The myth may have arisen because people rarely took baths. Before the 19th century it was difficult to heat a large amount of water in one go Suppose you heated a cauldron of water and poured it into a tub. By the time you had heated a second lot of water the first lot would already be cold. The Romans solved this problem by having public baths, which could be heated from underneath.

However, after the fall of Rome it was much easier to have a strip wash and there is much evidence that people strip washed quite often. In hot weather people bathed in rivers. There is also evidence that people washed their clothes quite often.

A related myth is that people carried a container called a pomander full of sweet smelling herbs or spices to disguise their body odour. In fact people believed that bad smells caused disease. (There were plenty of bad smells in the environment with animal dung, rotting vegetables etc.). You carried a pomander to drive away bad smells from you not to hide your own odour.

To read a history of cosmetics click here.

In the past a man had a right to beat his wife provided he did not use a stick thicker than his thumb

This is complete fiction. There has never been a rule or law in England that a man is entitled to beat his wife provided he uses a stick no thicker than his thumb. Unfortunately it is true that in the past domestic violence was, to a certain extent, tolerated. It was certainly tolerated more than it is today. William Blackstone (1723-80) wrote Commentaries on the Laws of England (1765-1769). He admitted that the old law allowed 'moderate correction' of a wife but made no mention of a supposed rule that a stick could be used if it was not thicker than a thumb. So it was never a part of English common law.

The phrase 'rule of thumb' has nothing to do with sticks used to beat people. We are not certain how the phrase arose but it is believed it comes from the days when brewers used to test the temperature of liquid by dipping their thumb in it.

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Part Two The Ancient World

Cave men were brutes and morons

Much of what we see in films and cartoons is a caricature. 'Cave men' are shown as moronic brutes. They are often shown fighting over food. (The old and the weak get the last scraps). In reality evidence shows that even the primitive Neanderthal people, who lived in Europe before 30,000 BC looked after sick and young individuals.

Neanderthals may have been less advanced than modern humans but they must have been resourceful to survive in a harsh environment. Neanderthals also buried their dead.

The later Cro-Magnon people (who lived in Europe from about 35,000 BC) made efficient tools using bone, wood and stone. They also made clothes using bone needles. Cro-Magnon people also made tents using mammoth bones and skins. They also made necklaces of stones and shells (like us they liked wearing jewellery).

Cro-Magnon people also created art. They made highly skilled cave paintings and made musical instruments like bone flutes.

In films 'cave men' often have a very small vocabulary (perhaps half a dozen words!). It is possible that Neanderthals could talk effectively though obviously it cannot be proven. Cro-Magnon people were obviously capable of abstract thought and they almost certainly had a complex language.

The idea that 'cave men' were brutish numbskulls is nonsense.

To read about the Cro-Magnons click here.

Boudica or Boadicea had scythes on the wheels of her chariot

This is an old wives tale. There is no evidence whatever to support it.

To read more about the Celts click here.

The Halloween custom of trick or treat is based on a Druid custom

A great deal of nonsense has been written about the Druids! In reality modern Halloween customs evolved from the late 18th century onwards. There is no evidence that trick or treat has anything to do with the Druids. (See A Brief History of Halloween).

The Druids built Stonehenge

In reality Stonehenge is much older than the Druids. About 650 BC a people called the Celts arrived in England and their priests were called Druids. However Stonehenge is much older. It is believed it was built in stages between about 3,100 BC and 1,500 BC.

Julius Caesar was a caesarean birth

Almost certainly this is untrue as his mother lived for many years after his birth (it would normally be fatal for the mother). However the myth that Julius Caesar was born that way may be why this operation is called a caesarean birth.

To read a history of surgery click here.

Slaves built the pyramids

In fact they were built by free men. Most of the men who worked on the pyramids did so when the summer when the Nile flooded and farm work was impossible. During this time they were supplied with food and shelter by the pharaoh.

To read about everyday life in ancient Egypt click here.

Pythagoras discovered Pythagoras's theorem

No he did not! No doubt Pythagoras was a brilliant man but the famous theorem was known the Egyptians and the Babylonians long before he was born.

To read about everyday life in Ancient Greece click here.

The Philistines were uncultured

This is quite untrue. Today if you call somebody a Philistine it means they are ignorant, unrefined and tasteless. That is very unfair as the Philistines were actually a highly civilised and cultured people.

