted only a year. As explained by the head teacher,
his pupil was: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“Incapable of any demanding work, but
full of talent for drawing, especially God’s creatures, which he renders full of
artistic caprices and with some wit.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Gottfried
returned home to become an apprentice to a printer called Sigmund Hendenberger.
Gottfried’s job was to hand color the prints created by his master. The story
goes that Gottfried’s talent for drawing felines was discovered by accident. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-KHC2R0XJj0ryXAArGqbQgsE5h-MfpIpt61eSPGG3QEbBXpmU-FvPnJIvbVU7wdkeasB4ofmWValhdpCuHELSCVZRrdxwCtwlERpt2wsv8uWd8Ua2cLFQuqhtwjahDf1O0NZdbDl7aJT/s1600/57dedd20a627b6adc790f068a0b0b6d0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7-KHC2R0XJj0ryXAArGqbQgsE5h-MfpIpt61eSPGG3QEbBXpmU-FvPnJIvbVU7wdkeasB4ofmWValhdpCuHELSCVZRrdxwCtwlERpt2wsv8uWd8Ua2cLFQuqhtwjahDf1O0NZdbDl7aJT/s400/57dedd20a627b6adc790f068a0b0b6d0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Hendenberger
visited a village (to create “Peasant Clearing Wood”) showing a man chopping
wood, whilst his wife sits spooning food into a child, with a cat winding round
her ankles. When Gottfried saw his master’s rendition of the cat, he said: “That’s
no cat.” Hendenberger took this as a challenge and suggested if his apprentice could
do better, go ahead. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmXKnOHHuD7h5BbpbaSNV_dIpvtXo_ZGmP3eSj88We-9up-nxbxS0wFaekS0dd36rGT8kz2tPN8pfoZGkXLjU8TARR_-SHBonywSqlkbrXkH6TGtM0KgWf1-CbwD_l4TvdO4f-_Mk9wZ5/s1600/zwei-weisse-katzen-auf-einem-tisch-mit-buechern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUmXKnOHHuD7h5BbpbaSNV_dIpvtXo_ZGmP3eSj88We-9up-nxbxS0wFaekS0dd36rGT8kz2tPN8pfoZGkXLjU8TARR_-SHBonywSqlkbrXkH6TGtM0KgWf1-CbwD_l4TvdO4f-_Mk9wZ5/s400/zwei-weisse-katzen-auf-einem-tisch-mit-buechern.jpg" width="380" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">The sketch
that Gottfried produced so enchanted Hendenberger that he copied his pupil’s
work. The pair worked on together for years, but it wasn’t until after his
master’s death and his widow encouraged Gottfried to produce original works to
bring in more money, that Gottfried gave free rein to his talent. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqFO3eXfyKUAeEUltYxJdaOPo0EZtsWeNZJZfe63CZt7_oIc_O7A9o_RM30N7RaCBtRr1aTr05UM_oeXtsVFR-PhHESUpfRRNn8tYeFkrLIMlohqY3cQc9I6kRD92xa3SmRGAI_8tHU-4/s1600/Gottfried-Mind-Cats-toilet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAqFO3eXfyKUAeEUltYxJdaOPo0EZtsWeNZJZfe63CZt7_oIc_O7A9o_RM30N7RaCBtRr1aTr05UM_oeXtsVFR-PhHESUpfRRNn8tYeFkrLIMlohqY3cQc9I6kRD92xa3SmRGAI_8tHU-4/s400/Gottfried-Mind-Cats-toilet.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">His poor health
meant he spent a lot of time indoors, usually accompanied by a cat. It seems he
had a near photographic memory, as he only had to visit a scene and stare for a
while, to return home and render it faithfully in paint. And when Gottfried wanted to relax, his party
piece was to carve miniature models of cats out of chestnuts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Sadly, Gottfried
Mind suffered from an “increasing disorder in his breast” which brought about
