Satiric London

[livius drusus]

You Brits (and anyone planning on being in London this summer) need to haul ass to the Museum of London posthaste because they've got a fantastic exhibit on satire through the ages (http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/31/arts/design/31sati.html?_r=1&oref=slogin).

The most popular vehicle was graphic art, specifically prints. Around St. Paul's Cathedral in London, print shops filled their windows with the latest and most outrageous images. And passers-by, even if illiterate, even if unable to afford a print, could revel in the knowledge that the rich and powerful were not safe from ridicule. (This show recreates the window of Humphrey's popular print shop.) In this Hogarth was the master, not only because he was a skilled painter and engraver, but also because he captured the idiosyncrasies of London.

His prints inspired writers to create their own texts around, say, "A Rake's Progress" and "A Harlot's Progress." And to this day cartoonists frequently pay homage to him by borrowing his complex compositions. Thus his "Gin Lane" became "Cocaine Lane" by Martin Rowson 250 years later.

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/05/31/arts/31sati.jpg http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2006/05/30/arts/31sati2.jpg

[Leesifer]

I've just looked at the map of where it is because I've never actually heard of the Museum of London. :bag:

I could actually walk there from work and will definitely do so, next time I'm in the office.

Here's (http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/Virtual/SatiricalLondon/Default.htm) their page detailing the Satirical London exhibition.

[livius drusus]

I could actually walk there from work and will definitely do so, next time I'm in the office. :hyper: Must report! Must!

[livius drusus]

Here's their page detailing the Satirical London exhibition.
Really nice site they've got there, packed with great information. I hadn't heard of the Museum of London before either, and now that I see it I can't imagine how it escaped my notice. It looks like a treasure trove (http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/Collections/Prehistoric1700/Roman.htm).

[Leesifer]

I will do, liv. :salute: Although I really don't know when I'll next be in the office.

ETA: I'm not surprised about the Roman stuff, liv. I work right opposite Spitalfields market and when they were developing that, they found tons of things, including this (http://www.britannia.com/history/londonhistory/spitbod.html).

They opened a small part of the indoor market for viewing the remains and other artifacts they found. And yes, I did actually go to that.

[Smilin]

take pictures with that new digital camera of yours too Lees?

[Leesifer]

OK! I totally :blame: liv for this because I'm now all intrigued about the area near where I work for archaeological finds.

It's a big quote below because I picked it up quickly from a Google search but have now bookmarked this (http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba67/news.shtml) website. The blurb below is from Spitalfields as well. It's from 2002 but I don't remember hearing about it at the time.

Archaeologists excavating a large medieval cemetery in London have found four individuals who were buried clutching papal indulgences in the coffin - packed off with their very own one-way ticket to heaven.

The four lead papal seals of the 14th century were found in graves from the former Hospital of St Mary Spital in Spitalfields. According to Geoff Egan, a medieval finds specialist at the Museum of London, the seals were most likely attached to papal indulgences, which could be corruptly bought from the Church as a pardon for a lifetime's sins.

'It seems these people took their indulgence into the grave so that they could wave it at the Almighty and say - I may have been a sinner, but look, I've got this,' Dr Egan said.

The seals date from the period of the Avignon papacy - when the popes decamped from Rome to Avignon in the south of France, and embarked on a period of unprecedented extravagence, paid for by high taxation and various corrupt means of raising funds. Three of the seals were found in an area of the cemetery notable for wealthy graves, and one of the burials has been tentatively identified (by matching documentary and archaeological evidence) as Johanna, wife of the rich mercer, William Eynsham, who founded the chantry chapel above the hospital's charnel house.

The size of the cemetery itself also reflects the commercial exploitation of death in the Middle Ages. In one of the largest cemetery excavations ever undertaken, a staggering 10,500 graves have been excavated, out of an estimated total of 18,000.

According to Chris Thomas, who directed the excavation for the Museum of London Archaeology Service, these numbers far exceed the possible total population of the hospital between the early 13th and early 16th centuries. Instead of serving just its own inmates, the hospital was presumably acting as an overflow burial ground for London. Several of the city's 108 parishes either had only very small graveyards, or no graveyards at all.

'There is no doubt the hospital would have been charging for it. It was big business. And St Mary Spital ended up as one of the wealthiest monastic houses in the country at the time of the Dissolution,' Mr Thomas said.