The Philistines were enemies of the Hebrews therefore they get a very bad press in the Bible.

In Rome a 'thumb up' signal meant let a defeated gladiator live but a 'thumb down' signal meant kill him

In reality 'thumb up' meant kill him! If the thumb was concealed in a fist it meant let him live. There was no 'thumb down' signal.

Roman Galleys were rowed by slaves

In fact the men who rowed Roman galleys were, usually, free men who joined the navy of their own accord. In reality rowing a galley was highly skilled work.

To read about everyday life in Rome click here.

Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned

He did no such thing partly because the fiddle was not invented till centuries after his death. It is sometimes said that Nero actually played the lyre while Rome burned. He did not do that either. In reality Nero was staying some distance from Rome when the fire began in 64 AD. Nero rushed to the city and did everything he could to help.

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Part Three The Middle Ages

The Arabs burned the library of Alexandria

This is very unlikely to be true. In ancient times there was a great library at Alexandria in Egypt. According to the story when the Arabs conquered Egypt in 640 AD Caliph Omar ordered all the books in the library to be burned. They supplied fuel for the saunas for 6 months (a quite fantastic figure). However the story was not written down till the late 12th century more than 500 years late. If it is true why did nobody at the time write about it? The Arab's enemies such as the Byzantine Empire would surely have used such an act of cultural vandalism as propaganda.

It is now believed that the library of Alexandria expired long before the Arab conquest and the story is fiction.

There was once a female Pope called Pope Joan

This is very unlikely to be true. According to the story a female Pope reigned for more than 2 years from 855 to 858. (In reality Leo IV reigned from 847 to 855 and Benedict III reigned from 855 to 888. There was a gap of only a few weeks between them).

Anyway according to the story the female Pope was disguised as a man. Remarkably nobody ever suspected she was a woman. The truth only came to light when the Pope gave birth in public! (Incredibly nobody ever noticed she was pregnant).

However the first mention of a female Pope was 200 years after she is supposed to have reigned. If the story is true why did nobody write about it at the time? It would have caused a sensation throughout Europe so why did nobody mention it at the time?

Almost certainly the story is fiction.

King John signed the Magna Carta

No he did not! He sealed the Magna Carta by pressing a seal into hot wax but he did not sign it.

In the Middle Ages scholars spent hours debating how many angels could stand on the head of a pin

There is no truth in this silly story whatever. There is no evidence that anybody in the Middle Ages asked this ridiculous question. People who lived in the Middle Ages were not stupid. Far from it.

To read about life in the Middle Ages click here.

In the Middle Ages some armour was so heavy knights sometimes had to be lifted onto their horses with ropes

This is quite untrue. Armour was heavy but certainly not that heavy.

As The Year 1000 AD approached people across Europe panicked. They feared that Jesus Christ was about to return and the World would end

This is an old wives tale. There is no evidence that any such panic occurred. No writer of the time mentioned anything unusual. It was not till hundreds of years later that writers claimed that people panicked as the year 1000 approached. It is part of a more general myth that people in the Middle Ages were foolish and gullible (any more than we are!).

Richard III was a hunchback

There is no evidence that Richard III was a hunchback. Nobody at the time mentioned any such deformity. Furthermore we know he was skilled at jousting, which would have been impossible if he had a serious disability. The story that he was a hunchback first appeared decades after his death. The story may have been invented to discredit Richard III. In those days many people believed that if you had a physical abnormality it was because you were a wicked person.

Vikings wore helmets with horns on

There is no evidence that Vikings ever wore horned helmets when they went into battle. There is no evidence either that Vikings went into battle wearing helmets with wings on. A related myth is that Vikings drank from human skulls. They did not!

To read about the Vikings click here.

Most churchyards have a yew tree because men would use the yew's wood to make bows

This is almost certainly a myth. Records show that bowyers preferred to use yew from Southern or Eastern Europe to make bows. (English yew was not particularly good for that purpose). In fact churchyards probably had yews because their leaves are poisonous. Villagers might let their animals graze in the churchyard. Growing yew trees was a good way to stop them.

Joan of Arc was burned as a witch

This is not true. She was burned for heresy (because she dressed as a man).

To read a history of France click here.

