Iron Jon

I sent you my payment for 150 buttons by PayPal... hopefully it's enough and you received it OK!

...and I be wishin' a very happy birthday to ye too Mary Diamond!

Nice... here's another from the same site showing the loaves being made in Brazil, 1680's. sugar loaves and in Caribbean 1660's sugar loaves 2

The Diary of Samuel Pepys Daily entries from the 17th century London diary Friday 23 March 1659/60 Up early, carried my Lord’s will in a black box to Mr. William Montagu for him to keep for him. Then to the barber’s and put on my cravat there. So to my Lord again, who was almost ready to be gone and had staid for me. Hither came Gilb. Holland, and brought me a stick rapier and Shelston a sugar-loaf, and had brought his wife who he said was a very pretty woman to the Ship tavern hard by for me to see but I could not go.

For what it's worth... from 1741 Records of the Admiralty Court held in Boston, Vol. V. Deposition of Thomas Smith. November 30, 1741. "... and also took of the said Briganteens Cargo five packets of Cotton, two hogsheads and half of Rum, One hogshead and four barrells of Sugar and Seven hundred weight of Loaf Sugar,..." I'll see if I can find something earlier.

A happy birthday to ye Eye, here's hopin' ye enjoy many more!!!

I lifted mine. -

According to the footnotes - yes.

For anybody interested - The above lists are all taken from documents, circa 1640 to 1760, written in 17th and 18th century English, Dutch, French, and other languages, which were collected and translated ("the spelling of the originals has been carefully preserved") in the book - PRIVATEERING AND PIRACY IN THE COLONIAL PERIOD: ILLUSTRATIVE DOCUMENTS 1923 EDITED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF THE COLONIAL DAMES OF AMERICA Here's a link to the Gutenberg edition if anyone wants to take a look at a lot of period documentation about piracy and privateering. http://www.gutenberg.org/files/24882/24882-8.txt

This is the only other instance of "hamper" in the book - They had on board the Pirate near 20 Tuns of Brandy. However the Pirates made themselves very merry aboard of Capt. Carry's Ship with some Hampers of fine Wines that were either presents, or sent to some Gentlemen in Boston; it seems they would not wait to unty them and pull out the Corks with Skrews, but each man took his bottle and with his Cutlash cut off the Neck and put it to their Mouths and drank it out.