his death in 1914, at the tragically young age of 46. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1XuOviyeyR6WtIDUv-jMmNMNQrkeF4WEX3acFio1wcqpDC3P8Kn2Bathl6Uq2hyphenhyphenMTaE_EKvMHiYnyGCj5lp_ppLl2r-QUUEbvXMUbHFXhGP7O5L65G0ShRG0U5pq4jY-EyGv1AkEDlbj/s1600/BtpDI1NIUAAdWut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp1XuOviyeyR6WtIDUv-jMmNMNQrkeF4WEX3acFio1wcqpDC3P8Kn2Bathl6Uq2hyphenhyphenMTaE_EKvMHiYnyGCj5lp_ppLl2r-QUUEbvXMUbHFXhGP7O5L65G0ShRG0U5pq4jY-EyGv1AkEDlbj/s320/BtpDI1NIUAAdWut.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">...and this one is by my son. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> (*) The Book of Cats: A Chit-Chat Chronicle of
Feline Facts and Fancies, Legendary, Lyrical, Medical, Mirthful and
Miscellaneous (1868) Charles Henry Ross. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-27136675119990273322015-11-15T13:16:00.000-08:002015-11-15T13:16:34.492-08:00Saint Julian of Norwich and her Cat<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Last week’s
post posed the question: Who is the patron saint of cats? One visitor to the
blog, Susan Lester, left an intriguing comment that needed further investigation.
Susan mentioned Saint Julian of Norwich as being a contender for the official
protector of felines. I’d never heard of Saint Julian, so I decided to find out
more. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUiiazAZN8O4zxU6ISV6teg1I0bBwRLPYQFGnE0lkZWTFJJK3g4SDlpQcD41ZUUPTJlfvjCKL7qdNn3WmbZqm2nAWAKz9WBAjlPGZti-10PVOJg1_7PVO2tuDo5UXY0p2sGfQCIuyDVrI/s1600/npjhkycp5jtkxmkxsip8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMUiiazAZN8O4zxU6ISV6teg1I0bBwRLPYQFGnE0lkZWTFJJK3g4SDlpQcD41ZUUPTJlfvjCKL7qdNn3WmbZqm2nAWAKz9WBAjlPGZti-10PVOJg1_7PVO2tuDo5UXY0p2sGfQCIuyDVrI/s400/npjhkycp5jtkxmkxsip8.jpg" width="293" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A depiction of Saint Julian and her cat<br />(although it seems likely she wasn't a nun)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Indeed, Saint
Julian is strongly linked to cats (although not named as their patron saint),
most especially because her sole companion was feline. But I jump ahead, let’s
start at the beginning and find out who Julian was, along with where and when she lived. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Julian lived
in the 14<sup>th</sup> century, at a time when the Black Death was ravaging
England. Harvests failed, the people were poor and starving, whilst taxes were
high. The climax of this was a young King Richard II was on the throne, and the
Peasant’s Revolt of 1381. A poll tax was levied to pay for the Hundred Years
War with France, and when officials tried to enforce payment, the peasants
fought back. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAq7dzs44a0OKSjpJMq6JzhN9kOug2sqOYtb2MolwY91TKziSiH_aWGBoZs7GfrV865QbsnY3RwJTSx0yEPPAyndOZUNxdTGZUaGuIHuLJjPLcSJkUxMFqV8ImV6tD4mm8jLgA6dTJHaV/s1600/julian1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRAq7dzs44a0OKSjpJMq6JzhN9kOug2sqOYtb2MolwY91TKziSiH_aWGBoZs7GfrV865QbsnY3RwJTSx0yEPPAyndOZUNxdTGZUaGuIHuLJjPLcSJkUxMFqV8ImV6tD4mm8jLgA6dTJHaV/s400/julian1.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">This was a
time of great unrest, with Wat Tyler raising a group of fighting men to try and
storm the Tower of London. In the midst of the social distress, lack of food,
and risk of the plague they were dark times indeed. But Julian felt a calling
to ‘anchor the light of God’ on earth. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Little is
known about Julian’s earlier life, and our main clue is Julian’s own words
where she refers to herself as a “Simple, uneducated woman.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Julian’s
mission was to represent a quiet oasis of calm, in the midst of all the strife.
