Thematic Guild

07/05/2024

DID YOU KNOW? … in 1775, the h**p crop made its first appearance on Clarks Run Creek, located near Danville, KY. Because this crop was not native to Kentucky at the time, it had to be imported from New England and other European countries. The fiber from the h**p crop was originally used for homespun items such as twine, rope, thread and textiles. Hemp's popularity began to grow dramatically between 1790 and 1800 when settlements began to evolve into more organized enterprises.
During the early 1800s, Kentucky was considered a leader in the production and exportation of h**p and began to manufacture products from it. With a great amount of seed, came large amounts of fiber which was then spun into rope at locations known as “ROPEWALKS”. These areas were outdoor spaces where h**p fibers were spun in order to make this sturdy rope. By 1809, Kentucky was producing bailing materials for the entire South. Mills on Lower Howards Creek, located near Hall's on the River, were associated with the h**p rope production and shipped their products out of Holder’s Station to downriver.
The growth of h**p in the U.S. during the 19th Century dwindled with the availability of cheaper imported fibers from Manila and the East India Company. During War II, however, the Japanese took possession of the Philippines and the East India Company, and since jute supply from India was also restricted, the Americans had to produce h**p once again, for industrial purposes as well as to sustain the vast demand from the US Army and Navy. Rope made from h**p was used in rigging, towing and mooring the ships, paratroopers needed webbing for their parachutes and the h**p fiber was even used to make shoes for the soldiers. **p **phistory

Read more: https://hallsontheriver.com/winchester-hall-s-on-the-river-about

Check out our menu: https://hallsontheriver.com/winchester-hall-s-on-the-river-food-menu

05/01/2024

27/03/2023

A woman’s glove from 1850’s in London, used for self-defense.

17/02/2023

Track 7 - Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite!

The 1843 benefit poster advertising a performance in Rochdale by Pablo Fanque's circus. It was this bill that John Lennon discovered in a Kent antique shop and used as inspiration for his song "Being for the Benefit of Mr Kite."

The song that lent Fanque his posthumous fame had its origins in a promotional film shot for “Strawberry Fields Forever”—another Lennon track—at Sevenoaks in Kent in January 1967. During a break in the filming, the Beatle wandered into a nearby antique shop, where his attention was caught by a gaudy Victorian playbill advertising a performance of Pablo Fanque’s Circus Royal in the northern factory town of Rochdale in February 1843. One by one, in the gorgeously prolix style of the time, the poster ran through the wonders that would be on display, among them “Mr. Henderson, the celebrated somerset thrower, wire dancer, vaulter, rider &c.” and Zanthus, “well known to be one of the best Broke Horses in the world!!!”—not to mention Mr. Kite himself, pictured balancing on his head atop a pole while playing the trumpet.

Something about the poster caught Lennon’s fancy; knowing his dry sense of humor, it was probably the bill’s breathless assertion that this show of shows would be “positively the last night but three!” of the circus’s engagement in the town. Anyway, he bought it, took it home and (the musicologist Ian MacDonald notes) hung it in his music room, where “playing his piano, sang phrases from it until he had a song.” The upshot was a track unlike any other in the Beatles’ canon—though it’s fair to say that the finished article owes just as much to the group’s producer, George Martin, who responded heroically to Lennon’s demand for “a ‘fairground’ production wherein one could smell the sawdust.” (Adds MacDonald, wryly: “While not in the narrowest sense a musical specification, was, by Lennon’s standards, a clear and reasonable request. He once asked Martin to make one of his songs sound like an orange.”) The Abbey Road production team used a harmonium and wobbly tapes of vintage Victorian calliopes to create the song’s famously kaleidoscopic wash of sound.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/pablo-fanques-fair-71575787/

19/10/2022

24/09/2022

Nope. It’s not a painting, and it hasn’t been photoshopped either. These are polar stratospheric clouds over Iceland.

In Icelandic, polar stratospheric clouds are called glitsky, which roughly translates to “glitter cloud.” What makes them so unique to witness is that they can be even more elusive than the Aurora Borealis.

Polar stratospheric clouds form in the winter polar stratosphere at altitudes of 15 to 25 kilometres above sea level and are best observed during civil twilight, when the sun is between one and six degrees below the horizon. Normally, clouds do not form in the stratosphere due to its extreme dryness.

There are two distinct types of polar stratospheric clouds: Type I clouds are composed of nitric acid and water (and sometimes also sulphuric acid), while Type II clouds contain only water ice.

The first type plays an important role in Antarctic ozone destruction. They are also occurring with increased frequency in the Arctic.
Source : Science

21/09/2022

On this day in 1915, Stonehenge was bought at auction by a man named Cecil Chubb. As the legend goes, Chubb was only there to buy a set of dining chairs. Instead, he acted on impulse and made the winning bid for Stonehenge.