Here's another good one (pretty long though) - Inventory and Appraisement of the Prize Ship brought into this port by Capts. Allen and Marshall with her Cargo. The Ship with her Appurtenances etc. £5000. 0. 0 12 Carriage Guns with their Tackle and Shott and other Appertinences 1200. 0. 0 669 Seroons[2] Cocoa Wt. Nt. 606 C. 1 Qr. 14 lb. at £15 9095.12. 6 173 Bags Ditto Wt. Nt. 330 C. 8 lb. at £15 4951. 1. 5 165 Casks Ditto Wt. Nt. 246 C. 1 Qr. 16 lb. at £15 3695.17.10 122 Bbbls. Coffee Nt. 162. 3.18 32 Bags and 1 Chest Do. 49. 1.21 51 Large Casks Do. 323. 3.21 --------- 536. 1. 4, Nt. 60064, at 3s. 9009.12. 0 60 Hogsh'ds Sugar Wt. Nt. 444. 2. 23 at £8 3557.12.10 90 Ditto Wt. Nt. 662. 3. 11 at £7 4639.18. 9 56 Ditto Wt. Nt. 373. 1. 20 at £6 2240.11. 5 39 Ditto Wt. Nt. 236. 3. 20 at £5 1184.10. 8-3/4 17 casks of Allspice Wt. Nt. 4497 lb. at 2s. 6 562. 2. 6 4524 Hides Wt. Nt. 103877 lb. at 16d. 6925. 2. 6 33 Tons of Wood and 6 Hundred at £45 Ton 1498.10. 0 9 Packs and 1 Cask of Indigo Wt. Nt. 1191 at 18s. 1071.18. 0 3 Chests with some Carpenters and Coopers Tools and old Iron 30. 0. 0 16 Small Boxes of Chocolate 47. 0. 0 5-1/2 Brls. and 1 Qr. Brl. of Powder 110. 0. 0 1 Doctors Chest and Instruments 70. 0. 0 1 Chest of Tea in Cannisters 70. 0. 0 1 Box of Pins, Spectacle Cases and Thimbles 10. 0. 0 7 Remnants Cordage Wt. Nt. 4 C. 0 Qr. 21 lb. 62.16. 3 1 Basket of Nails Wt. Nt. 2 C. 20. 0. 0 1 Brl. and a small Parcel of Turtoise Shell Wt. 43 lb. at 25s. 53.15. 0 4 Caggs of Powder Blew[3] Wt. 352 lb. at 2s. 6 44. 0. 0 60 lb. of Old Pewter and Copper at 3s. 6 10.10. 0 7 Casks of Lime Juice 5.15. 0 1 Bed Pillar and 3 Cushions 4.10. 0 2 Looking Glasses 1 Booke 7. 5. 0 5 old Tea Kettles 6. 0. 0 Sundry old Earthen Ware, Pewter, Empty Cases, empty Chests and old Rusty Tools etc. 20. 0. 0 1 Cag of old Butter 1. 0. 0 1 Brl. of Flour 1.10. 0 1 Case of Oyl 7. 0. 0 1 Basket of Nails and Paint 6. 0. 0 1 Case of Oyl part full 3. 0. 0 11 Old Mapps 1. 0. 0 8 Boxes of Sweet Meats 16. 0. 0 1 Box of Nails 2. 0. 0 19 Ironbound old Casks 25. 0. 0 1 Cask of Lamp Oyl 10. 0. 0 2 Boxes Shells 1. 0. 0 2 Cags pickled Limes 2. 0. 0 1 Case Spirrits 5. 0. 0 1 Tub of Cartridges 3. 0. 0 4 Hand Screws 10. 0. 0 1 Bag of Old Pewter 4. 0. 0 6 Blunderbusses 25. 0. 0 8 Cutlasses 8. 0. 0 5 old Pistols 5. 0. 0 11 Old Small Arms 33. 0. 0 1 Small Cabbin Table 10. 0 1 Large Coffee Mill 5. 0. 0 3 Jugs of Sweet Oyl 5. 0. 0 9 Boxes Thread qt. 285 lb. at 32s. 456. 0. 0 2 pr. Brass Scales with a Beam in a Case 12. 0. 0 14 Handkfs. 6. 0. 0 1 pc. Blew Silk 45. 0. 0 42 Doz. Mens and Womens Gloves 126. 0. 0 8 pc. Chince at £7. 10. 60. 0. 0 6 pc. Britannias 15. 0. 0 6 pc. Coarse Muslin 15. 0. 0 3 Gauze Handkfs. 4.10. 0 1 pr. Silk Stockings 2. 5. 0 6 pr. Embroider'd Vamps for Shoes and Slippers 6. 0. 0 3 Papers Thread 6. 0. 0 2 pr. Burdett 10. 0. 0 1 pc. Blew Callico 8. 0. 0 Remnt. of Blew and White Linnen 4. 0. 0 15 Stone Rings 37.10. 0 [Footnote 2: A seroon, Sp. _seron_, was a bale or package made up in an animal's hide.] [Footnote 3: Kegs of the blue powder used by laundresses.]

