Those of you who know me will know I like to include a little culture once a week, depending what the Sundays papers have come up with, and this Bank Holiday weekend they've done splendidly. A substantial piece by Tony Barrell in the Sunday Times on the British Museum's little known collection of porn through the ages, its available to see but some of it you have to request access and some books you can only view under surveillance in secure areas. Goodness me what do they think we're going to get up to?
It's quite revealing, funny and lots of interesting facts including stuff from Samuel Pepys who was reading in 1668 ''L'Escholles des Filles'' The Girls School, and described it as '''a mighty lewd book, but yet not amiss for a sober man once to read over, to inform himself in the villainy of this world.''
It alludes to goings on in monasteries between priests and nuns, many of the ancient accounts being written in French and not replicated in the article unfortunately. However the author assures us that striking amounts of whipping and birching went on and privately printed porn was widely available throughout the 19th century. Volumes such as The Quintessence of Birch Discipline by Mrs Martinet has plates showing extremely aroused men lashing out left right and centre with bunches of twigs. Contemporary volumes such as Lady Bumtickler's Revels were no less popular and some raunchy plays had characters with names such as Master Lovebirch and Lady Belinda Flaybum.
All good stuff I say and nice to see our ancestors knew how to amuse themselves.
Ronnie
xx