To do this she became an anchoress in a cell, in a church in Norfolk. Indeed,
it seems likely she took her name from that of the church, Julian, Bishop of Le
Mans, where she lived. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoj94Qayso4l5_QCY2qCen1qzSxjunOcFoHqfTavaRQwmZTfA_1uFli3mUtel2UaO5DzFzQu0V3JRenlMhz4ePMJ8gKKZEWIsTLs3kqVv3ZJeHEF3VfC89Xa_uHezsHejs7EtkLrf7U4Q/s1600/julian7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDoj94Qayso4l5_QCY2qCen1qzSxjunOcFoHqfTavaRQwmZTfA_1uFli3mUtel2UaO5DzFzQu0V3JRenlMhz4ePMJ8gKKZEWIsTLs3kqVv3ZJeHEF3VfC89Xa_uHezsHejs7EtkLrf7U4Q/s400/julian7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The church from which Julian took her saintly name.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">Her purpose
was to live a life of solitude and prayer, and provide counsel via a small
curtained window to those that needed it. She lived entirely with a small cell and a
small enclosed yard with a high wall.
That one room had three small windows: One so she could hear Mass and take
the Sacrament, a second where a servant placed her food, and the third through
which she gave counsel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">However, she
did have a companion, in the shape of a cat. This was for entirely practical
reasons, in order to keep the rat population down. But it seems likely that
Julian and that cat struck up a very close relationship, and that feline
certainly must have been a bright light to Saint Julian in those dark times.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";">(Thank you to Susan, for bringing Saint Julian to my attention.) <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPRxsXKjI2vM_STz-5760D2o8mSOVqhNNO1_Kh0BY0tEoPB71KVG5dUffPM7A9VfqHwAyKtdAWzkKrLoPF2R2XH-3BNlWVX0s4Ln7gCLtPzlWTba75Fa75Ht7c5qxYgEM_tNDOiVKlSP9/s1600/large.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIPRxsXKjI2vM_STz-5760D2o8mSOVqhNNO1_Kh0BY0tEoPB71KVG5dUffPM7A9VfqHwAyKtdAWzkKrLoPF2R2XH-3BNlWVX0s4Ln7gCLtPzlWTba75Fa75Ht7c5qxYgEM_tNDOiVKlSP9/s400/large.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-63327281800401567732015-11-08T12:05:00.002-08:002015-11-09T05:33:30.394-08:00Who is the Patron Saint of Cats? <div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Who is the patron saint of cats? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">You might think a likely candidate was Saint
Francis of Assisi, but you’d be wrong. St Francis is the patron saint of
animals (including cats) but apart from being an all-round good egg when it
came to animals he had not extra special affinity for cats. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb85nb1TPjkf54YKPNN_KHUf-iQmVyq_lszNb5QpJ-ab-lHDmrbQ_hLQbKUl3_WD2dy1CuKy1z8ao8rq2y4VEBHkZYK_J_rRUQLD3-WZFbu3fixf700HKtW7ZzAMWsJuFcQi0TPyGoL-3/s1600/St.-Francis-of-Assisi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSb85nb1TPjkf54YKPNN_KHUf-iQmVyq_lszNb5QpJ-ab-lHDmrbQ_hLQbKUl3_WD2dy1CuKy1z8ao8rq2y4VEBHkZYK_J_rRUQLD3-WZFbu3fixf700HKtW7ZzAMWsJuFcQi0TPyGoL-3/s400/St.-Francis-of-Assisi.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saint Francis of Assisi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Another possibility is Saint Mary Bartholomew
Bagnesi. She lived in the 16<sup>th</sup> century and was a Dominican nun who
suffered poor health. It seems cats liked Mary, and stayed with her in her sick
room. Indeed, cats seem to be a sort of guardian angel for Mary. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“At
