I was joined once more today by MIKE DAVIES from the Rayleigh Town Museum. Last time he was with me we looked at what life would have been like in the MIDDLE AGES – provided that is if you behaved yourself.

But what if you stepped out of line?

In such cases things would have been far from pleasant.

Just for swearing or getting drunk you might find yourself “IN THE STOCKS” where fellow citizens could pelt you with stones, rotting vegetables, or worse!

An alternative to the stocks might see you being sentenced to flogging, and during Elizabethan times, those refusing to work might also face being flogged, or sent to a house of correction.

Then especially designed for disorderly women, there was “DUCKING”.

Miscreants would be tied to a ducking stool and exposed at her door, or the site of her offence, or even paraded through the streets amidst the jeers of the crowd.

A popular alternative ordered by some courts was to order the guilty party to publicly recite their crimes after mass or in the market place.

And some particular unfortunates might find themselves affixed to poles so they could be plunged into water with her head and feet bare.

Ducking stools were also used against women accused of witchcraft. In such cases a rope was tied around the waist of the accused and she was thrown into a river or deep pond.

If she floated, it was deemed that she was in league with the devil, rejecting the baptismal water.

If she sank, she was “cleared – but dead”!

Contrary to popular belief, being BURNED ALIVE AT THE STAKE, at least in England, was not used for those accused of witchcraft, but rather for heresy or treason.

In the majority of cases the victims’ only crime was following the protestant faith.

Local victims included William Hunter here in Brentwood  – Thomas Causton, John Ardeley, (actually burnt in Rayleigh)  whilst the burnings of Robert Drakes and William Tyms were conducted at Smithfield. A John Simpson was also burned at the stake in Rochford in 1555. One, a George Eagles was hung, drawn and quartered in Chelmsford in August 1557.

It’s worth noting here that the Bloody Code was the name given to the the English legal system by the late 1700’s, when over 220 different crimes could attract the death penalty, including cutting down a tree, stealing from a rabbit warren, and being out at night with a blackened face!!!!

And so far we haven’t even touched on HANGING, DRAWING and QUARTERING, which we expect to cover in a future discussion early next year.

You can, of course listen here to my chat with Mike on this subject here: –

In the second hour of today’s show, mercifully we were able to turn our attention to a far more trivial news item from the USA concerning a beauty contest with a difference – the difference being that the contestants were all bats.

A batty story for sure!

Between the 24th and 31st October, the annual BAT BEAUTY CONTEST was conducted on line, by the BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT in Oregon.

The winner being decided by on-line public voting.

Bats competing for the coveted title this year included, Robert Battinson, a myotis bat, and Batt Damon, a western small-footed bat boasting an erratic flight pattern.

After successfully seeing off a western small-footed bat from Idaho named Lestat, the final two contestants in this years contest were Sir Flaps A Lot, a Townsend’s big-eared bat from Utah and Oregon’s very own, Hoary Potter and the Guano of Fire.

Following a week of teeth-clenching tension, it was announced that the award would be going to the local Oregon entry Hoary Potter and the Guano of Fire.

The winner of last year’s contest was William ShakespEAR,” a female Townsend’s big-eared bat from southern Oregon and in 2022 a canyon bat named “Barbara” similarly hailing from southern Oregon was declared the winner.

So for a third consecutive year successful entrants all hailed from the state hosting the competition, Oregon!

One does have to wonder if there might have been any funny business going on to ensure this third home win.

Who knows – it’s not for me to comment!

I very much hope to have your company once again tomorrow,
Scott