Laura Frantz joins us for a chat about castles, Scottish heritage, travel and her latest release The Rose and the Thistle. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!
For today’s Pinch of the Past, we had Tisha Martin on the show to share Novel Research: Town History. It’s always fun to dig into the history of the town you’re writing about. Many famous people grew up in small towns, which is really surprising. (Full post here.)
Today’s Bookworm Review is bought to you by Christie K. “The Cairo Curse by Pepper Basham is the second in a series and there are several allusions to the instances in the first book but it could function as a standalone. Except, the first book was so much fun to read that I highly recommend reading that one too!” (Full review here.)
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Patricia Raybon joins us for a chat about under-appreciated novels, taking one day at a time, special readers, and her latest release Double the Lies. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!
For today’s Pinch of the Past, we’re looking at the defense of a castle! As decades of siege warfare passed, architects and designers learned to use even the smallest things to their advantage to make a castle as defensible as possible… (Full post here.)
Today’s Bookworm Review is bought to you by Christie K. “All the Lost Places has themes of forgiveness and grace woven throughout with very mild violence during the climatic scene. Both stories have sweet romances.” (Full review here.)
For today’s Pinch of the Past, I am dragging you all along to take a peek at one of my absolute favorite topics–the defense of a castle! Our listeners might be thankful KyLee’s here to rein me in if I get carried away…
The Walls
The thing I love about castles is how every detail was important for defense. As decades of siege warfare passed, architects and designers learned to use even the smallest things to their advantage to make a castle as defensible as possible.
The first and most obvious defense for a castle was, of course, its massive walls. Their size varied depending on the castle, but to give us an idea, a castle built in Wales in the late 13th century had an outer wall 20 feet high and 8 feet thick. The inner wall was 15 feet taller and 4 feet thicker, with its towers soaring to 50 feet.
I didn’t think much about the outer wall being shorter. I assumed it would just be too expensive to build two walls 35 feet high. But the height difference meant that both walls could be used for defense at the same time. While defenders on the outer walls were fighting the attacking army, defenders on the inner wall could be shooting at the enemy right over the heads of their comrades below.
Near the base, the walls sloped outward slightly, making them even thicker. This made the walls stronger, of course, but it also served another purpose that I’ll share in a moment.
Hoardings
At the top of the walls and towers most castles sport a notched edge called crenelation. It’s pretty well known that these scallops, called merlons, provided a place for defenders to hide as they shot between them at the attackers below.
But since the castle often had advance warning that an army was coming, they would build wooden balconies, called hoardings, that jutted out a few feet from the top of the walls. These hoardings had roofs which were covered in animal skins to make them more resistant to flaming arrows. This way, when the attackers tried to scale the walls or use a battering ram, the defenders could hurl boulders, boiling oil, melted lead, or arrows straight down through the floor of the hoardings.
And you remember the sloping base at the bottom of the wall? That provided a surface for falling projectiles to hit and bounce toward the attackers. They really took advantage of every feature.
Curved Towers
So the last thing we’ll mention is the gorgeous curved towers you see on some castles. One of the tactics for breaching castle walls involved digging a tunnel under them to try to make them collapse. Digging under a square corner was the best place–but round towers have no corners, so it would basically be like undermining the middle of a straight wall.
Speaking of curved towers, that brings me to the quintessential feature of a fairytale castle–the spiral staircase. In a real castle, the stairs always spiral clockwise as you ascend. This means that anyone who breached the outer wall and tried to climb the staircase to seize a tower had to climb with his swordhand next to the middle shaft of the staircase. Any defenders inside could descend with their swordhand toward the outer wall of the staircase, giving them a lot more room to maneuver their weapon. Something as simple as the direction of the stairs was turned to the defenders’ advantage.
Hope you’ve enjoyed this small tour of a castle at war! Maybe next time we’ll talk about a castle at peace…or something like that.
Kimberly Duffy joins us for a chat about travel, writing, and her latest release The Weight of Air. Don’t forget to enter to win a copy of this great book!
