Two Questions
Why did the one man give the executioner a coin before his execution?
What did Anne wear near her waist that she was always holding and playing with? It looked like it was metal and on a chain.
Thanks!
Why did the one man give the executioner a coin before his execution?
It was customary for the condemned to pardon the executioner and to even grant him payment in the hope that the executioner would provide an efficient service. In other words, they often paid him to ensure a quick death.
What did Anne wear near her waist that she was always holding and playing with? It looked like it was metal and on a chain.
Do you mean a girdle belt? It was attached around the waist and then one part hung down. It was often adorned with jewels, pearls and made up with elaborate gold links. It was popular for women to have a small prayer book or some book of verse on the ends of their girdle belts:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20631910@N03/2683534912/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20631910@N03/2588203568/
Pomanders were also popular to attach to the ends (a pomander was a popular fashion accessory at that time - it comprised of a small case, often elaborate, that held an object that gave off a pleasant scent):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/20631910@N03/2651217212/in/set-7215760580 9782158/
I haven’t watched the film in a while, but perhaps something like a pomander was attached to her girdle belt?
‘Noli me tangere; for Caesar's I am’ share
Thank you so much! My husband said maybe the payment was to ensure a quick death. He was guessing, though, so he'll be happy to learn he was correct!
YES....it must have been a pomander. It looked just like the link you posted. I noticed at least once while she was talking she was playing with it and put it to her nose or mouth. So, I was wondering if it was something that smelled good. I was thinking "what a good idea to wear something that held a scent instead of wearing the scent." :)
Thank you again!!!
That's ok! Your post encouraged me to re-watch the film! In the scene where Anne is challenging Wolsey with the king by her side, she appears to be sniffing an ornate ball at the end of the girdle belt, so I'm guessing it is a pomander. Her costume in that scene was superb!
‘Noli me tangere; for Caesar's I am’
It must be those little details that really made these people come to life in this movie. She just looked so comfortable in her costumes...very natural.
shareSome of the dresses were lovely! I particularly love the dress she wears during her trial:
http://bp3.blogger.com/_f3mHwdbzQ3Y/R_ArMc90kZI/AAAAAAAAJCE/9yBAfby19c E/s1600-h/Anne-Thousand-Days_39.jpg
http://bp2.blogger.com/_f3mHwdbzQ3Y/R_AsFM90kcI/AAAAAAAAJCc/G93ucBajBv w/s1600-h/Anne-Thousand-Days_44.jpg
‘Noli me tangere; for Caesar's I am’
I think the pomander was used to help mask body odors since bathing wasn't really a popular thing at the time.
share"I think the pomander was used to help mask body odors since bathing wasn't really a popular thing at the time."
Actually, that isn't true. There is plenty of evidence that people DID bathe frequently in Medieval and Tudor/Elizabethan times. This is evidenced from the vast soap making industry to the household books that detailed a person's behaviour from babyhood to death and for each day.
For example, at meal times, it was expected that everyone eating had washed their hands before coming to the table AND a washing bowl would be sent round at the start of the meal and between each "course" (or remove). The water would be constantly changed. It was severely frowned upon if a person did not wash.
Bathing by immersing oneself in a huge tub of water was not so common - but this is because it is a HUGE effort in terms of labour to heat up and carry enough water to fill a tub and then to empty it. But a person can have a perfectly good wash all over plus wash hair, with little more than linen cloths, soap, a large bowl and large pitcher/jugs of hot and cold water which in itself is frequently changed. People would have done this daily.
If one was smelling bad or there were a lot of people around you who smelt bad because they hadn't washed, a pomander would not alleviate the smell in any way. Pomanders were used in a similar way to perfume now. Period perfumes were VERY expensive. Rose or lavender water (or any other kind of floral "water") could be used on the body after the last wash but the scent does not linger because there isn't any preservative. If one wants the scent to linger, one has to use the VERY expensive Rose oil (or lavender oil). A few drops of this on the sponge layer in a pomander would last for ages - days. The scent would also "waft" around the person wearing the pomander - and last a lot longer than the Rose water. Far more cost effective.
It really is a fallacy that people in the past did not wash.
Regards
Bess Chilver
www.myladyswardrobe.com