Just around the corner from the Westgate is a monument erected in 1759 commemorating the plague of 1666.
During the plague it became the custom for country folk from outside of the city to bring their produce to this point outside the Westgate and leave them there. They would then retire to a distance while the citizens of Winchester came out to collect the produce, leaving their money in payment in a large bowl of vinegar in order to disinfect it. When they had gone back into the city through the Westgate the farmers and countrymen would come back and fish out the coins with pincers avoiding any possible infection.
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Quite a clever method they devised during those bad old days.
ReplyDeletea tragic time, but some ingenuity to cope with it.
ReplyDeleteROG, ABC Wednesday team
I didn't realize vinegar was used to fight the plague. How interesting!
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting and educational post for the O day, today. I think I learn so many new things each week on ABC Wednesday.
ReplyDeletea very good solution (no pun intended) for everyone.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, for sure. Vinegar has many uses but I've not heard of this one. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting story. Humans are very inventive in efforts to survive.
ReplyDeleteThere I was thinking it was just something to stick on my fish and chips. Terrible times, we are so lucky to live in a another time.
ReplyDeleteI used to walk past that every day, but never knew of that fact. How enterprising. Yes, vinegar was the bleach, or lemon juice, of the day. Quite a few people who can't cope with chemicals use it to clean their kitchens and bathrooms.
ReplyDeleteWho doesn't like a nice obelisk? Always a good decorative item!
ReplyDeleteOh, that was very interesting story and I see I don't have to use(! ) I can use (,) to make my point. Some times I forget good punctuation.LOL
ReplyDeleteMy favourite use for vinegar is on my chips (that's French fries for US readers!) . I fortunately haven't had to fight the plague with it yet..
ReplyDeleteThanks all for dropping by.