Another quote from the same book... About Twenty Leagues from the Havannah, near the Island of Cuba, they met with a Spanish Privateer of Six Carriage Guns and ten Swivel Guns, with men Answerable, On or about the 26th day of September last, which Privateer had About Fourteen days before that taken a Briganteen called the _Sarah_, with her Cargo, Consisting of Ten Hogsheads of Barbadoes Rum, Sixteen Hogsheads of Brown Sugar, Sundry Bales of Cotten, Being in all about One Ton and a half, together with Ten Barrells of Sugar and About Twenty barrells of Limes, Altogether of the Value of Five thousand Pounds in Publick Bills of Credit

Taken from the inventory of the vessel Providence in 1673 showing contents of hogsheads, barrels, boxes, hampers, chests, etc... _a large hhd._ 1 doz. 10 paire mens fr. falls 4 pa. pumps with heeles 2 saddles 7 curb bitts 6 snaffall bitts 1 pa. black head stall and raynes and crupp and breastplate 1 dubble girt 4 halters 1 doz. white raynes and headstalls 6 pa. white stirrup leathers 1 doz. pa. boyes and girles shooes 2 doz. 1/2 mens pl. shooes 1 p'ce kersie no. 1: 26-3/4 1 p'ce dito--2:26 1 p'ce. searge _a little hhd._ 6 large pewter basons 3 large Iron shovels 1 curb bitt 1 side saddle and furniture 2 doz. pa. mens fr. falls 10 pa. mens pl. shooes 2 pa. woodden heele weo.[6] shooes _a little hhd._ 40 pa. fr. falls and woodden heele shooes for men and w. 18 pa. mens pl. shooes 2 pa. boyes pl. shooes _a broad hamper._ 5 doz: 1/2 low crowne black hatts 9 reams of paper Damnified[7] 2 peeces of haire cloath ell wide a small baile of 2 small p'ces of small canvas 1 p'ce ell wide fine canvas in a bundall 1 p'ce Lockram } halfe a peece fine dowlas } in a bundall _a box._ 3 gounds[8] 2 Jasto Corps[9] 4 stuffe coates for men _a box._ 2 stuffe vest for boyes 2 boyes little coates 2 childrens coates 2 scarlett parragon[10] coates 2 childes parragon coate 1 boyes coat _a barrell of powder_ _a great chest._ 7 peeces kersie 2 p'ces red playnes[12] 1 p'ce white cotton 12 grose coat button 2 doz. pins 4 peeces galloune[13] 3 papers white filleting 12 peeces white tape a paper sewing and stiching silks about a ld. 6 paire woe. parragon bodices and stomegers 6 pa. childrens bodices

I'm still interested... Did you get my PM yesterday?

Thank you, everybody, for the warm wishes. It sure doesn't seem like another year gone by! No fun or party for me until Paula gets home in another week or so... and then we'll celebrate both our birthdays together!

Congratulations to M.A.d'Dogge and the Missus... you have a fine son there!

SOLD ...and I should be sending a payment!

I found a green silk damask fabric and some matching linen on eBay pretty cheap a while back and finally decided to make something with it a few weekends ago. It's a sleeved waistcoat with lining from the Reconstructing History pattern. This was my first time sewing so I didn't try to hand sew it. I'll save that big leap for next time. I think it turned out pretty good, even if I do say so myself! (it's a little wrinkled, I machine washed everything before sewing it together) Here's a closer picture to show the fabric detail...

Welcome to the Pub Jim - Sorry I missed you in St Cloud a few weeks ago. Things got kind of hectic and I didn't make it to the reenactment to see the rest of my group. I'll get back to you soon on those items I was looking to pick up.... Iron Jon

They are actually quite common...

Somebody had to get the topic back on track. I'm surprised it went 4 pages without a killer bunny! Of course, the next one has to be the Trojan Rabbit...

TIM: Follow. But! Follow only if ye be men of valor, for the entrance to this cave is guarded by a creature so foul, so cruel that no man yet has fought with it and lived! Bones of full fifty men lie strewn about its lair. So, brave knights, if you do doubt your courage or your strength, come no further, for death awaits you all with nasty, big, pointy teeth. ARTHUR: Where? TIM: There! ARTHUR: What, behind the rabbit? TIM: It is the rabbit! ARTHUR: You silly sod! TIM: What? ARTHUR: You got us all worked up! TIM: Well, that's no ordinary rabbit. ARTHUR: Ohh. TIM: That's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you ever set eyes on. ROBIN: You tit! I soiled my armor I was so scared! TIM: Look, that rabbit's got a vicious streak a mile wide; it's a killer! GALAHAD: Get stuffed! TIM: He'll do you up a treat mate! GALAHAD: Oh, yeah? ROBIN: You mangy scots git! TIM: I'm warning you! ROBIN: What's he do, nibble your bum? TIM: He's got huge, sharp-- eh-- he can leap about-- look at the bones! ARTHUR: Go on, Bors. Chop his head off! BORS: Right! Silly little bleeder. One rabbit stew comin' right up! TIM: I warned you, but did you listen to me? Oh, no, you knew it all, didn't you? Oh, it's just a harmless little bunny, isn't it? Well, it's always the same. I always tell them--