Prior to its purchase, the monument was in a perilous condition. A popular attraction since the Middle Ages, by the 19th century people were known to chip the stones for souvenirs and scratch their names on the monument. In 1881, timber was used to prop up stones considered to be in danger of collapse while in December 1900, an upright sarsen stone fell and the massive horizontal lintel it held in place snapped in two.

Chubb’s impulsive purchase marked a turning point in the care and protection of the ancient monument. Three years after purchasing it, Cecil Chubb donated it to the nation to secure its future. A major survey and programme of restoration followed. Today, English Heritage proudly continues to care for Stonehenge so that generations to come can be inspired and delighted by one of the world's most important prehistoric sites.

EDIT: Quite a few people have asked how much Chubb paid for Stonehenge and who owned it before, so here's the answer...

Stonehenge had been owned by the Antrobus family since the early 1800s but when the heir to the Antrobus baronetcy was killed in the opening months of the First World War, the estate was divided into lots and put up for sale via auction. And so at 2pm on 21 September 1915, the Palace Theatre in Salisbury was “filled with an interested audience, intending purchasers and spectators” and in the hands of Messrs Knight, Franck and Rutley, Stonehenge went under the hammer.

“Surely someone will bid me £5,000 to start with,” urged the auctioneer, Sir Howard Frank. A hand in the stalls was held up, and in calm, business-like tones it was announced that the first £5,000 bid had been received. Bidding increased by £100 increments from £6,000 until the figure of £6,500 was reached by local man Isaac Crook, whose grandson Richard still farms the fields around Stonehenge today. One more bid was received, “the hammer remained aloft for an instant; there was no further offer and it descended with a sharp rap.” Stonehenge was sold for £6,600 to Cecil Chubb.

20/09/2022

22/08/2022

Dr Irving Finkel holding a 3770 year old tablet, that tells story of god Enki speaking to Sumerian king Atram-Hasis (Noah figure in earlier versions of flood story) and giving him instructions on how to build an ark which is described as a round 220ft diameter coracle.

Credit:

21/08/2022

When the sun hits the outside of these ice caves at Mt Rainier just right, they turn into rainbow ice caves!!! I could not believe my eyes 🤯 I went up to Mt Rainier specifically to explore the ice caves and never imagined they would be SO COLORFUL 🌈

BE WARNED these ice caves can be extremely dangerous and are constantly at risk of collapse!

I did not enhance the colors at all in the images I will share with you all!! It was really THAT COLORFUL!! I will post a video I took of the moment in the comments 😀 I never would have guessed that this existed in America much less so close to home!!! The hike really wasn't that difficult either!!!

We happened to be there at just the right time!! The colors lasted for about 2 hours then the vibrancy diminished as the day progressed!

I have so many more photos to show you all!! This was one of the best experiences of my life so I took a ton of photos that I can't wait to share!!

This was by far one of the most magical things I have ever witnessed!! Even though it was very cold exploring these ice caves I did not want it to end!! I can't wait to go back and explore some more!!! The beauty of the Pacific NorthWest is absolutely mind boggling!!! 😍

15/08/2022

News Article, 1963.

03/08/2022

https://news.mit.edu/2022/ultrasound-stickers-0728?utm_source=join1440&utm_medium=email&utm_placement=newsletter

MIT engineers designed an adhesive patch that produces ultrasound images of the body. The stamp-sized device sticks to skin and can provide continuous ultrasound imaging of internal organs for 48 hours.

16/07/2022

27/05/2022

The fossil is not the animal.

The fossil is not the bones of the animal.

The fossil is the stone’s memory of the bones of the animal.

And that’s a poetry older than words.

04/04/2022

21/12/2021

Yule: Winter Solstice - Dec 21st/22nd
from thewhitegoddess.co.uk

Art by Wendy Andrew

The origin of the word Yule, has several suggested origins from the Old English word, geõla, the Old Norse word jõl, a pagan festival celebrated at the winter solstice, or the Anglo-Saxon word for the festival of the Winter Solstice, 'Iul' meaning 'wheel'. In old almanacs Yule was represented by the symbol of a wheel, conveying the idea of the year turning like a wheel, The Great Wheel of the Zodiac, The Wheel of Life. The spokes of the wheel, were the old festivals of the year, the solstices and equinoxes.

The winter solstice, the rebirth of the Sun, is an important turning point, as it marks the shortest day, when the hours of daylight are at their least. It also the start of the increase in the hours of daylight, until the Summer Solstice, when darkness becomes ascendant once more.

Cycle of the Year
Yule is deeply rooted in the cycle of the year, it is the seed time of year, the longest night and the shortest day, where the Goddess once again becomes the Great Mother and gives birth to the new Sun King. In a poetic sense it is on this the longest night of the winter, 'the dark night of our souls', that there springs the new spark of hope, the Sacred Fire, the Light of the World, the Coel Coeth.