least once when the cats knew Maria was hungry and hadn’t been looked after
they went and fetched cheese for her to eat.”</span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> The Catholic Herald. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis70zEt6kxe1_Hma0rPP4cBxFDko_o7Xjm1YvUHrI86SP5V0psfczeO_QG504dbCNy8fOv-hbTRYu-kRvw860O4Miym2j5Ol8nnUEydbjVQ43YuJi9Np8dhyphenhyphenQteA-a8V_sq4o51jTTE0WT/s1600/Bl+Mary+Bartholomew+Bagnesi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis70zEt6kxe1_Hma0rPP4cBxFDko_o7Xjm1YvUHrI86SP5V0psfczeO_QG504dbCNy8fOv-hbTRYu-kRvw860O4Miym2j5Ol8nnUEydbjVQ43YuJi9Np8dhyphenhyphenQteA-a8V_sq4o51jTTE0WT/s400/Bl+Mary+Bartholomew+Bagnesi.jpg" width="288" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Bartholomew Bagnesi</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">But no, Mary is not the saint we are looking for: Her
area of patronage falls on the abused, the sick, and as a protector of parents.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO4ByxTwBDJC62YNagmBZ9bwC9K_sSgJZdmdbJseD0Mv3O-FedxDbVfDANcBILKrQ3P6fAyFGqSm1WOM5KiJ6OysT4-iPnE38dMsVGkvqt66NRL3ZEGk8AsLrOnTKRUtWV63QMo9DN3xj/s1600/gertrude-of-nivelles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIO4ByxTwBDJC62YNagmBZ9bwC9K_sSgJZdmdbJseD0Mv3O-FedxDbVfDANcBILKrQ3P6fAyFGqSm1WOM5KiJ6OysT4-iPnE38dMsVGkvqt66NRL3ZEGk8AsLrOnTKRUtWV63QMo9DN3xj/s400/gertrude-of-nivelles.jpg" width="325" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gertrude of Nivelles<br />
Patron saint of cats<br />
Rather confusingly with some rats</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In truth this is a trick question because there is no ‘official’ patron saint of
cats, although St. Gertrude of Nivelles unofficially holds the honor. Gertrude
is the patron saint of travelers, gardeners, and protects against mental
illness…and rats. The latter is possibly where her associated with cats began. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Many pictures of Saint Gertrude show her with a
mouse on her staff, which is where it all gets a little confusing. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuvkSbhHmxdqyEv9cJzdIY5lx4B8zIH9hIMd4PDsDvk0sV27RaiFqaM2OzPTdKNTHRn8JuY5Wn_mTv0vje1ozru-51dVj48KCeZ2hCyRE7MiSmU8L4eBdnz-aiMD340TdGSbW5XgVzLB_/s1600/6a010535ce1cf6970c01bb07b0f268970d+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbuvkSbhHmxdqyEv9cJzdIY5lx4B8zIH9hIMd4PDsDvk0sV27RaiFqaM2OzPTdKNTHRn8JuY5Wn_mTv0vje1ozru-51dVj48KCeZ2hCyRE7MiSmU8L4eBdnz-aiMD340TdGSbW5XgVzLB_/s400/6a010535ce1cf6970c01bb07b0f268970d+%25281%2529.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Whilst she
was said to protect against rats and mice, the mice shown with her in pictures
are said to represent the souls of the recently deceased in purgatory (whom she is also
patron saint of). Whichever way round things are (mice good or mice bad) it seems
Gertrude was kind to all the cats in the convent gardens, and cats were
encouraged there in order to keep the vermin population under control. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9DZUjG0gCz-hJCKnGmjVZ_90rZUGSENx3UfZVD6uWopNkT2rZkmL4jmTQZu5cfGK2r0C6nyXAtVR3mJ5W0gl9Lpb35CSpGMH5oDA7xNlpDrsoLOjT6HfDKE5q5ssnIIHaDcKb3EEANdb/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg9DZUjG0gCz-hJCKnGmjVZ_90rZUGSENx3UfZVD6uWopNkT2rZkmL4jmTQZu5cfGK2r0C6nyXAtVR3mJ5W0gl9Lpb35CSpGMH5oDA7xNlpDrsoLOjT6HfDKE5q5ssnIIHaDcKb3EEANdb/s400/images.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Gertrude was born in Belgium, in 626, and died aged