Before Columbus people thought the world was flat

Nonsense! In the Middle Ages people were well aware that the world is round.

Columbus Discovered America

He did not. Obviously the ancestors of todays Native Americans entered North America thousands of years before Columbus. Furthermore Columbus was not even the first European to discover America. The first European to sight the continent was Bjarni Herjolfsson. He was sailing to Greenland in c.985 AD when he sighted a new land (he did not actually land). About 15 years later a man named Leif Ericsson led an expedition to the new land. He called parts of North America, Helluland, Markland and Vinland. Ericsson spent the winter in Vinland. Although he did not return other Vikings did but they failed to establish a permanent colony.

Centuries later Columbus believed he could sail direct from Europe to China across the Atlantic Ocean. (Columbus underestimated the size of the earth. He did not know that North and South America and the Pacific Ocean existed). Columbus made four voyages across the Atlantic and although he landed on several Caribbean islands he never set foot on mainland North America.

Blackheath in London got its name because victims of the Black Death from London were buried there

This is definitely untrue. It was called Blackheath at the time of the Domesday Book (1086) nearly 300 years before the Black Death of 1348-49. There is also a myth that Blackheath got its name because black slaves were sold there, which is obviously nonsense. We do not know for sure were its name came from. Perhaps the area had dark soil? At any rate it had nothing to do with the Black Death or black slaves.

Golf is an acronym of 'gentlemen only ladies forbidden'

This is nonsense. The word golf is derived from an old Dutch word 'kolf' which meant club. (In the Middle Ages the Dutch played games with clubs but golf proper began in Scotland). The Scots changed the word slightly to 'golve' or 'Goff' and in time it became our word golf.

To read a history of games click here.

Archers carried their arrows on their backs

Only if they were riding horses. Normally, when on foot archers would carry arrows in containers attached to their belts. (It is much easier to retrieve a longbow arrow from your belt than from over your shoulder). Robin Hood is usually shown with a quiver of arrows on his back. If Robin Hood ever existed it is much more likely he carried his arrows on his belt.

In the Middle Ages Spices were used to disguise the taste of tainted meat

This is not true for a simple reason - spices were very expensive and only the rich could afford them. The rich, of course did not eat tainted meat. They only ate the best quality meat! Spices were used to enhance the taste of meat.

To read a history of food click here.

Part Four The Modern World (Post 1500)

The phrase 'upper crust' is from the Middle Ages or Tudor period. In large houses when loaves were baked the bottoms burned. So servants cut off the upper part of the loaf and gave it to the wealthy diners. So rich people became known as the 'upper crust'

This is almost certainly a myth. In reality the phrase 'upper crust', meaning the wealthy, first appeared in the USA in the 19th century. There is no evidence that the phrase was used to mean 'the rich' in England in the Middle Ages or 16th century.

The same applies to the phrase 'bring home the bacon'. It is sometimes said that this phrase dates from the Middle Ages or Tudor times. In fact it was first recorded in the early 20th century. There is no evidence that it dates from the Middle Ages or the Tudor period.

It has been suggested that the phrase comes from 19th century country fairs. Competitions were held in which you had to seize a greased pig. Anyone who could kept the pig. They literally brought home the bacon. That may or may not be true. It is possible that the phrase was used for a few decades before it was written down. However it is very unlikely that it was used for centuries before anyone did so.

The same is true of the expression 'dirt poor'. It is sometimes said that it dates from Tudor times when poor people had floors of hardened earth, so they were 'dirt poor'. It is true that poor people had earth floors but the phrase 'dirt poor' was first recorded in the USA in the 20th century. There is no evidence that it was ever used before then.

I am afraid that some explanations of where old sayings come from are myths.

For more information about the origin of old sayings click here.

Henry VIII had syphilis

This is unlikely to be true. In the 16th century the standard treatment for syphilis was mercury. Lists of money spent on medicines for Henry VIII exist but mercury is not listed. Therefore it is unlikely he had syphilis.

To read a brief biography of Henry VIII click here.

Anne Boleyn had six fingers and /or three breasts

There is no evidence at all that Anne Boleyn had six fingers and indeed it is very unlikely that she did. At the end of the 16th century a writer claimed that Anne had a small extra fingernail growing at the side of one of her fingers. If the story is true that may be the basis of the rumour. This writer claimed that Anne always hid her extra nail. She would need to. In the 16th century many people saw any physical abnormality as evidence that a person was wicked (or their parents were). It could also be seen as evidence that they were a witch.