On today’s Pinch of the Past we will be looking at an extraordinary woman before her time. Ada Lovelace is considered the first computer programmer, was the daughter of Lord Byron, and the most wealthy women of the 1800s. (Full post here.)
Today’s Bookworm Review is bought to you by Christie K.
“If you’re in the mood for a combustible combination of danger, romance, strong characters, willful horses, and family drama–The Secrets of Emberwild by Stephenia H McGee is a must-read!” (Full review here.)
Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (1815 – 1852)
On today’s Pinch of the Past we will be looking at an extraordinary woman before her time. Ada Lovelace, considered the first computer programmer, was the daughter of Lord Byron and the most wealthy woman of the 1800s.
Childhood
A sketch of young Ada, who was noticeably gifted by her teachers and mentors. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
Born in England on December 10, 1815, she was the daughter of the famous poet Lord George Byron and his wife, Lady Anne Byron. She was Byron’s only legitimate child, and he left her and her mother weeks after she was born. He actually commemorated parting from her in his poem titled “Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage” saying,
“Is thy face like thy mother’s my fair child! ADA! sole daughter of my house and heart?”
Sadly, Lord Byron died when Ada was nine. In an effort to keep her from developing Lord Byron’s perceived insanity, and possibly out of spite, Lady Byron encouraged her daughter’s interest in mathematics and logic.
Ada was mentored by Charles Babbage who is known as “the father of computers”. He invented the Difference Engine, an early version of the calculator.
Even after marrying William King, the Earl of Lovelace, and having three children, Ada continued her work with Babbage. He asked her to interpret his instructions for the Analytical Engine in French. Ada did so, adding her additional notes and signing them A. A. L.
Ada understood that the machine worked with letters and codes, not just as a calculator using numbers, but also letters which is basically computer programming.
Her notes would later be used by Alan Turing who invented the first modern computer in the 1940s. In 1979, the U.S. Department of Defense named a programming language Ada in her honor.
She was a uniquely talented person. Ada often used metaphors to describe scientific theories and also used her unique talents as a poet to interpret and create a pattern-based language for mathematical insights. When describing the Analytical Engine she said it “weaves algebraic patterns, just as the Jacquard loom weaves flowers and leaves.”
Later life
Photograph by IanDagnall Computing / Alamy
Ada only lived to be 37. She suffered from asthma and digestive problems. Like many people at that time, she used opium-based painkillers and, unfortunately, developed an addiction. It is unknown if she was ever in remission. She died of uterine cancer in London in the year 1852.
No matter how short her life, Ada is an example of a woman who used every opportunity to pursue what she loved. Despite suffering from health problems throughout her life, she contributed to the advancement of our society’s technology.
A Sunday Afternoon in a Gin Palace. Illustration for The Graphic, 1879.
In the end of the 19th century, the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children produced a report on the maltreatment of children. To exhibit their findings they used an imaginary city of 500,000 people of various classes and occupations. 1/3 were adult and 2/3 were children. They concluded that 50% of the streets were inhabited by drunkards and that 50% of cruelty and crime were directly connected to drink.
At the time alcohol affected every part of the family unit. In 1899 a Medical officer in Liverpool conducted a survey to understand more fully the effect of mother’s drinking during pregnancy. He surveyed women in prisons and found that of 600 children, 335 died before the age of 2 (this included stillborn babies.
To break this down a little, 23.9 % of children born to sober mothers died before the age of two against the 55.2% of children who were born to inebriated mothers.
The Band of Hope grew from its humble beginning in 1847. By 1897 they had 3,238,323 members. They were reaching children whose lives were directly affected by alcohol. According to History of Hope UK (formerly the United Kingdom Band of Hope Union, “Generally, the conditions for children at that time were wretched and alcohol misuse was often implicated – for example in children with irregular school attendance, children becoming street traders, physical harm to children and sometimes death. It was in this environment that the Band of Hope was working.”