Another intriguing find from the cemetery was a group of seven gold coins from the reign of Henry VIII known as 'angels'. These coins were handed out as talismans by the monarch at a special ceremony to sufferers of the skin disease, scrofula (otherwise known as King's Evil). Coins were pierced, to be worn around the victim's neck. The ceremony originated under Edward IV and survived until the reign of Charles II. The Spitalfields coins, issued in 1509, carry an image of the archangel St Michael defeating a reptilian devil. They were found in a pit in the demolished remains of a house within the hospital grounds

:wriggle:

[livius drusus]

OMG, scrofula! And the Babylonian Captivity! And actual freaking indulgences! Lees, you work in a fucking COOL ASS part of town. :bow:

[Ensign Steve]

OMG, scrofula! And the Babylonian Captivity! And actual freaking indulgences! Lees, you work in a fucking COOL ASS part of town. :bow:

:wow:

No kidding! And to think I was excited about working in a place where I can drive to Sonic and back without making any left turns.

[Leesifer]

liv, it's a building site at the moment, where they are building more and more office blocks. But, and it's a good but, the minute they find anything historical, the work is stopped, ready for the archaeologists to take over and save what they can.

This (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/556499.stm) I definitely remember, because that was when I could look through the fence at Spitalfields and see the skelingtons laying on the surface before they were packed away.

/me wishes she could be an archaeologist. :sigh:

[Leesifer]

OMG, scrofula! And the Babylonian Captivity! And actual freaking indulgences! Lees, you work in a fucking COOL ASS part of town. :bow:

:wow:

No kidding! And to think I was excited about working in a place where I can drive to Sonic and back without making any left turns.

Hey Steve, long time no see! :glomp:

[Ensign Steve]

Hi Lees! Just so you're not confused by my post, "left turn" is how Americans say "right turn".

[livius drusus]

liv, it's a building site at the moment, where they are building more and more office blocks. But, and it's a good but, the minute they find anything historical, the work is stopped, ready for the archaeologists to take over and save what they can.

I actually read a story (http://arts.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,1786849,00.html) just yesterday about some excavations of Roman ruins under a church in Southwark. The problem is they only have one more week to get what they can and haul ass before the machinery destroys everything.

Southwark, once seen by archaeologists as a nondescript marshy suburb on the wrong side of the river from the Roman city of London, has through recent excavations emerged as a key part of the Roman administration of Britain. Other sites a stone's throw away have produced startling Roman finds, including a tomb claimed to be that of a woman gladiator, the oldest inscription with the placename "Londinium", and a monumental bronze foot, all that remains of a huge public statue. Dr Sheldon believes the evidence from a contemporary major Roman building is now about to be destroyed without record at St George's.

The archaeologists from the Museum of London Archaeology Service, who are working against the clock under contract for the church authorities, within the crypt, are now clearing out of the site. The construction work is part of a lottery-backed project to lower the crypt floor to make it suitable for community work.

Machinery is due next week for pile-driving and underpinning work, which will destroy anything in the archaeological layer that has not already been salvaged or recorded.

In Italy you have to build around any ruins you find (that's why the two-line Metro is so curvy), a law that's been around since Fascist times. I'm shocked that London, a city with nearly as long as history as Rome, would allow the destruction of archaeological finds for something so banal. :(

This I definitely remember, because that was when I could look through the fence at Spitalfields and see the skelingtons laying on the surface before they were packed away.
You lucky heifah. I was just reading about the history of London's cemetaries. Fascinating stuff.

[Ymir's blood]

You lucky heifah. I was just reading about the history of London's cemetaries. Fascinating stuff.
:examine:

[livius drusus]

:innocent2: What? What? (http://www.freethought-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7959)

[Leesifer]

That absolutely sucks.

Dr Sheldon believes at least a month's further archaeological investigation is needed, which he estimates would cost £50,000.
In the scheme of things, it's not that much money.

The Reverend Maggie Durran, the development consultant for St George's, said: "We are very keen on our archaeology, and we have done the very best we can by this site, but we have an absolute deadline of this week. Archaeologists have to understand that if their budget is spreading, everyone else's is shrinking."
If's she's CofE, I used to temp for them and they've got the money to spare.

Work at St George's apparently slowed down when the archaeologists uncovered hundreds more buried human remains than expected. English Heritage gave an emergency grant for extra diggers over the weekend to recover medieval terracotta fragments judged of national importance which were also uncovered in the excavation.
Then lets call in English Heritage.

[Ymir's blood]

London is apparently built on abandoned cemeteries.

[Leesifer]

Hi Lees! Just so you're not confused by my post, "left turn" is how Americans say "right turn".

Well, I wasn't confused before but ... :scratch:

[Leesifer]

London is apparently built on abandoned cemeteries.

Allegedly, the first place I worked in London was haunted because it was built on an old leper pit. :haunted:

[Ymir's blood]

Alms for an old ex leper?

Did you take pictures?

[Leesifer]

Alas, the pictures would just be of an office block, Yb.

But I can always spare a shekel for an old ex leper.

[livius drusus]

In the scheme of things, it's not that much money.

If's she's CofE, I used to temp for them and they've got the money to spare.

