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In medieval London, everyone from kings to peasants ate eels. But by the 19th C eels had largely become a street food.
In 1851, London imported 9.8 million live eels per year (mostly from Holland). 70% went to street vendors selling hot buttered eels in poorer parts of the city.
#eels #medieval #history #london
Buying redemption w/ eels wasn't just a medieval English thing. Oh, no!
In 1500 the Duke of Ferarra wanted nuns in Florence to pray for him. But that kinda thing ain't free, & to get his prayers the duke had to make regular payments of eels to the sisters.
Eels were so prevalent in the medieval Fens that some villages paid rent to multiple landlords. The village of Welles is a good example.
In the 13th C., the villagers paid:
60,000 eels --> Ramsey abbot
4,000 --> Peterborough abbot
300 --> Romsey abbess
250 --> Chatteris abbot
If eels have an archenemy, it herons. Chaucer, in his poem "Parliament of Fowls", calls the heron as the "eel foe."
Here, for your Friday, is a 15th C. image of an eel in distress, being eaten by a saucy, goat-footed heron wearing a bishop's mitre.
May this never happen to you!
#eels #history #medieval #herons
Have you ever gotten in a fight w/ a neighbor? Was it about eels?
In 1277, a Wiltshire man named William Durdi charged 3 of his neighbors w/ poaching eels from him. Sadly for William, a jury dismissed the case, finding the men had taken the eels from their own fishing spots.
#eels #medieval #history
Most eel-rents were paid in preserved fish (usually cold smoked). There were rents for fresh eels, but these were always for smaller numbers.
For example, in 1100 the priory of Hurley collected an annual rent from a property near Ely of 1500 dried & 40 "fat" (fresh) eels.
#eels #medieval #history
Some dating advice, friends: mind your eel.
The 16th C composer Thomas Whythorne wrote that maids go for looks, but widows have...um...other priorities. To court an experienced woman, he said, you "must not carry quick eels in your codpiece, but show some proof of being stiff." #eels #history #medieval #datingadvice
Friends...it's Friday! So here, for your enjoyment, is a 15th C. marginal fellow is off to have a good time with an amazing eel.
I hope that your weekend plans include fun and amazing things, too! #eels #medieval #history #friday
