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'Fairies Kill Four People' (News Item; Lamplugh; 1600s)

That's quite fascinating.

Can anyone shed any light on what dying "Of strong October at the hall" might mean?
 
Fizz32 said:
That's quite fascinating.

Can anyone shed any light on what dying "Of strong October at the hall" might mean?
Click to expand...

Could it be cider?
 
Fizz32 said:
That's quite fascinating.

Can anyone shed any light on what dying "Of strong October at the hall" might mean?
Click to expand...

Ale, at a pub.

See Here:

A particular way of Brewing strong October Beer

There was a Man in this Country that brewed for a Gentleman conftantly after a Very precife Method, and
that was, as foon as he had put over all his firft Copper of water and mafh’d it fome time, he would direcly
let the Cock run a fmall ftream and prefently put fome frefh Malt on the former, and mafh on the while the
Cock was fpending, which he would put again over the Malt, as often as his Pail or Hand-bowl was full,
and this for an Hour or two together; then he would let it run ov intirely, and put it over at once, to run ov
again as fmall as a Straw. This was for his
October
Beer: Then he would put fcalding water over the Goods
at once, but not mafh, and Cap them with more frefh Malt that ftood an Hour undifturbed before he would
draw it ov for Ale; the reft was hot water put over the Goods and mafh’d at twice for fmall Beer: And it was
obferved that his
October
Beer was the moft famous in the Country, but his Grains good for little, for that
he had by this method wafh’d out all or moft of their goodness; this Man was a long while in Brewing, and
once his Beer did not work in the Barrel for a Month in a very hard Froft, yet when the weather broke it
recovered and fermented well, and afterwards proved very good Drink, but he feldom work’d, his Beer less
than a Week in the Vat, and was never tapp’d under three Years...

http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache:v1 ... cd=4&gl=uk
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Thank'ee kindly! I've learnt something new today.
 
Notice though, that many people are still allowed to die a natural death....

But they are quite right; you must be very careful about faries; how I hate those new agers who delibretly provoke them!
 
What about those 7 poor souls bewitched to death?

Were they linked to the 3 that were drowned during witch trials?
 
Whenever I see this headline I feel its a libel on peaceful gays.
 
LaurenChurchill said:
How often do you see that headline? :shock:
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There are sandwich-board men who follow me about who always have that headline on their boards.

Grrr! I meant whenever I see it here on FTMB.
 
I, on the other hand, am a very nice fairy.

I only sprinkle people with my pixie dust in order to improve their manners--takes a lot of doing, these days. 8)
 
As there was no mention of goblin, we are on safe ground.
 
Here's the MIA article cited in post #1, along with its current URL at the original news site.

'Fairies kill four villagers' - document reveals
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'Fairies kill four villagers' - document reveals


Fairies killed four villagers in Lamplugh, near Whitehaven, a historical document reveals.
0 comment
The document tells how villagers in Lamplugh met their deaths between 1656 and 1663.
Deadly duels fought with frying pans and pitchforks, witchcraft, will o the wisps and over eating are all blamed for deaths of villagers.
The manuscript was found by Cumbria Archives.
Parish burial records show death by gluttony at a house warming party, and a fatal reaction to the squire’s wife’s cordial water.

Anne Rowe, county archivist of Cumbria Archive Service, said: “It’s great to unearth a document like this in our collection and gives people a chance to discover a more quirky side to history.
“I’m not sure whether to attribute this list to our ancestors’ superstitions or just their sense of humour.
“These were insecure social times and many folk in the 17th century would have been scared of fairies and ‘will o’the wisps’ with many natural deaths put down to the ‘evil witchcraft’ of a harmless old widow.
“The document is also revealing in its historical details, such as drunken brawls being fought with frying pans and pitchforks.”
The full transcript of the document is:-
Deaths taken out of the Register of Lamplugh from Janry ye 1 1656 to Janry ye 1 1663
On a five bar gate, stag hunters: 4
Two Duels, first fot [fought] with frying pan and pitchforks: 1
Second between a 3 footed stool and a brown jug: 1
Kild [killed] at Kelton fell raices [races]: 3
Knocked on the head at Cockfight: 2
Crost [crossed] in love: 1
Broke his neck robbing a hen roost: 1
took cold sleeping at Church: 11
hanged for clipping and coyning: 7
of a sprain in his shouldr by saving his dog at bul bate [bull bait]:1
Mrs Lamplugh’s cordial water: 2
Knocked on ye head with a quart bottle: 1
Frighted to Death by faries: 4
Of strong October at the hall: 14
Bewitched: 7
Broke a vein in bawling for a knight of ye shire: 1

Old women drowned upon trial for witchcraft: 3
Climbing a crows nest: 1
Led into a horse pond by a will of the whisp: 1
Over eat himself at a house warming: 1
Died of a fright in an Excersise of ye traind bands: 1
By the Parsons bull: 2
Vagrant beggars worried by Esqr Lamplughs housedog: 2
Choked with eating barley: 4
Old age: 57
To find out more visit www.archiveawareness.com.
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CURRENT URL: https://www.whitehavennews.co.uk/news/17165586.fairies-kill-four-villagers-document-reveals/
 
Strokes were believed, in some places, to be the results of attacks from fairy weapons, they were sometimes referred to as "elf-stroke"
 
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"Fairies Wear Boots, you gotta believe me."

That's an interesting document, I'm sure sales of "Mrs Lamplugh's cordial water" slumped slightly after 2 deaths, but it obviously lacked the kick of that "Strong October"!
Oh, what would I give to see a duel between two people where the referee says - "Gentlemen, choose your frying pan."
 
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