Fire festivals, celebrating the rebirth of the Sun, held on the Winter's Solstice can be found throughout the ancient world. The Roman festival of Saturnalia was held on the winter solstice, boughs of evergreen trees and bushes would decorate the house, gifts where exchanged and normal business was suspended. The Persian Mithraists held December 25th as sacred to the birth of their Sun God, Mithras, and celebrated it as a victory of light over darkness. In Sweden, December 13th was sacred to the Goddess Lucina, Shining One, and was a celebration of the return of the light. On Yule itself, around the 21st, bonfires were lit to honour Odin and Thor.

The festival was already closely associated with the birth of older Pagan gods like Oedipus, Theseus, Hercules, Perseus, Jason, Dionysus, Apollo, Mithra, Horus and even Arthur with a cycle of birth, death and resurrection that is also very close to that of Jesus. It can hardly be a coincidence that the Christians, also used this time of year for the birth of Christ, mystically linking him with the Sun.

That Yule is another fire festival, should come as no surprise, however unlike the more public outdoor festival of the summer solstice, Yule lends itself to a more private and domestic celebration. Yet like its midsummer counterpart, is strongly associated with fertility and the continuation of life. Here the Goddess is in her dark aspect, as 'She Who Cuts The Thread' or 'Our Lady in Darkness', calling back the Sun God. Yet, at the same time, she is in the process of giving birth to Son-Lover who will re-fertilise her and the earth, bringing back light and warmth to the world.

Yule Log
The Yule log played an important role in the celebrations of the winter solstice and later Christmas, a large oak log was ceremoniously brought into the house and kindled at dusk, using a brand from the previous years Yule Log. It was deemed essential that the log, once lit, should burn until it was deliberately extinguished. The length of time, varied from region to region, from 12 hours to several days and it was considered ill-omened if the fire burnt itself out. It was never allowed to burn away completely, as some would be needed for the following year.

In England, it was considered unlucky for the Yule log to be bought, and had to be acquired using other means, as long as no money changed hands. Often it was given as a gift by landowners, and sometimes decorated with evergreens. In Cornwall a figure of a man was sometimes chalked on the surface of the log, mock or block. In Provence, where it was called the tréfoire, carols were sung invoking blessings upon the women that they might bear children and upon the crops, herds and flocks that they might also increase.

The ashes from the Yule log were often used to make protective, healing or fertilising charms, or scattered over the fields. In Brittany, the ashes were thrown into wells to purify the water, and in Italy as charms against hailstones.

In some parts of the Scottish Highlands, a variation of the Yule log was observed, here a figure of and old woman, the Cailleach Nollaich, was carved from a withered tree stump. At dusk, the figure was brought into the house and laid upon the burning peat of the house fire. The family would gather round the hearth and watch the figure consumed into ashes, the rest of the evening was spent in games and merriment. The figure, represented, not fertility and life but of the evils of winter and death, the figure had to be totally consumed if misfortune and death were to be averted in the coming year.

Mistletoe
Mistletoe, from the Old English misteltãn, is a parasitic plant that grows on various trees, particularly the apple tree, it is held in great veneration when found on Oak trees. The winter solstice, called 'Alban Arthan' by the Druids, was according to Bardic Tradition, the time when the Chief Druid would cut the sacred mistletoe from the Oak. The mistletoe is cut using a golden sickle on the sixth day of the moon. It is often associated with thunder, and regarded as a protection against fire and lighting. In Scandinavian mythology, Balder the Beautiful was killed from an arrow made of mistletoe and wielded by the blind god Hoder. Shakespeare, in Titus Andronicus II calls it 'the baleful mistletoe'.

It is interesting to note that mistletoe was excluded from church decorations, probably due to its connection with the Druids and pagan and magickal associations. This ancient ban on mistletoe is still widely observed.

Yule Candle
This was an ornamental candle of great size, once widely used at Yule throughout Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia. It was often coloured red, green or blue and decorated with sprigs of holly or some other evergreen. The candle was lit either on Christmas Eve, its light shedding on the festival supper and left to burn throughout the night or early Christmas morning, to burn throughout the day. It was rekindled on each successive night of the twelve day festival, and finally extinguished on the Twelfth Night.

While the candle burnt, it was believed to shed a blessing on the household, it was considered a sign of ill omen or misfortune for the candle to go out or blown out. It was also considered unlucky to move it, or blow out the flame, when the time came to extinguish it, it was done by pressing the wick with a pair of tongs. In some households only the head of the family could perform this task, it being considered unlucky for anyone else to touch it whilst alight.

Up until the middle of the last century, chandlers used to present regular customers, with Yule Candles of various sizes, as a gift.

