Alison ONeill

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Alison ONeill has posted 13 annotations/comments since 24 September 2023.

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Third Reading

About The Royal Society

Alison ONeill  •  Link

For anyone wanting access to Royal Society sources - San Diego Sarah? - I read in Fortean Times August 2024 FT447 that it has placed online "scans of some 250,000 documents and illustrations", at https://makingscience.royalsociet….
The FT writer was interested to find a previously unpublished eye-witness report of a case of spontaneous human combustion.
Have fun!

About Friday 22 March 1660/61

Alison ONeill  •  Link

I doubt SP owned his own horse at this point. I think he would have said, and he comments negatively about his brother-in-law keeping one.
Furthermore, since he lives so centrally he can do most business on foot or by boat, it would be wasteful. (A bit like keeping a car in a modern city now, really, when public transport and a bike would do for most things. And car share or suchlike for the rest. But I digress.)

About Wednesday 16 January 1660/61

Alison ONeill  •  Link

Thanks for the info, SD Sarah! I knew toll roads were an ancient thing, so thought they might be in place. I bet pepys has something to say about them once they are introduced. I doubt they were popular - except with those levying the fees.

About Wednesday 16 January 1660/61

Alison ONeill  •  Link

My tuppence about the ride from Southwark to Rochester:
The distance is roughly 30 miles. He set off about 2pm, arrived before 6pm (times will have been more sun-related and less precise than today). Say 3.5 hours. Allow a break to rest and change horses, maybe half an hour. So 3 hours to cover 30 miles. A horse walks at on average about 4 miles an hour, trots at 8-12 miles an hour, canters at 12-15 miles an hour, and can gallop for short distances at 25-35 mph. Not more than 2 miles. Changing horses is time-consuming so more efficient to ride 1-2 more gently over the distance than have to change at least 15 times (although if he had he might have been there in little over one hour - if all the horses were ready and he hadn't had to negotiate for them and so on). I think he's most likely to have trotted a fair part of the way, with maybe brief stretches cantering where the going was good. I doubt he would gallop much - that's for messengers in wartime and racing. He's a respectable clerk and needs to arrive in fair condition himself. Also, tollgates may have necessitated stops. It's no more good for a horse to be going from 0-60 (metaphorically) and then braking hard than it is for a car. And that's without going into the risks of riding at speed (no helmets, etc).

About Thursday 29 November 1660

Alison ONeill  •  Link

@San Diego Sarah, isn't the 7l 10s for a quarter (Michaelmas)? So (150s) 1800d/90 days = 20d per day, or 1s 8d? Then again, that might be a bit steep for bed and board...

About Tuesday 20 November 1660

Alison ONeill  •  Link

@louise, yes, there were automatic washing machines in the 1960s, but not everyone had them. some maybe couldn't afford them, others may not have believed they got the washing as clean (see also dishwashers today). i grew up in a small town on the outskirts of kingston upon hull, uk, and have a memory of a friend's mother using a dolly and mangle for the laundry, that would be about 1964. her husband was a polish refugee, maybe she was too. at that time i think my mum had a twin tub, also not automatic but still fairly cutting edge.

About Wednesday 24 October 1660

Alison ONeill  •  Link

I'm new here, hello! (Sorry I forgot to say hello before my very first post. Too eager to post!)
Am very curious about the drawing-pen. Does anyone have info on this? I thought it was all quills.

About Sunday 23 September 1660

Alison ONeill  •  Link

Dear Stephane Chenard,
Thanks for your informative post. Isn't Evelyn's discrepancy in the date likely to be due to the difference in the two calendars?