It has been a busy week and I have got a bit behind. Thanks to all for comments and for your patience when I didn’t (or some cases haven’t) got back to you. There are a couple of interesting activities out there with people doing things and posting things. I will unscramble these contacts and suggestions in due course.

I did a quick look at who was linking to us.

There are several history blogs and semi-serious sites linking in for my potted histories. Initially I was surprised, but looking at the subjects it seems we have covered, Lady Jane Grey, the Royal Navy, William the Conqueror, pirates, Roman Pagan flagellation, Egyptian marriage, Russian marriage and many others.

Since some of these articles are years old they may be worth a revisit when there is time.

I recently came across some material on the Prussians. There seems no end of nubile young women getting spanked, caned and birched in Northern Germany from the 16th century right through to the 20th.

I did plan a quick history, but I rather think I could get six out of the material.

For instance Elisabeth Foy, a young English woman who served as an assistant governess to a Junker family in the 19th century, was shocked and surprised to be required to ‘flog grown girls on their naked behinds’ for what she regarded as quite minor breaches of rules. Imagine how much more shocked she was when she was required to turn up her own skirts for a sound birching of her own.

It is not only foreign governesses and servant girls who were in for a culture shock. Several wives from France, England and Ireland found out that Prussian husbands could be very strict.

One noble French wife was birched for refusing to learn German.

Then there are the Prussian nuns…

More on all of this soon.