Yule Wassail
Wassail, is derived from the Anglo-Saxon wes hál, meaning 'be whole', or 'be of good health', or Old Norse ves heill, and was a salutation use at Yule, when the wassail bowl was passed around with toasts and singing. Wassail carols would be sung as people would travel from house to house in the village bringing good wishes in return for a small gratuity. The Apple Tree Wassail, sung in hopes of a good crop of cider the following year, other such as the Gower Wassail carol still survive today.

03/07/2021

There's a popular misconception that swords were historically too heavy for women or small men to lift. Thus this comparison chart was created based on the actual weight of historical swords in the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, UK. If you're strong enough to pick up a baby, you're strong enough to lift the heaviest sword.

Research and Image Credit: Carrie Patrick.
h/t Historical Swordsmanship

16/06/2021

Did you know that Louis Armstrong wore a Jewish Star necklace for most of his life? Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. He was raised by his grandmother and also cared for by his Lithuanian Jewish neighbors, the Karnofskys. Louis started off as a delivery boy for the Karnofsky family and was soon given meals, a place to sleep when needed and even included at their Shabbat table.
Armstrong would later write in his memoir that the Karnofskys treated him as though he were their own child. Mrs. Karnofsky used to sing Yiddish and Russian lullabies for him at night before bed. Soon Louis earned $5 from Mr. Karnofsky which he used to buy his first instrument - a $5 cornet.
“When I reached the age of Eleven, I began to realize it was the Jewish family who instilled in me Singing from the heart” Armstrong recalled. “They encourage me to carry on.”
Fluent in Yiddish, Armstrong wore a Star of David until the end of his life in memory of the family who helped raise him.

21/03/2021

This amazing photograph was taken by James Crombie in Ireland. It shows a murmuration of thousands of starlings acting like a single giant creature to confuse predators

08/03/2021

“I had often thought of recreating one or two cards in my own style, but it wasn’t until quarantine that I saw a grand opportunity to create the entire series.”

27/12/2020

Christmas might be over, but Kwanzaa is just getting started.

19/12/2020

“Imagination is the precursor to policy, the precondition to action. Imagination, like wonder, allows us to value something.”

18/12/2020

Librarians are amazing.

17/12/2020

OED ambassador Prof Dennis Baron turns to the OED to provide a brief history of the singular 'they' - from the 14th century to present day:

13/12/2020

Scientists recently identified the oldest material on Earth: stardust that's 7 billion years old, tucked away in a massive, rocky meteorite that struck our planet half a century ago.

09/12/2020

The White House has dismantled major climate and environmental policies focused on clean air, water, wildlife and toxic chemicals. Here’s how they add up.

03/12/2020

He was called "filthy" because his skin was dark, unintelligent because he could barely speak English. When he arrived in this country, he was placed in a special class for immigrants. But, a few of his teachers saw something in the way he expressed himself, through his drawings, through his view of the world. He would soon master his new language.
His mother had made a difficult decision to take him, his two younger sisters and a half-brother to America, seeking a better life for their family. They settled in Boston's South End, at the time the second-largest Syrian-Lebanese-American community. The family would struggle and the young boy would lose one sister and his half-brother to tuberculosis. His mother would die of cancer.

He would write, “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.”

He was born in poverty on January 6, 1883 in what is now modern day Lebanon.

He believed in love, he believed in peace, and he believed in understanding.

His name was Kahlil Gibran, and he is primarily known for his book, "The Prophet." The book, published in 1923, would sell tens of millions of copies, making him the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi.

Published in 108 languages around the world, passages from "The Prophet" are quoted at weddings, in political speeches and at funerals, inspiring influential figures such as John F. Kennedy, Indira Gandhi, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and David Bowie.

He was very outspoken, attacking hypocrisy and corruption. His books were burned in Beirut, and in America, he would receive death threats.

Gibran was the only member of his family to pursue scholastic education. His sisters were not allowed to enter school, primarily because of Middle Eastern traditions as well as financial difficulties. Gibran, however, was inspired by the strength of the women in his family, especially his mother. After one sister, his mother, and his half-brother died, his other sister, Mariana would support Gibran and herself by working at a dressmaker's shop.

Of his mother, he would write:

"The most beautiful word on the lips of mankind is the word 'Mother,' and the most beautiful call is the call of 'My mother.' It is a word full of hope and love, a sweet and kind word coming from the depths of the heart. The mother is everything – she is our consolation in sorrow, our hope in misery, and our strength in weakness. She is the source of love, mercy, sympathy, and forgiveness."

Gibran would later champion the cause of women’s emancipation and education.

He believed that “Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.”

In a poem to new immigrants, he would write, "I believe you can say to the founders of this great nation. 'Here I am. A youth. A young tree. Whose roots were plucked from the hills of Lebanon. Yet I am deeply rooted here. And I would be fruitful.'"

He would write in "The Prophet":

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other's shadow.”

03/12/2020