Today d
awned bright, and we four returned to Colonial Williamsburg to visit the restored buildings and learn all we could. Pat and Phyllis planned to leave by mid-afternoon, so we had to decide where to go first. We went to the Capitol Buil
ding. It is not original, since that one burned and was replaced, and that one later burned, also. The current building was built 75 years ago and is a replica of the first one. We had a very knowledgeable guide who filled us in on lots of details, especially how the government was organized when Virginia was a colony of Britain. The governmental office was upstairs in the West wing and is oval. Sound familiar?
Next on our t
our we visited a tavern that has been continuously lived in since colonial times and has not needed much, if any, restoration. It primarily served as a tavern, and we visited most of the rooms on the main and upper floors. Bedrooms were for men only, and they slept 2-4 in a bed. If you had not met before 
sleeping, you were supposed to awaken the sleeping man and introduce yourself. As most of the beds were rope beds, the ropes stretched and if not tightened, they tended to sag like hammocks. Thus comes the term, "Sleep tight." Linens were washed monthly, and bedbugs were a real problem. Since bathing was not a common practice, I suspect that sleeping was a smelly process.
At dinner last night we were given napkins that were a 36" square and tied around the neck to protect your clothing. Thus the root meaning of, "To tie one on." We later were informed that a person convicted of perjury was sent to the stocks where one ear was then nailed down for an hour followed by the same action for the other ear an hour later. Thus the meaning of, "Ear marks." I think that all legislators who sneak pet projects for funding into legislation, currently called "ear marks," should have this punishment.
Punish
ment was prompt, and ifthe crime was bad enough the first time, you were branded on the palm of the hand with a letter for the type of crime. So if you were a thief then you would be branded with a "T." If you were a repeat offender, then you would be hung by the neck until dead. Seldom was anyone a repeat offender. You only spent time in jail until your case could be tried. Jail was not a punishment if convicted. Instead, if the court granted you mercy for this, your first crime, you would be branded and then set free to live out the rest of your life with your shame. Crime was nearly non-existent in these times even though 150,000 people lived in the Virginia Colony.
We found this information enlightening and finally tore ourselves away to have l
unch, and then took Pat and Phyllis back to the motel where they left for their trip back to Conn. What a treat to spend this time with such good friends.
We then returned to Colonial Williamsburg to shop and have dinner. This time it was shrimp and steak for HW2 and fried shrimp and oysters for me. We waddled out of there and caught the bus back to our car and the trip back to our motel. Happy travels.
awned bright, and we four returned to Colonial Williamsburg to visit the restored buildings and learn all we could. Pat and Phyllis planned to leave by mid-afternoon, so we had to decide where to go first. We went to the Capitol Buil
ding. It is not original, since that one burned and was replaced, and that one later burned, also. The current building was built 75 years ago and is a replica of the first one. We had a very knowledgeable guide who filled us in on lots of details, especially how the government was organized when Virginia was a colony of Britain. The governmental office was upstairs in the West wing and is oval. Sound familiar?Next on our t
our we visited a tavern that has been continuously lived in since colonial times and has not needed much, if any, restoration. It primarily served as a tavern, and we visited most of the rooms on the main and upper floors. Bedrooms were for men only, and they slept 2-4 in a bed. If you had not met before 
sleeping, you were supposed to awaken the sleeping man and introduce yourself. As most of the beds were rope beds, the ropes stretched and if not tightened, they tended to sag like hammocks. Thus comes the term, "Sleep tight." Linens were washed monthly, and bedbugs were a real problem. Since bathing was not a common practice, I suspect that sleeping was a smelly process.At dinner last night we were given napkins that were a 36" square and tied around the neck to protect your clothing. Thus the root meaning of, "To tie one on." We later were informed that a person convicted of perjury was sent to the stocks where one ear was then nailed down for an hour followed by the same action for the other ear an hour later. Thus the meaning of, "Ear marks." I think that all legislators who sneak pet projects for funding into legislation, currently called "ear marks," should have this punishment.
Punish
ment was prompt, and ifthe crime was bad enough the first time, you were branded on the palm of the hand with a letter for the type of crime. So if you were a thief then you would be branded with a "T." If you were a repeat offender, then you would be hung by the neck until dead. Seldom was anyone a repeat offender. You only spent time in jail until your case could be tried. Jail was not a punishment if convicted. Instead, if the court granted you mercy for this, your first crime, you would be branded and then set free to live out the rest of your life with your shame. Crime was nearly non-existent in these times even though 150,000 people lived in the Virginia Colony.We found this information enlightening and finally tore ourselves away to have l
unch, and then took Pat and Phyllis back to the motel where they left for their trip back to Conn. What a treat to spend this time with such good friends.We then returned to Colonial Williamsburg to shop and have dinner. This time it was shrimp and steak for HW2 and fried shrimp and oysters for me. We waddled out of there and caught the bus back to our car and the trip back to our motel. Happy travels.
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