33, in 659. However, it wasn’t until the Middle Ages that she popularly became
linked to cats, so perhaps it was more wishful thinking than fact, to put right
a wrong that cats should have their own saint. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Oh, and Gertrude's saint's day is March 17.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZfjUWbzuYTiToMdnjaGWGs4Zd0YMMPdM62XQoRJWT_Uz6vhjG_MW0uMuqDyjZIRlDvzY1AHlgftTZxkGHyXT2rGSVYB0Y9JPJojzZmnIMDDcp-bJFtN_Qtvrg7247BGYkDOt4WLdu5Ip/s1600/1937987375d09641ccb834faf925bc15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYZfjUWbzuYTiToMdnjaGWGs4Zd0YMMPdM62XQoRJWT_Uz6vhjG_MW0uMuqDyjZIRlDvzY1AHlgftTZxkGHyXT2rGSVYB0Y9JPJojzZmnIMDDcp-bJFtN_Qtvrg7247BGYkDOt4WLdu5Ip/s400/1937987375d09641ccb834faf925bc15.jpg" width="372" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4745893693457784689.post-75630263478578939832015-10-29T02:44:00.000-07:002015-10-29T02:44:25.045-07:00Hares and Rabbits in Medieval England - by Regan Walker<br /><span style="color: #38761d;"><i>A warm welcome to guest Regan Walker, who posts on the 'hop'-topic of Hares and Rabbits in Medieval England. G x</i></span><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-PurQmkMgFwV_Dv_ixti8AzDvxiZOKCHGsC-0wZfszCWUEgwFL_TOdFmKUeiV1gGdTGMfS9IkUIQFugB8i2UPMDY0WraOFY-QtkxWIO8TFOL2xcYSd5FZJYrb1tJWvHTXOIwnaOFjjZu/s1600/Medieval+rabbits.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-PurQmkMgFwV_Dv_ixti8AzDvxiZOKCHGsC-0wZfszCWUEgwFL_TOdFmKUeiV1gGdTGMfS9IkUIQFugB8i2UPMDY0WraOFY-QtkxWIO8TFOL2xcYSd5FZJYrb1tJWvHTXOIwnaOFjjZu/s400/Medieval+rabbits.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medieval rabbits</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p>Though both hares and rabbits existed
in medieval England, the rabbit was a rare beast and much sought after for both
its meat and its fur. Unlike the hare, the rabbit was not native to Britain,
but was deliberately introduced from France or the western Mediterranean by the
13<sup>th</sup> century. While the hare is considered native to Britain, it is
possible the Romans may have introduced it. However, there are no records of
them in Britain before Norman times, the 11<sup>th</sup> century.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My new novel, <i>Rogue Knight</i>, is set in Yorkshire in 1069-70 when William the
Conqueror came north to claim Northumbria and engaged in the debacle we know
today as the “Harrying of the North” causing the deaths of as many as 100,000
people. <o:p></o:p></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCZZ9Xr8kHQRLqqydu_xUEMQfbi8lwFgus3r7xkktCScMhVFI8M_LG_m6EF4aPqL8ERJoNmuE7hebIzSNlFLq0MSVrbbCk54mQ1U0EaSBxKFJGR4-Qa6xWmsSc3RCfxXuQHgnBcoXPV_n/s1600/Yorkshire+Dales.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJCZZ9Xr8kHQRLqqydu_xUEMQfbi8lwFgus3r7xkktCScMhVFI8M_LG_m6EF4aPqL8ERJoNmuE7hebIzSNlFLq0MSVrbbCk54mQ1U0EaSBxKFJGR4-Qa6xWmsSc3RCfxXuQHgnBcoXPV_n/s400/Yorkshire+Dales.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Yorkshire Dales</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I like to think that some people,
chased from their homes by William’s army and deprived of the ability to grow
food, might have survived on the brown hare, native to Yorkshire. Certainly my
heroine and her family, hiding out from the Normans, dined on hare while living
in the woods.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The brown hare is generally larger than
a rabbit. They have long, black-tipped ears and a tall and leggy appearance.