Another quote:
“To children The Band of Hope must have been the one bright spot of the week, bearing in mind the drab conditions of the times when the public house was the only place of ‘good cheer’ in so many communities. By any standards with which the success or failure of a movement may be judged, the Band of Hope has to be reckoned as a success, almost in a class of its own. What other youth movement in the United Kingdom has ever had a membership of over 3 million?” (quote from Drink in Great Britain, 1900-1979 Williams\Brake).
Important Acts the Band of Hope helped to bring into effect were:
In 1889 and 1894 the Cruelty to Children Acts established the right of the nation to give children the rights their parents had denied them.
In 1901 the Intoxicating liquors (Sale to Children) Act was passed which prevented the sale of intoxicating liquors to children under 14, except in corked and sealed containers.
In 1909 another Act excluded children from such parts of licensed premises where consumption of liquor was the chief feature. Newspapers reported that this act had had a dramatic effect in almost all public houses and children were no longer to be seen with parents in the bars.
From 1909 onwards the school syllabus included education on alcohol, its problems etc. Originally this included the promotion of ‘temperance’. The misuse of alcohol was thought to relate to the misuse of food. The educational approach today relates it to the misuse of drugs.
Despite the bleak reminders of our fallen world, it’s encouraging to see that the same issues of addiction we see today were experienced and also responded to in the past. When I look at the missionaries, advocates for protecting children, and even temperance leagues throughout history I am deeply encouraged that God did and still does use finite people in small ways to effect infinite change.
You can find a 1901 footage of the Band of Hope here
There is nothing new under the sun. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard my dad say that over the years. I guess I should not have been surprised then when I ran across a temperance association that educated children(!) about the dangers of drugs and alcohol in the 1800s. Like our modern-day D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education.)
It All Started with an Alcoholic Sunday School Teacher
In June of 1847, Reverend Jabez Tunnicliff visited a young man who was dying of alcoholism. The young man had previously been a Sunday school teacher. He told the reverend, “I want you, if you think it worthwhile to say anything about me when I’m gone, to warn young men against the first glass.”
Rev. Tunnicliff reported this to the Leeds Temperance Society. In August of that same year, they invited Mrs. Ann Jane Carlile to speak about alcoholism to local day schools, Sunday schools, and women’s groups. Some children at these events took pledges not to drink.
In November 1847 the first Band of Hope meeting took place in Leeds. 300 children, 16 and younger, attended and 200 chose to sign a pledge to abstain. The rest had already done so.
Their pledge was, “I, the undersigned, do agree that I will not use intoxicating liquors as a beverage.”
In 1855 the UK Band of Hope Union was formed as many different children’s recreational organizations joined together. They did more than just sign packs to not drink. They also taught about Christianity and the problems associated with drinking. The idea was to inspire children to live healthy, alcohol-free lives.
What did they do?
They produced children’s hymns, pamphlets, and “magic lantern slide shows” to support the group. In addition to sending qualified medical men to schools to speak about the dangers of alcohol and drugs, they also held pageants, festivals, and competitions.
In 1897, Queen Victoria became a patron of The Band of Hope. As a result, many sermons on temperance were preached all over the UK. The archbishop of Canterbury and Dublin headed this movement. While preaching at St. Pauls’ Cathedral, the Arch Bishop of Canterbury said,
“ The old command was ‘do”; the teaching of Christ is ‘be’. The Christian life should be one of ceaseless aspirations towards higher and better things. When an improved mode of life is seen it should be striven for, and it is a sin to neglect any means of attaining it.”
Whew, those are some high expectations. Still, so true. “…the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Matthew 26:41 – KJV
Pinch of the Past: The Band of Hope Park 1. There is nothing new under the sun. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard my dad say that over the years. I guess I should not have been surprised then when I ran across a temperance association that educated children(!) about the dangers of drugs and alcohol in the 1800s. Like our modern-day D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education.) (Full post here.)
“Erica Vetsch has once again proven herself to be a skilled writer with a flair for capturing the details and atmosphere of a historic setting. Her words bring Regency Era London to life, juxtaposing grimy pubs and glittering ballrooms so vividly that one wonders if Vetsch is in fact a time-traveler recounting her visits to the past.” (Full review here.)
