These days there are increasing concerns regarding overuse of plastic, expecially single use plastic containers, and there are drives to return to more environmentally sensitive methods. This rather interesting example of bio-degradable gift-wrapping was reported in the Stamford Mercury on Friday 15 January 1819.

“On Sunday Mr. Swift, of Stoke Newington, received a pair of large ducks and a brace of fine partridges, enclosed in a turnip, which was grown on Mr. Rouse’s farm, Woodbridge Hasketon, Suffolk. The turnip was carefully scooped out, and measured 34 inches and a half round.”

The Rouse family were farmers and land owners in Hasketon in the early 19th century.

I was rather hoping Grange Farm shop might take up the idea with their future Christmas hampers. Certainly, if somebody gave me such a gift I’d be a very happy boy!

Since that’s a fairly short item, here’s a couple more from the same page in the Stamford Mercury. First some new technology from Suffolk:

A thrashing machine, upon the most simple construction, has recently been completed in Suffolk; is so light that it can drawn by a single horse; works by four levers, similar to a pump-sweep worked by the hand, and will thrash from 13 combs wheat per day.

Secondly, and also on the same page, is a slightly more disturbing report from Baltimore in the US:

 A Common Scold.—Mary Davis was lately tried before the Baltimore City Court, on an indictment as a Common Scold! The Jury, after a consultation of an hour and a half, returned a verdict of Guilty. The punishment for a,” Common Scold/ agreeably the law of Baltimore (which is, in fact, the common law of England), is a public ducking!

Sadly, this turns out to be true. Wikipedia has a whole page on the subject, and the last woman to be punished in England for this crime was in Leominster in 1809.