Seething Phoenix

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Seething Phoenix has posted two annotations/comments since 13 December 2020.

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Second Reading

About Tuesday 23 July 1661

Seething Phoenix  •  Link

One of the few institutions that still recognises formal mourning is The Royal Household - members of The Royal Family and courtiers must wear sombre colours for a set period after a death in the family. Interestingly, it would be frowned upon for those in mourning to attend social functions, such as sports matches or indeed the theatre - so I find it curious that Sam does exactly that, although I recognise mourning was likely observed differently to today’s standards.

About Tuesday 11 December 1660

Seething Phoenix  •  Link

Regarding sailors and swimming, I read recently that it was considered bad luck for sailors to know how to swim, and also the shock of colder water could be enough to stop the heart (although interestingly the river is at it's coldest in April, not December) so hypothermia would also have taken those sailors who might have known something of the sport. Not to mention the Thames at the time would have been murky and filled with rubbish - shallow maybe, but not optimal for survival!