John asked what a 'blind house' was, so here are a couple of examples. The one above is one and a half miles from my workshop, in the Wiltshire village of Box.They were little prisons or lock-ups, for petty felons who just made themselves a nuisance by becoming drunk or abusive, and I don't know when they first came into use, but these two examples date from the 18th century.
They were called 'blind houses' simply because they had no windows. The miscreant would be locked in for a night or two, until he had seen sense or sobered up. Most of them had a little fire-place with a chimney for the cold winter months (that thing that looks like a stone urn at the back is, in fact, a chimney pot!) - they were surprisingly humane compared to the brutality of modern holding places like Guantanamo Bay, which also needs no magistrate to lock someone away for a day or two.
If your animals strayed onto the highway in these times (mark my words, John), then they would be taken to the village 'pound' and only released after a fine of a couple of pennies was paid. This is where we get the term impounding for modern day vehicles that have been towed away.I am utterly knackered and have been for about 3 days now, but I will continue boring you with my rantings as of this weekend.
Interesting post ! thank you for that Tom ,often wondered what they were x
ReplyDeletei see!!! ( was bit confused as you called it a bind house originally and I got nothing off google!!!
ReplyDeletethanks for that! the c&nt that stole chris' bike should have been bricked up in a blind house for sure
Look at it in a mystical, sort of 'Borges' way, John. The person who stole Chris's bike may have saved him from coming off the road on an icy night and breaking his dear neck.
ReplyDeleteI remember you worrying yourself shitless about Chris riding home in the dark last year, when he didn't turn up until late. That little c@nt may have been the catalyst that changed the whole way things pan out in the future. If you thought that was true, you would confuse the little bastard by thanking him profusely!
P.S. Did I call it a 'bind' house? Oops, sorry. Like I say, I am knackered.
ReplyDeletethe disrespect of stealing it outweighs any nice side effects
ReplyDeleteI could kindly strangle the bastard
You might well get the opportunity, John, when HE comes off on an icy bend and finds himself in intensive care with you as his night nurse...
ReplyDeleteand with a syringe of insulin in my hand.....
ReplyDeleteMy native village of Lingfield in Surrey has one. It's known as 'The Cage', and is situated right bang in the middle of the village next to an ancient oak tree and the pond. Classic.
ReplyDeleteWe had a Blind House (or the lock-up) in the Wiltshire village of Heytesbury. Every 5th November it is used to incarcerate Guy Fawkes. The villagers parade up the High Street with flaming torches and drums and gather around the Blind House. Three loud bangs on the door, "Bring out Guy Fawkes!" The effigy is then brought out and carried off towards the bonfire. One year we were all astonished when a 'living' Guy Fawkes ran out of the building and disappeared into the darkness. Great fun!
ReplyDeleteHello Tom:
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely fascinating. We must, we are sure, have passed the Blind House in Box on a number of occasions and whilst we might have assumed it was a lock up, we had no idea about the history of such places until now.
The local amateur archeologist and dowser, Guy Underwood, maintained that Blind Houses were always set over 'blind springs' (springs which never break the surface) because the negative effects picked up by a dowser made the stay a little more unpleasant - or a little more healing, I forget which!
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