1. Female duelists
Apparently not as uncommon as one might
think. I did quite a bit of research on this when I wrote Lady Alexandra’s Excellent Adventure. One of the most notable accounts,
is probably the incident where Princess Pauline Metternich and the Countess
Kielmannsegg came to arms because of a disagreement regarding a floral
arrangement. This duel achieved particular notoriety because both ladies fought
topless due to the danger of minor wounds turning septic as a result of fabric
being driven into the wounds with the point of the sword.
 |
| Artistic rendering of Lady Almeria Braddock and Mrs. Elphinstone dueling. The event took place after Mrs. Elphinstone accused Lady Almeria Braddock of lying about her age. You can read the reputed dialogue between them here - it's quite amusing. |
2. Women could be sold at market by their husbands
Turns out that during the Regency period, a
husband who wanted to be rid of his wife, could in fact lead her to market and
officially sell her. Oftentimes, the wife would be in agreement, but due to the
high expense/scandal of divorce, a transaction of this nature was a much
cheaper and simpler option, though there were many people who disapproved.
 |
| A contemporary French print of an English wife sale. The scene is set at a cattle market, which places it in the context of livestock sales and implies that the wife already has a lover, as the husband is shown apparently "wearing horns", a traditional symbol that he has been cuckolded. - From Wikipedia |
3. Men wore unmentionables but women wore…nothing
I pretty much knew this after all the
fashion history classes I took in college, but I didn’t realize that few women
prior to the Victorian era had a solution to ‘that time of the month’.
Menstruation belts were worn after 1800, but many women, especially those from
the lower classes, would just refrain from leaving the house.
4. The flush toilet was an Elizabethan invention.
I’ve always thought that flushing toilets
were invented during the Victorian era by George Jennings and somewhat later by
Thomas Crapper, but apparently that’s not the case. The very first flushing
toilet was invented by John Harrington in 1596, a prominent member of Queen
Elizabeth I's court.
5. Hang him!
Originally posted on FOREVER BOOK LOVER, April 30th 2015
