History Fun

[fuchsoid]

Spent all day undergoing three consecutive, dense history lectures in the freezing-cold Chair Museum, where where the air-conditioning is on permanently following a flood, plus a huge dehumidifier, helpfully positioned next to an open-topped fish-tank. Dr Skippy gave us three consecutive history lectures, charging on from the Gunpowder Plot through the Civil War to the Glorious Revolution, then France from Cardinal Mazarin to the Revolution (with extensive digressions on the French guild system, royal patronage and the Three Musketeers), and timber imports in 17th century England, while we sat there slowly freezing. They were accompanied by blurred slides of ancient customs documents, detailing imports of timbers and more exotic merchandise such as elephants teeth, Japan cabinets and lacquered toothpicks. Do you know what the import duty on walnut planks was in 1720? Compared to the duty on mahogany? I do. The really dreadful thing is that I found it all rather fascinating.

ETA Rewrote this to include the big chunk that fell out when I posted it first.