I'll call you sometime at the end of next week to pick mine up!

A little bit on branding from Wiki - The punishment was adopted by the Anglo-Saxons, and the ancient law of England authorized the penalty. By the Statute of Vagabonds (1547) under King Edward VI, vagabonds and Gypsies were ordered to be branded with a large V on the breast, and brawlers with F for "fravmaker"; slaves who ran away were branded with S on the cheek or forehead. This law was repealed in England in 1550. From the time of Henry VII, branding was inflicted for all offences which received Benefit of clergy (branding of the thumbs was used around 1600 at Old Bailey to ensure that the accused who had successfully used the Benefit of Clergy defence, by reading a passage from the Bible, could not use it more than once), but it was abolished for such in 1822. In 1698 it was enacted that those convicted of petty theft or larceny, who were entitled to benefit of clergy, should be "burnt in the most visible part of the left cheek, nearest the nose." This special ordinance was repealed in 1707. James Nayler, a Quaker who in the year 1655 was accused of claiming to be the Messiah, convicted of blasphemy in a highly publicized trial before the Second Protectorate Parliament and had his tongue bored through and his forehead branded B for 'blasphemer'. In the Lancaster criminal court a branding iron is still preserved in the dock. It is a long bolt with a wooden handle at one end and an M (malefactor) at the other; close by are two iron loops for firmly securing the hands during the operation. The brander would, after examination, turn to the judge exclaiming "A fair mark, my lord." Criminals were formerly ordered to hold up their hands before sentence to show if they had been previously convicted. In the 18th century, cold branding or branding with cold irons became the mode of nominally inflicting the punishment on prisoners of higher rank. "When Charles Moritz, a young German, visited England in 1782 he was much surprised at this custom, and in his diary mentioned the case of a clergyman who had fought a duel and killed his man in Hyde Park. Found guilty of manslaughter he was burnt in the hand, if that could be called burning which was done with a cold iron" (Markham's Ancient Punishments of Northants, 1886). Such cases led to branding becoming obsolete, and it was abolished in 1829 except in the case of deserters from the army, which were marked with the letter D, not with hot irons but by tattooing with ink or gunpowder. Notoriously bad soldiers were also branded with BC (bad character). The British Mutiny Act of 1858 provided that the court-martial may, in addition to any other penalty, order deserters to be marked on the left side, 2 inch below the armpit, with the letter "D", such letter to be not less than an inch long. In 1879 this was abolished. In the North-American Puritan settlements of the 17th century, men and women sentenced for having committed acts of adultery were branded with an "A" letter on their chest (men) or bosom (women). The mark in later times was also often chosen as a code for the crime (e.g. in Canadian military prisons D for Desertion, BC for Bad Character, most branded men were shipped off to a penal colony). Branding was used for a time by the Union Army during the American Civil War. Surgeon and Oxford English Dictionary contributor William Chester Minor was required to perform human branding on deserters at around the time of the Battle of the Wilderness. The canon law sanctioned the punishment, and in France, in royal times, various offences carried the additional infamy of being branded with a fleur de lys, also galley-slaves could be branded GAL or once the galleys were replaced by the "bagne"s on land TF (travaux forcés, 'forced' labor, i.e. hard labour) or TFP (travaux forcés à perpetuité, forced labour for life) until 1832. In Germany however, branding was illegal.