Newsletter Snippets

This section of the website takes some of the informaion from recent Alumni News. 

Christmas 1717 style

As we all settle down to Christmas with the family I thought I would delve into the archive and tell you about Christmas 300 years ago. Not that I remember it!
Forget all about the turkey, the Christmas tree, the Christmas cake etc. Most of that came in much later and the ‘modern’ Christmas started in Victorian Times. Christmas 300 years ago would have been a quiet affair in January!! Yes in January, up to 1752 Christmas Day was on 6th January with the Sunday following it Plough Sunday. If we remember f the History of James Baines he died on Christmas Eve 1717 and was buried at midnight.
What would they have been eating and drinking – a standard meal with an animal killed from the farm. However even though they ere not eating Shreds (Mince Pies to the posh ones) which used to be made of shredded meat, they would have eaten Wigs. This was a doughy cake seasoned with caraway seeds and dried fruit which was dunked in spiced warmed wine or ale. The richer families would have dunked them in spiced port. A delicacy in the Fylde 300 years ago was hazelnut spiced soup. Hazelnuts would have been a common nut in the hedgerows.
The Sunday following Christmas Day was Plough Sunday which is when the plough was belt for the following year. In 1717 that would have been on 10th January.

Not much changes

The Schookl in 1900