M.J. Rose

Buckle up, it’s a little morbid…

Here Are Some of the Weird Ways You Could Die in Tudor England

Pole vaulting and bacon are among the odd causes of death discovered by historians

By Helen Thompson (smithsonian.com)

“In Tudor England, death came in many forms. Wars took lives on and off the battlefield. Illnesses claimed the weak and old. Dangerous pregnancies threatened the survival of women and children. And even aside from all that, accidents could happen everyday.

Now, a team of historians at the University of Oxford in the U.K. is figuring out what sort of mishaps could lead to one’s demise in 16th-century England. Analyzing coroner reports and cases of accidental death they hope to get a better picture of what life was like back then and compare those risks to the ones humans face today.

Thus far, their work has yielded some interesting insights. A death of a young girl, possibly a cousin of William Shakespeare, who may have inspired Ophelia’s death by drowning in Hamlet. Drowning, in fact, caused half of all accidental deaths in this period. Occupational hazards, on the other hand, varied regionally. But, amid these broader insights, the research has also turned up some rather odd ways to go. Here are some highlights from their latest discoveries…”

Read more here at Smithsonian magazine.

It’s a question that has sparked our imagination for ages: What happened to these people? The mystery continues to unfold…

We Finally Have Clues to How America’s Lost Colony Vanished
Artifacts suggest some members of ill-fated English settlement survived and assimilated with Native Americans.

By Andrew Lawler, National Geographic

“The search began when an anxious Englishman named John White waded ashore on North Carolina’s Roanoke Island 425 years ago this month. Appointed governor of the fledgling Roanoke colony by Sir Walter Raleigh, White was returning from England with desperately needed supplies.

But when he stepped ashore on August 18, 1590, he found the settlement looted and abandoned. The vanished colonists had left behind only two clues to their whereabouts: the word “Croatoan” carved on a prominent post and “Cro” etched into a tree.

Ever since, explorers, historians, archaeologists, and enthusiasts have sought to discover the fate of the 115 men, women, and children who were part of England’s first attempt to settle the New World. Efforts to solve America’s longest running historical mystery, dubbed the Lost Colony, produced dozens of theories but no clear answers.

Now two independent teams say they have archaeological remains that suggest at least some of the abandoned colonists may have survived, possibly splitting into two camps that made their homes with Native Americans…”

For the rest, click here.

Are you thinking what we’re thinking? Great place to write the great American horror novel, yes?

Get Paid to Live in a Haunted Ghost Town
By Sarah Spencer (Wide Open Country)

“If you could spend the summer in a historic, haunted ghost town in Montana, would you do it?

If the paranormal is your thing, check out this job posting from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. They’re looking for volunteer residents to help out with the care and conservation Garnet Ghost Town. Back in the day, Garnet was a frontier mining town but has been mostly abandoned for about 100 years.

Your lodging is absolutely free. You’ll be provided with a furnished cabin, complete with a propane powered refrigerator and range (sorry, no electricity or running water available in historic ghost towns). You’ll even be paid a stipend and allotted a food allowance.

All you’d have to do is assist with tours, help set up exhibits, work in the gift shop, and other general upkeep. Oh, and, you know, live with the creepy sounds of haunting laughter and music that’s often heard in Kelly’s Saloon, the most active spot on the premises…

For the rest, click here.