In 1585 a book by a Catholic writer named Nicholas Sander claimed that Anne did have six fingers. However he strongly disapproved of Anne and may have exaggerated the story to discredit her. (Anne began a relationship with Henry VIII in 1527 when he was still married to Catherine of Aragon. He divorced Catherine in 1533 and married Anne, which outraged devout Catholics). At the time readers would see having six fingers as evidence that Anne was immoral or a witch.

However nobody who lived at the same time as Anne or shortly afterwards said anything about six fingers. Descriptions of Anne from people who actually saw her are not necessarily flattering. In 1532 an Italian said she was 'not the handsomest woman in the world'. In 1533 a Frenchman said that Anne had warts. However nobody ever mentioned a sixth finger even after Anne fell from favour and was executed in 1536.

It was not till almost 50 years later that the story that Anne Boleyn had six fingers appeared.

Moreover it is very unlikely that any Tudor king would marry a woman with such an obvious physical deformity.

Some people have claimed that Anne Boleyn had three breasts, which is absurd. It is inconceivable that Henry VIII would marry her if she did and also inconceivable that nobody in the 16th century mentioned it.

To read about life in the 16th century click here.

Sirloin got its name because an English king once knighted a piece of meat and called it 'Sir loin'

There is no truth in this silly story at all. Sirloin is a corruption of the French sur (above or on top of) loin.

The Mary Rose sank on her maiden voyage

Wrong! The Mary Rose was built in Portsmouth in 1509-1511. She did not sink till 1545, by which time she was quite an old warship.

To read more about the Mary Rose click here

In Tudor times if you had an operation the barber-surgeon hit you on the head with a wooden mallet to knock you unconscious

Nonsense! You could kill or seriously injure somebody if you hit him or her with a wooden mallet. Such a wooden mallet was found in the barber-surgeon's cabin of the Mary Rose. It is believed it was used with a knife to sever tendons when amputating limbs. (You hit the knife with the mallet like hitting a chisel with a hammer). Unfortunately, before the mid-19th century pain was accepted as an inevitable part of surgery.

To read a history of medicine click here.

Walter Raleigh introduced smoking into England

No he did not! The Spanish learnt to smoke tobacco from indigenous people. It is believed that English sailors adopted the habit about 1564 (Walter Raleigh was born in 1552). At any rate smoking tobacco in clay pipes was already quite common in England by the time Walter Raleigh was an adult. Whoever was the first Englishman to smoke tobacco it certainly wasn't Walter Raleigh. It is also a myth that Walter Raleigh introduced potatoes into England. They were actually introduced by a man named Sir Thomas Harriott in 1586.

When the Tudors ate meat at feasts they threw the bones onto the floor for dogs to eat

Not they did not! Henry VIII is often shown doing that but in reality by the 16th century such behaviour was unacceptable. In the 16th century dogs were not allowed at feasts and when you ate meat you placed the bones in a special dish. Throwing bones (or anything else) onto the floor was very bad manners.

When Galileo was forced to deny that the Earth moves around the Sun he said 'And yet it moves'

In 1633 Galileo was forced to deny the theory that the Earth moves around the Sun but he is supposed to have said, under his breath 'Eppur si muove' (and yet it moves). It is unlikely he said anything of the kind. He would have been very unwise to do so because he would have been in serious trouble if anyone heard him! Furthermore there is no mention at the time that he said that. I am afraid this myth probably arose because people wanted it to be true. It would be nice to think that Galileo defied the Inquisition but there is no evidence that he did.

To read a brief biography of Galileo click here.

Witches were burned

This is partly true. In England and its colonies in North America witches were normally hanged. However they were burned in Scotland and the rest of Europe.

To read more about the witch trials click here.

Matthew Hopkins the 'Witch Finder General' was accused of being a witch, tried and executed

This is most unlikely to be true. In 1645-46 Matthew Hopkins was paid to 'discover' witches in East Anglia and was undoubtedly responsible for the deaths of many innocent people. However he fell from favour in 1646 when a clergymen called John Gaule wrote about him and denounced him. Hopkins is believed to have died in 1647.