And even if they don't, the government does. In institutional terms it's tip money, really, and an incalculably tiny fraction of the real worth of the discovery.

Then lets call in English Heritage.
What does that entail exactly, do you know? If something is declared EH does that mean it can't be destroyed at all, or just that they fork over money to salvage what can be salvaged?

[Leesifer]

I'm not too sure, liv. I'll have a look and see what I can find out.

[livius drusus]

:thankee:

[Leesifer]

Looking through the English Heritage (http://www.english-heritage.org.uk) website, I can't find anything about the Southwark find.

However, they really should be involved with this and I'm surprised not to find anything concrete on their website.

Archaeological remains are a crucial link with our past. They vary from upstanding and obvious sites - such as castles and stone circles - to buried remains - like Roman or medieval settlements - hidden below later buildings and fields.

All of these are fragile: once lost, they can never be replaced. We need to identify, manage and value individual monuments and the landscapes which contain them if they are not to be swept away by the modern pressures of road building, urban development or agricultural techniques.

English Heritage is the main national body which identifies archaeological sites, develops policies to protect them and promotes the importance of archaeology. We give advice to others on archaeology and planning, and are the main source of funding for archaeological projects.

and

Identifying sites of national importance

A small proportion of archaeological sites - those of national importance - are legally protected by being placed on the Schedule of Monuments by the Secretary of State for National Heritage. English Heritage is the government's adviser for all matters concerning scheduled monuments. For more information on what scheduling means, and how sites are added to the schedule, see the Scheduling Monuments pages.

Recording other sites

Other sites must be preserved in different ways or, if that is not feasible, recorded before they are destroyed. Good documentation is a vital part of protecting sites in this way. In recent years, English Heritage has funded the provision of staffed records of archaeological sites within each local authority. These records are known as Sites and Monuments Records (SMRs). In London the SMR is maintained by English Heritage.

Also, I should have said I'll see what I can dig up for you, liv. :ffgiggle:

[livius drusus]

:giggles: You so silly.

Thank you for the research. I remain disappointed, frankly. The Southwark site is extremely significant, but even if it didn't contradict conventional historical wisdom about Roman London, I still can't imagine that it's less important than lowering the church floor.

I've always thought Prince Charles was right about the appalling lack of concern for the London skyline, but I'm really shocked that same fuck-our-cultural-patrimony attitude reflected in excavations as well. :deepsigh:

[livius drusus]

Looks like Spain's got Southwark beat by a mile, Lees. Don't read this without a barf bag handy (http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/view.php?StoryID=20060430-102110-4454r).

:ffcry:

[Leesifer]

:sigh:

[But]

Hi Lees! Just so you're not confused by my post, "left turn" is how Americans say "right turn".

Ah. My satnav is made by a British company, I guess that explains its poor performance.

[pescifish]

Archaeologists excavating a large medieval cemetery in London have found four individuals who were buried clutching papal indulgences in the coffin - packed off with their very own one-way ticket to heaven.

...

'It seems these people took their indulgence into the grave so that they could wave it at the Almighty and say - I may have been a sinner, but look, I've got this,' Dr Egan said.I don't know nuthin' 'bout London and satires. But I'll have you know that I was granted plenary indulgence by the Pope in 2001. I plan on cashing in, should circumstances require it. :unnod:

[Leesifer]

What did you do to get your plenary indulgence pesci? :popebull:

[pescifish]

I was a good loving daughter who happened to participate in her last Catholic sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.

The priest administering the sacrament was impressed with the care and love my siblings and I went into to prepare our mom, the surroundings and the people who shared the moment. He explained that in the Jubilee Year (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubilee_(Christian)#The_Jubilee_Indulgence), the Pope had granted the gift of plenary indulgence (as was his authority!) to those who honored the sacrament during that year, as deemed appropriate by the priest in attendance. The priest might have been bending the rules, since he mentioned it only to us siblings and Mom's brother and sis-in-law (not the whole room) and none of us had done an actual Reconciliation (confession), though we had done a bang-up job on the Rosary prior to the official Anointing of the Sick sacrament.

Pope John Paul II's Letter to the Priests Holy Thursday 2001 (http://www.adoremus.org/0501popeletter.html)
4. In my Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte (http://www.adoremus.org/NovoMillennioInuente.html) I said that the true legacy of the Great Jubilee is the experience of a more intense encounter with Christ. From among the many aspects of this encounter, today I would like to choose for this reflection the theme of sacramental reconciliation: this too was a central feature of the Jubilee Year, also because it is closely connected with the gift of the Jubilee indulgence.

Too bad Mom wasn't alive enough to be aware of her last week or so, because us kids did it up right for her. She would have been very happy had she been aware of all the family and love that surrounded her as she died.

[Leesifer]

pesci that's quite a poignant story, thanks. :huggle: