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erastes10 Things I have learned/discovered whilst researching novels.
1. Prince Rupert invented lithography
2. Men's pants (knickers) were called "strossers" in the 17th Century. Not very attractive.
3. Gay Love-Letters from Lord Hervey to Stephen Fox
4. Rictor Norton! What a boon he is!
5. That in the 19th century, whilst sodomy was a hanging offence, proof of ejaculation had to be given to the court - and this, of course, was difficult to prove, so participants were sentenced to a lesser offence, that of assault with sodomitical intent.
6. The Shakespearian insult scroller
7. Cromwell was a university drop-out and yet still managed to be an MP. Nothing much changes.
8. Matthew Hopkins (perhaps the most notorious name in the history of English witchcraft, more commonly known as "The Witch-Finder General") who in 2 years, was responsible for the condemnations and executions of some 230 alleged witches was a lawyer. I'm not particularly surprised. Nowadays of course he would probably condone such behaviour. (evil grin)
9. There were only 7 prisoners in the Bastille when it was "Stormed." The Maquis de Sade was one of them.
10. I hate research.
1. Prince Rupert invented lithography
2. Men's pants (knickers) were called "strossers" in the 17th Century. Not very attractive.
3. Gay Love-Letters from Lord Hervey to Stephen Fox
4. Rictor Norton! What a boon he is!
5. That in the 19th century, whilst sodomy was a hanging offence, proof of ejaculation had to be given to the court - and this, of course, was difficult to prove, so participants were sentenced to a lesser offence, that of assault with sodomitical intent.
6. The Shakespearian insult scroller
7. Cromwell was a university drop-out and yet still managed to be an MP. Nothing much changes.
8. Matthew Hopkins (perhaps the most notorious name in the history of English witchcraft, more commonly known as "The Witch-Finder General") who in 2 years, was responsible for the condemnations and executions of some 230 alleged witches was a lawyer. I'm not particularly surprised. Nowadays of course he would probably condone such behaviour. (evil grin)
9. There were only 7 prisoners in the Bastille when it was "Stormed." The Maquis de Sade was one of them.
10. I hate research.
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no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 07:57 am (UTC)How's the writing going?
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:13 pm (UTC)Pretty good, am four chapters into the new novel, but I've had the 2nd Edit back of Standish now, so I need to concentrate on that until its done. Shame. Boo! The first Lurve scene will just have to wait.
What's the novel about?
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 08:00 am (UTC)Anyway, I'll email you in a bit. I'm in a celebratory mood. I just dropped off my accounts with my accountant. HURRAH!
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:16 pm (UTC)*G*
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 08:18 am (UTC)(I went to law school. I've worked for lawyers for YEARS. I know.)
Who is Ricktor Norton? (It's probably bad that the first thing that came to mind was The Borrowers by Mary Norton.)
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:24 pm (UTC)Yep. Evil. *points to current job*
Rictor Norton is a brilliant authority on all things gay, especially gay historical.
http://www.infopt.demon.co.uk/gayhist.htm
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 11:50 am (UTC)3. There's a book of love letters between King James and his minions.
5. Out of curiousity, in which book did you discover that?
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:34 pm (UTC)Oooo, linkee?
I was wrong, slip of the finger, it was the 19th century, and I picked my sodomy law in the 19th century from the Old Bailey site, here.
http://www.hrionline.ac.uk/luceneweb/bailey/results.jsp?words=sodomitical+intent&format=and&type=&range=&year=
Assault with Sodomitical Intent
This charge was levelled in cases of attempted or actual anal intercourse where it was thought impossible (or undesirable) to prove that penetration and ejaculation had actually occurred. This offence was a misdemeanour. See also: Sodomy.
Sodomy
Anal or oral intercourse between a man and another man, woman, or beast. In order to obtain a conviction, it was necessary to prove that both penetration and ejaculation had occurred, and two witnesses were required to prove the crime. Both the "active" and "passive" partner could be found guilty of this offence. But due to the difficulty of proving this offence, many men were prosecuted with the reduced charge of Assault with Sodomitical Intent.
Re: Gay Love-Letters from Lord Hervey to Stephen Fox
Date: 2006-08-21 06:35 pm (UTC)It seems fair that I shouldn't be prosecuted if I hang everyone in my firm then?
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 01:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 03:43 pm (UTC)5. That makes me seethe, for some reason.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:37 pm (UTC)And yes! And they have "Bastille Day" to celebrate this. I mean, a team of geriatrics could have stormed it. There was probably one guard and he was probably asleep.
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:40 pm (UTC)And that's really strange to have Bastille Day... I dunno...? Maybe the number of prisoners were small, but it was a damn hard fortress to break into?
no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 06:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 08:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 07:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-08-21 08:04 pm (UTC)Omg! So THAT'S what Bastille Day is all about!