It is very unlikely that Hopkins was ever being put on trial or executed. There is no record of any such trial or execution. However there is a slightly different version. In the late 19th century a writer (in a book about folklore) told a story that Hopkins was accused of witchcraft and lynched by a mob.

However nobody in the 17th century wrote that. If Hopkins was really killed that way it would have been sensational. Surely somebody at the time would have written about it?

Instead in the middle of the 17th century, somebody who actually knew Hopkins, wrote that he died of natural causes. That is much more likely.

They story that Hopkins was accused of being a witch and either executed or lynched is almost certainly an old wives tale that grew up long afterwards.

Only women were executed for witchcraft

This certainly isn't true. No doubt the majority of people executed for witchcraft in Europe and North America in the 16th and 17th centuries were female but by no means all. A significant minority of the people executed were male.

To read more about witch trials click here.

The Puritans believed that pleasure is sinful

Nonsense! In the late 16th century and 17th century Puritans were radical Protestants who wanted to see the Church of England 'purified' of its Catholic elements. The word Puritan did not mean the same thing it does today!

In reality Puritans liked music, dancing and sports. The image many people have of the Puritans as morose, gloomy people is a caricature. It is true that the Puritans banned certain activities such as dancing around the Maypole but only because they were originally Pagan practices.

The idea that Puritans thought that pleasure is sinful is absurd!

Following the execution of Charles I in 1649 the Puritans had power and influence in England. However they lost power when Charles II became king in 1660.

Afterwards their enemies rewrote history to depict them as gloomy and repressive.

The Puritans only wore black clothes

Nonsense! They did sometimes wear black but black clothes. However in reality the Puritans wore many other colours (red, green etc). The idea that Puritans only wore dull colours is untrue.

To read about life in the 17th century click here.

Four Poster Beds had canopies to catch mice falling from thatched roofs

This is an old wives tale. Four-poster beds had canopies and curtains to keep out drafts. (Old houses had many drafts). There is no evidence that the canopy was designed to catch falling rodents. In any case a four-poster bed was very expensive. If you were wealthy enough to afford one you would normally have a roof of tiles not thatch. Even if you did have a thatched roof in a wealthy home all bedrooms had proper ceilings. So there was a ceiling between the bed and the roof.

Even if a mouse somehow climbed onto the roof of a house (and it is difficult to see why it would do so) and if it fell through a gap in the thatch it would just land on the floor of the attic/ceiling of the bedroom. So you had no fear of rodents falling on you while you slept.

The Revolution of 1688 was bloodless

In fact a great deal of blood was shed in Scotland and Ireland following the revolution.

James II was deposed in 1688. He fled to France in December but in 1689 the Highlands of Scotland rose to support him.

The Highlanders were victorious at the battle of Killiecrankie in July 1689 but their commander Viscount Dundee was killed and the campaign ended. (If he had not been killed their would have been a long struggle).

James II was not willing to give up without a fight and in 1689 he landed in Ireland. However his forces were defeated at the battle of the Boyne in 1690 and at Aughrim in 1691. The war ended with the surrender of Limerick in October 1691.

Pirates made prisoners walk the plank

They normally did not make people 'walk the plank'. Normally it was much easier just to throw you over the side!

To read a history of pirates click here.

Dick Turpin rode his horse Black Bess from London to York in 12 Hours

Dick Turpin 1705-1739 did not own a horse called Black Bess nor did he make the famous ride. Far from being a heroic figure Turpin was actually a brutal robber.

To read more about highwaymen click here.

When Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752 and 2 September was followed by 14 September there were riots and demands of 'give us back our 11 days!' because people thought their lives were being shortened by 11 days

It is doubtful if these riots really took place. Changing the calendar was certainly unpopular and some people continued to celebrate Christmas Day using the old calendar for long afterwards. However people were certainly not stupid enough to believe their lives were being shortened by 11 days.

Dr. Guillotin invented the Guillotine

This is not true. In fact mechanical devices for beheading people had been used in various parts of Europe for centuries before the French Revolution. (One was recorded in Ireland as early as 1307).

Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738-1814) was elected a member of the French National Assembly in 1789. He proposed that there should be a swift and humane method of executing people in France. (And compared to many gruesome methods of executing people in 18th century Europe the guillotine certainly was humane). The Assembly finally agreed to his idea in 1791 and the first decapitating device was built by a man named Tobias Schmidt, with advice from a surgeon named Antoine Louis.

There is a charming story that Dr. Guillotin was the first person to be executed with the guillotine. He was put to death for inventing such an inhumane device! In fact the first person to be executed by guillotine was highwayman named Jacques Nicolas Pelletier on 25 April 1792. In any case the guillotine was certainly not inhumane compared to other methods of execution. In reality Dr. Guillotin died of natural causes.

As for 'Madame Guillotine' she was last used in France in 1977. Capital punishment was abolished in France in 1981.

To read about the Great Terror in France click here.

Marie-Antoinette said 'Let them eat cake'

When told that the peasants had no bread to eat Marie-Antoinette is supposed to have said 'let them eat cake! (or brioche). In reality there is no evidence whatsoever that she ever said anything of the kind.

To read a brief history of France click here.

Nelson wore a patch over one eye

In fact, although Nelson was blind in one eye there is no evidence he wore a patch.

The Duke of Wellington was a great English general

Not true! Wellington was an Irishman. He was born in Dublin. Wellington was, of course, a general in the British army but in the early 19th century Ireland was part of Britain.

James Watt invented the steam engine

This is not true. James Watt (1736-1819) was a brilliant engineer who invented an improved version of the steam engine. In fact the first simple steam engine was invented in 1698 by Thomas Savery (1650-1715). It was improved in 1712 by Thomas Newcomen (1663-1729). The early steam engines were used to pump water out of mines.

However Newcomen's engine had a big weakness. Steam passed into a cylinder. Cold water was sprayed in to cool the cylinder and condense the steam. That caused a vacuum and atmospheric pressure pushed a piston downwards.

This system wasted steam because the cylinder walls were alternately heated and cooled. In 1765 Watt had the idea of letting the steam out of the cylinder through a valve and condensing it in a separate chamber. He patented the idea in 1769.

To read a history of technology click here.

Before Charles Darwin published his theory of evolution everybody believed the world is only 6,000 years old

It is a myth that before Charles Darwin published his book The Origin of Species in 1859 everybody thought the world was very young. In reality by the late 18th century, before Darwin was born, people believed that the earth was extremely old. By the early 19th century educated people thought that the earth was much older than 6,000 years.

People were also aware before Darwin published his theory that now extinct animals had once flourished on the earth.

Also before Darwin people speculated that animals evolved from type to another but they were unable to say how. Darwin's theory of natural selection provided an explanation of how evolution takes place.

Thomas Crapper invented the flushing toilet

No he did not! The flushing toilet was known in the ancient world e.g. to the Minoans of ancient Crete. Furthermore the flushing toilet was reinvented in the late 16th century by John Harington. However the idea did not catch on.

The flushing toilet was reinvented again in the late 18th century, by Joseph Bramah, decades before Thomas Crapper (1836-1910) was born!

Furthermore the word crap has nothing to do with Crapper's name. It was used long before he was born. It is pure coincidence that a man who manufactured toilets was called Crapper.

To read about life in the 19th century click here.

In 1899 the Head of the American Patent Office said that the patent office should be closed because everything that could be invented had been invented

Hogwash! There is no evidence whatsoever that the Head of the Patent Office ever said any such thing. In any case the man certainly wasn't foolish or stupid.

Under Mussolini the trains ran on time

In reality the Italian rail network was dilapidated and in need of repair in 1918. Repairs were carried out but most of the refurbishment was done by 1922 before Mussolini became ruler of Italy. Needless to say Mussolini took the credit.

In any case people who lived at the time said trains in Italy did NOT always run on time. Nevertheless fascist propaganda proclaimed that the trains ran on time. The myth has persisted ever since.

Some people claim that fascism was efficient (which is nonsense!) because the trains ran on time!

To read a brief history of Italy click here.

Hitler committed suicide minutes before Soviet troops reached him

In reality Hitler killed himself on 30 April 1945. (According to witnesses it was at about 3.30 pm). The Red army entered the bunker where he died on 2 May 1945 at around midday. It is not true that Hitler committed suicide minutes before the Russians arrived.

To read a brief history of Germany click here.

To read more articles about history click here.

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