They are timid and fast runners. They prefer grassland fields and some woodland
in their habitat. In the Peak District of England, you will find the smaller
mountain hare.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-b7e-ECTGoGAZ5YfI6G10_NMJU615ccEnK86IxXB5dKPQfnCYpwF6QQVEZDto5aKXX9BQSuzH8lhhC3Q4F77Tu5XslhPElVF7XzRTlJx3FPWHlPWYLuISxfWYaR8efeDatuMjytpAIjA/s1600/Brown+hare+by+Whitfield+Benson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-b7e-ECTGoGAZ5YfI6G10_NMJU615ccEnK86IxXB5dKPQfnCYpwF6QQVEZDto5aKXX9BQSuzH8lhhC3Q4F77Tu5XslhPElVF7XzRTlJx3FPWHlPWYLuISxfWYaR8efeDatuMjytpAIjA/s400/Brown+hare+by+Whitfield+Benson.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Brown Hare by Whitfield Benson</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<br /><div class="MsoNormal">
Unlike young rabbits, that are born
blind and furless, totally dependent upon their mother, young brown hares,
called leverets, are born fully formed and active, weaned in a month. Their
average life expectancy is three years. Rabbits raised in captivity might live
longer. In the Middle Ages, rabbit-warrens were almost the sole source of
supply for rabbits and that is one reason they were so valuable and closely
guarded.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Throughout the medieval era, beginning
after the Norman Conquest the right to hunt and kill any beast or game was a
privilege granted by the king. The <i>Anglo-Saxon
Chronicle</i> in a verse written shortly after his death states, “He made great
protection for the game and imposed laws for the same, that who so slew hart or
hind should be made blind.” (William the Conqueror seemed to love poking out
people’s eyes.) And, as for the hares, “…did he decree that they should go
free.” (Meaning they could not be hunted for the <i>Chronicle </i>indicates “Powerful men complained of it and poor man
lamented it, but so fierce was he that he cared not for the rancor of them
all…”)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaSHtsS7td5v8h7XZL60EIqmpI3b7bbXhN3l1RGntCJtWSc9X6RzZBfUEfOgOwu6aM4nVNPmN8qI-FXjG5Ki98RRanuRD0XzD-czBqIPFpBdM-FI6oUqigELaTMbZRKl9GL4P1EJ2L5K4/s1600/Brown+hare+by+Matt+Neale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHaSHtsS7td5v8h7XZL60EIqmpI3b7bbXhN3l1RGntCJtWSc9X6RzZBfUEfOgOwu6aM4nVNPmN8qI-FXjG5Ki98RRanuRD0XzD-czBqIPFpBdM-FI6oUqigELaTMbZRKl9GL4P1EJ2L5K4/s320/Brown+hare+by+Matt+Neale.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown Hare by Matt Neale</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It appears that the royal forests of
the kind that existed in the 12<sup>th</sup> century were, thus, a Norman
creation. The Domesday Book, written in 1086 at the order of William I,
indicates that the royal forest was created though a combination of eviction
and the taking of woodland and uninhabited land. At the height of the royal
forest practice in the late 12th and early 13th centuries, fully one-third of
the land area of southern England was designated as royal forest.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hunting in the royal forests was the
privilege of the king alone. Outside of those areas, the king would sell
hunting rights by means of a charter that allowed the killing of the “beasts of
warren”—pheasant, partridge, hare and rabbit. Hence the right to keep and kill
rabbits was the exclusive right of the owner of the “free-warren”. Grants of
warren—the right to hunt hares—can be found from the reign of at least William