From a legendary Christian bishop to an elf driving flying reindeer across the sky, Saint Nicholas has certainly come a long way. Today we’re taking a look at some of the stops along this wild journey to international fame.
Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra
Nicholas of Myra is believed to be the historical source of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of children, sailors, students, teachers, and merchants. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons
Little is known about the actual man who became the Catholic St. Nicholas. He was the bishop of Myra in what is now Turkey. At the Council of Nicaea, he famously lost his temper and slapped another bishop in the face for arguing that Christ was not equal with God. But most details about his life are fuzzy.
Legend has it that St. Nicholas was a generous man, giving all of his inheritance to the poor. One story tells of a poor man who was on the verge of selling his three daughters into slavery as he could not provide dowries for them to marry. St. Nicholas, using a window to preserve his anonymity, tossed bags of gold into the house at night. Supposedly they landed in the girls’ stockings or shoes, which were drying before the fire.
In Germany
AUSTRIA – JANUARY 01: Christmas party 1820 with Santa Claus. In: memory book for Baumann family, a Viennese merchant family.
St. Nicholas Day is December sixth, the anniversary of St. Nicholas’s death, and in medieval Germany, that was the only day near Christmastime when gifts were exchanged. St. Nicholas supposedly came bringing gifts for good children, who left their shoes by the door or window the night of December 5th and woke to find them filled with goodies.
But St. Nicholas was often accompanied by a darker, monstrous creature, known by many names, one of them being the Krampas. The horned Krampas went so far as to whip naughty children with switches. In Alpine regions, the Krampas has been toned down but is still part of the traditional Christmas festivities today.
In the Netherlands
In the Netherlands, St. Nicholas was known as Sinterklaas. Impersonators dressed up in red bishop’s costumes, and small markets sprang up around St. Nicholas Day specifically to sell small toys and treats to fill children’s shoes.
During the Reformation, the celebration of Catholic saints became unpopular, and the angelic Christ-child, or das Christkindl in German, was promoted as the bringer of gifts to children. The word Christkindl eventually Anglicized into Kris Kringle.
In England
‘Merry Christmas’, Kenny Meadows, Illustrated London News, 25 December 1847.
In England the character of Father Christmas dates back to the 1400’s, however he was not representative of a particular person but more an embodiment of Christmas festivities. He gave no gifts, but supposedly presided over Christmas festivities, delighting in the special food and drink and merriment. He might be known as “Lord of Christmas” or “Prince Christmas” and often condoned rowdy celebration.
Scholars say the Ghost of Christmas Present who visited Scrooge was actually a close likeness to the “Father Christmas” of the time.
In America
‘Santa Claus in Camp’ by Thomas Nast, from Harper’s Weekly, 3 Jan 1863.
It was in America where the modern Santa Claus emerged. In 1809, Dutch families still told tales of St. Nicholas on December sixth. Supposedly, he flew over the city in a wagon and climbed down chimneys to deliver gifts.
In 1821, an anonymous poem entitled, “Old Santeclaus with Great Delight,” gave Santa his red coat and reindeer, and moved his visit to Christmas Eve. In 1823, Clement Clark Moore brought us the poem now known as “The Night Before Christmas,” giving Santa most of the features we know him for today.
In the 1880s, Victorian England was ready for a more family-oriented Christmas celebration, and the American Santa Claus stepped up to merge with Father Christmas into a benevolent red-coated grandfather bringing gifts for the children.
But it was during the world wars when American soldiers brought the gift-giving Santa Claus across Europe and even to Japan. Dressed in Santa costumes, they gave gifts to local children in the war-torn countries at Christmastime, forever imprinting the “jolly old elf” on the hearts of people who had never heard of him.
Perhaps the only thing that has lasted from the real St. Nicholas to the Santa Claus of today is his generosity in giving to those in need. And that, my friends, is truly at the heart of what God did on Christmas Day.
