Sensational Historic News!
The Amassing Mary Toft Gives birth to "Rabbits"!
Well, so the story go's. The truth is a little less sensational*, and more a story of "I want to be noticed" a bit like those people who say they've been "Abducted by Aliens" sort of thing.
Or may be, "Let's do something outrageous and try to earn some cash out of it sort of Blag." 1. A violent robbery or raid. 2. An act of using clever talk or lying to obtain something".
I recon that's it, just "clever" talk. So Onward with the Story.
In* seventeen twenty six a local maid-servant going by the name of Mary Toft, hoaxed the nation into believing that she had given birth to some sixteen Rabbits! Well goodness me, what's going on here then?
The truth of the story was uncovered when a porter was see delivering dead Rabbits into Toft's bedroom. Mary soon owned up to the deed. Though I don't know if their "Blag" worked for them, if they had the "Kahunas" to go through with their "cunning plan", and after all it brightened up the day for a good few incredulous people. So why not?
Life would be really rather glum without a little sensation in the mix. Good for them, they hurt nobody to my knowledge. A bit Alice in Wonderland if you ask me though, but who cares?
Can you believe it? The whole nation was hoaxed, and the "stupid" doctors believed it too. Well what can one say? Times have moved on a bit since then :-)
Mary Toft was subsequently imprisoned as a fraud. But what about here conspirator? Justice? The whole thing was a queer/strange thing if you ask me.
Now for a little Background History of the Town
In the years before thirteen hundred Godalming was probably just another small settlement of a few dozen families that then became a Village and then a Town in the Saxon era. As is the case for many of our English Towns.
Godaming's name is thought to originate from the Saxon "Godhelms Ingus" and comes out in English as something like "a family called godhelm" who were thought to be the first lords of Godaliming.
Godalming is situated by the River Wey as is Guildford and surly owes its original prosperity to the fact that it's midway between London and Portsmouth.
A Fair was held in "Godalming" which had to be granted by the King. I recon that makes it quite an important place for those days.
Several Inns and many businesses sprang up and thrived, servicing the needs of the weary travelers, Blagging, Stealing, Robbing, Good time girls, and without a doubt, there'd be gambling and Murder!
Just an up and coming town of the middle ages. "Cripes... I'm glad I live now :-)" Blame it on the Chines is what I say. LOLI couldn't find a more descriptive picture to try and take us back to those dark old days.
Trading in old Godalming Between the years thirteen hundred and the nineteenth century, Godalming plied the trades of cloth making, knitting, weaving and leather-work, they even had paper making in the town that started in the seventeenth century. Paper making was continued rite into the twentieth century.
There was a skinnery at the south end of the high street,
I remember it as a kid. You see, it was rite next to the
"Fish & Chip Shop" and it was important to know that kind of stuff as a kid.
Hum mm I can still taste those chips.
Yummy good memories.
I only tell you this because while waiting in the Que you could see the big old pulleys and wide leather belts as they drove the machinery that tanned the skins, as I remember it, rabbit skins.
The smell was nasty, a take your breath away musty smell. Can you imagine it, Lovely Fish Chip smells, mixed with dead skin smells... No wander I remember it vividly.
The Sake Making business was carried on at the mill in Okford Rd, rite up onto the sixties. Between "The Inn on the Lake" and the railway bridge. I can remember the smell of that place as well. It was on the left going towards Milford.
You know what? I've just properly cottoned on to the fact that smell really dose aid one's memories. I guess most of us forget about smells in lieu of "Concentrating on the important things of life". Yeah Rite...
Don't forget to smell things as one go's along the way.
Hey back to the Plot:
Alan Paine Ltd had a factory in Cattershall Lane, the Industrial Estate, which was one of if not the biggest employer back in the day. Unfortunately they closed in June 2004.
Believe it or not Godalming was a larger and more successful Town than Guildford rite up until the railway came to Farncombe, where it terminated in eighteen forty nine. It was then extended on to Portsmouth in eighteen fifty nine, when Guildford started to became the more important town.
Around Godalming
Guildford To Godalming Google Map
Godalming is just a short two stop hop by train. Catch yer later :-)
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