II and perhaps William I.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUIwn0F4ArWdV6J1qzMGOCwcRwIgTPI-AtVTFHC77-5zVhaKtV5ShKM3D9L6Ic3zNo4Xk_gwum1GB9tymkfo0optUE_2w0hIyo_mXfFbpHRlA4EzydaHlBv-EXvB-__aQVmU-tWN5IH1r/s1600/Hare+and+knight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZUIwn0F4ArWdV6J1qzMGOCwcRwIgTPI-AtVTFHC77-5zVhaKtV5ShKM3D9L6Ic3zNo4Xk_gwum1GB9tymkfo0optUE_2w0hIyo_mXfFbpHRlA4EzydaHlBv-EXvB-__aQVmU-tWN5IH1r/s1600/Hare+and+knight.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hare and Knight</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Henry I, as reported in the <i>Gesta Stephani</i>, “claimed for himself
sole hunting rights of wild beasts throughout England…” That doesn’t leave a
poor man many options to feed his family, but perhaps a hare in a remote area
found its way into a poor family’s stewpot.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>A huge thank you to Regan for this fascinating and hare-raising post! As ever Regan lives and breathes history, and I'm grateful to her for sharing that love with us. </i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i>So let's 'hop' to it and find out about Regan's latest release...Rogue Knight.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #38761d;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3yAIRv8q5JJREpLGoP0Ce-2j17wAsD2Ch8GUIFXMYYQ-PLVi_dkMddJM5qsEWxwnGscK43spTcCU7C0S0N1pe2BvY7LziDNi2spvNAmzRGSnUTXxJ45jMNK0XvX4UaeVWXbfA5iXLX_H/s1600/ReganWalker_RogueKnight600x900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy3yAIRv8q5JJREpLGoP0Ce-2j17wAsD2Ch8GUIFXMYYQ-PLVi_dkMddJM5qsEWxwnGscK43spTcCU7C0S0N1pe2BvY7LziDNi2spvNAmzRGSnUTXxJ45jMNK0XvX4UaeVWXbfA5iXLX_H/s400/ReganWalker_RogueKnight600x900.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Knight-Medieval-Warriors-Book-ebook/dp/B014ZCMWZ4" target="_blank">THE ROGUE KNIGHT</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Mesmerizing medieval romance! A vivid portrayal of love
flourishing amidst the turbulence of the years after the Norman Conquest."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">-- Kathryn Le Veque, USA Today Bestselling
Author</span></i><i><o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>York, England 1069… three
years after the Norman Conquest<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The North of England seethes with discontent under the heavy
hand of William the Conqueror, who unleashes his fury on the rebels who would dare
to defy him. Amid the ensuing devastation, love blooms in the heart of a
gallant Norman knight for a Yorkshire widow.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
A LOVE NEITHER CAN
DENY, A PASSION NEITHER CAN RESIST<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Angry at the cruelty she has witnessed at the Normans’ hands,
Emma of York is torn between her loyalty to her noble Danish father, a leader
of the rebels, and her growing passion for an honorable French knight.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Loyal to King William, Sir Geoffroi de Tournai has no idea
Emma hides a secret that could mean death for him and his fellow knights.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
WAR DREW THEM
TOGETHER, WAR WOULD TEAR THEM APART<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
War erupts, tearing asunder the tentative love growing
between them, leaving each the enemy of the other. Will Sir Geoffroi, convinced
Emma has betrayed him, defy his king to save her?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://www.reganwalkerauthor.com/" target="_blank">Regan Walker website</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Regan Walker on<a href="https://www.facebook.com/regan.walker.104" target="_blank"> Facebook</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Pinterest <a href="https://www.pinterest.com/reganwalker123/rogue-knight-by-regan-walker/" target="_blank">storyboard</a> for the Rogue Knight (Always worth checking out!) </div>
Pippa Elliotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10128414630918980034noreply@blogger.com4