Surprised Eel Historian, PhD / is on Nostr

Surprised historian, not surprised eels. Doctor of Medieval History. I do Eel History posts most weekdays, and fill in the edges talkin' about maps, my kids & my dog.
#History #Medieval #Maps #Eels #EelSwag

Last Notes

2023-08-23 14:14:52

Most eel-rents were paid in preserved fish (usually cold smoked). There were rents for fresh eels, but these were always for smaller numbers.
For example, in 1100 the priory of Hurley collected an annual rent from a property near Ely of 1500 dried & 40 "fat" (fresh) eels.
#eels #medieval #history
https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/110/939/345/220/233/537/original/981501c644a71b14.png

2023-08-21 15:02:16

Some dating advice, friends: mind your eel.
The 16th C composer Thomas Whythorne wrote that maids go for looks, but widows have...um...other priorities. To court an experienced woman, he said, you "must not carry quick eels in your codpiece, but show some proof of being stiff." #eels #history #medieval #datingadvice
https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/110/928/206/907/964/059/original/1ad058d48ec55bb6.png

2023-08-17 15:44:41

It's 1677 & you're jonesing for eels. But foreign eels are banned. What to do?
You order out! In Sept 1677, Lord Conway wanted eels "very suddenly" & ordered 3 firkins sent from his Irish estates.
He offered to send back a guitar in payment but his Dublin agent already had 2.
#medieval #history #eels
https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/110/905/725/211/727/710/original/55f5fe078d6bb8ac.png

2023-08-15 18:12:48

Got some friends you can't count on? If so, John Lyly (1580) has this advice for you:
He says such friends are like eels. You can't hold an eel w/ bare hands, so you use "a bitter fig leafe" wrap. And w/ your "friends", use "rough taunts", not "smooth talk" to keep them in true. #eels #history #friends
https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/110/894/982/979/181/769/original/9450ca31f5e8832a.png

2023-08-10 18:53:01

I'm having a surprisingly busy day, and am very late today with my eel tweet. But don't worry, friends...I won't leave you eel-less. Please enjoy this wonderful interlinear eel and heron. They make me happy. #eels #heron #medieval #history
https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/110/866/829/639/889/587/original/e04c45beb18292de.png

2023-08-01 14:34:16

Q: What do you get the man who has everything?
A: A happy afterlife!
Q: How do you do that?
A: Eels. Obviously.
In about 1500 Ralph de Baliol agreed to pay 2000 eels per year to get the monks at Castle Acre Priory, near King's Lynn, to pray for the soul of his lord, Earl Warren. #eels #medieval #history
https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/110/814/850/272/707/804/original/8dc941b6e00ac779.png

2023-07-28 15:14:50

Once upon a time, the English government wanted to increase trade with the Continent. At least...trade in eels.
In 1392, Richard II eliminated tariffs on eel imports, & asked foreign merchants to bring eels "from over sea, where they are abundant, to London where they are dear."
#eels #history #Medieval #london
https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/110/792/359/329/614/254/original/be0573955636daa9.png

2023-07-07 16:53:15

Starting around 1000 CE, the English began building lots of mill dams, and this blocked the migration pathways of lots of fish! Oh no!
They began eating far fewer freshwater fish like salmon, & evidence shows a marked shift to eating marine fish. It's a big of enough thing to get an awesome name:
The Fish Even Horizon
But eels can live out of water for a while, & travel overland if need be. So they could migrate around or over medieval dams.
And so the English kept eating eels. 'Cause eels!
https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/110/673/840/110/001/998/original/4889717340f9c64d.png

2023-06-27 14:34:39

You've probably been wondering: "How many eels is a cottage worth in 14th C. England?" #Eels #Medieval #history
This is a reasonable question. I get it. And happily, I'm here to help! I included a chart showing this kind of equivalence in an article I wrote a while ago. Here’s an excerpt!
To learn more about how much individual eels were worth, see my website!
https://historiacartarum.org/eel-rents-project/what-does-a-stick-of-eels-get-you/
https://media.historians.social/media_attachments/files/110/616/672/069/146/719/original/2de3afec3807c1da.png