Pon Haw and Other Dishes

As I hinted not too long ago we will learn about Mr. Brain's Pork Faggots.

Just because I am ghost hunting around the Scottish English borders does not make me an expert on all things English or Scottish. But I was asked what I knew about Mr. Brains Pork Faggots. NOTHING! Until now. we will all be an expert on them.

Mr. Brain

Herbert Hill Brain, born in 1864 was a butcher from Bristol. Bristol is in Southwestern England (the side near Ireland not France). His father was a grocer. In 1890 he started his own grocer business. In 1927 he bought a building on York Street and started curing and smoking pork for bacon and ham In 1925 he started making packaged family meals, like a TV dinner using his secret recipe for gravy. After a suggestion from an employee he created the pork faggots and they were very popular during WWII food rationing.

Pork

It is a pig.

Faggots

This is food made from pork cuttings and offal. Yeah, that sounds bad. Offal can be described as "variety meat or organ meat". ( I so do not want to continue this chat!!!!) Organ meats are the internal organs and entrails of a butchered animal excluding muscle and bone. Faggots are made from the pigs heart, fat belly meat, liver, bacon bits, herbs, and bread crumbs. Sometimes the faggots are wrapped in caul. Caul is the thin membrane that surrounds the stomach and other internal organs. Think - sausage casings.

Faggots were a cheap ordinary food of country people of Wales and Western England. In the Midlands and Yorkshire area they are called Savoury Ducks. They are often wrapped in bacon and cooked in a savoury gravy and served with mashed potatos and peas. The faggot mixture is formed into small balls, wrapped in the caul (pig membrane) and baked.

If this does mot appeal to you; you can always have this variety instead. . .

Pig fry is minced or ground together with boiled onion, bread crumbs or diced potatos, seasoned with sage, hebs and pepper, all mixed together, formed into balls wrapped in pig caul, baked, cooled and served cold. This does not sound so bad you make think but do you know what pig fry is? You are about to. . .

Fry are testicles. Before cooking they are scalded, skinned, and soaked in cold water. They can be cooked many ways; saute`ed, deep fried, sauced, poached, roasted and used in casseroles, pies or minced to make faggots.

Mr. Brain's faggots are made from pork cuts, pork rind, liver, breadcrumbs and herbs.

In October November 2013 Mr. Brain's Pork Faggots created an international frenzy when their facebook friends started chatting and using the word faggot.

So now you know...it is food!

Enjoy!

Across the pond.....

Have you ever enjoyed some Pon Haw? I discovered a 151 year old recipe for this amazing dish.

Boil 1 hog's head. Drain off broth. By the way do NOT google Boil hog head!!! ewwwww

Grind a little meat and liver together until you get enough, about the size of two large tomatoes; boil this in the broth. Add sage and pepper to taste. Thicken with meal (corn meal?) and cook well. When done, put into a large crock (huge bowl made from pottery, crockery) and let stand in the cellar until good and cold. Slice and serve cold, or fry slices of this in a pan with a little shortening.

Sounds like Spam. I cannot even find a photo on google! However after looking for a photo of faggots google is now bringing me photos of men in various acts of------ that may have anything to do with any word I submit. NOT helpful!!

Enjoy!!

Decoration Day

Decoration Day happened three years after the Civil War ended. It was established by a Union Veteran who suggested a day be set aside to decorate the graves of those killed in battle with flowers. Major John A. Logan thought the end of May would be a good time to establish Decoration Day as flowers would be in bloom throughout most of the country.

The ceremony was centered around a mansion in Arlington Virginia that once belonged to Robert E. Lee and was presided over by General Ulysses S. Grant and his wife. After a speech children from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home along with Civil War Veterans walked through the cemetery placing flowers on graves, praying and singing hymns.

In 1971 Decoration Day was declared by Congress to be a National Holiday to fall on the last Monday in May. It is also known as Memorial Day and includes all who died in any American War.

George Daniel Pearis was born on February 13 1847 in Giles, Virginia and on 27 April 1864 when he was just 17 he enlisted in the Confederate Army as a Private under Captain Thomas A. Bryan. He was in Bryan's Artillary a part of McLaughlin's Battallion. On 10 May 1864 Private George Daniel Pearis was killed in action at what became known as The Battle at Cloyd's Mountain.

The battle began on May 9 1864 and by the end there were 688 Union casualties and 538 confederate, 1226 deaths all told.

The Union won the Battle of Cloyd's Mountain allowing them to destroy the railroad system that connected Tennessee to Virginia.

The Confederate troops under the Leadership of Brigadeir General Albert Gallatin Jenkins

                                                   Albert Gallatin Jenkins

took up a strong defensive position at Cloyd's Mountain. The Union troops under leadership of future president, Colonel Rutherford B. Hays

                                                                Rutherford B. Hays

 at about 11:00 AM charged the Confederate troops who had been bombarded with massive artillary just moments before and savage hand to hand combat followed. The area was in a dense forrest and the leaves that had fallen the previous fall were dry, thick and brittle. Within moments sparks from musket fire ignited a blaze and soon the battle field was engulfed in flames. Many Union soldiers were trapped and pinned in by the blaze and were burned alive. Seeing that the smaller Confederate troops were occupied with the fire; reinforcements were sent in and Jenkins in an effort to fortify the area left unguarded was wounded and taken prisoner. His second in command John McCausland organized the Confederates and with-drew them.

                                                                    John McClausland

The Battle lasted a little over an hour, the hand to hand combat was so ferocious the severity of it earned this battle the title as one of the most savage of the war.

The following day, still trying to salvage a railroad bridge the Confederates took up again, a defensive posture but they lost and again withdrew.

There is whisper of a legend at this battlesite. Sometime near the end of the fighting a Union soldier fighting near Colonel Hays was ordered to take cover and withdraw. The soldier refused declaring that they would not take cover until Colonel Hays did. The soldier was mortally wounded and while receiving first aid was discovered to be a woman.

George Daniel Pearis was my 2nd cousin.

Robert and King Richard I

In 1186 Sir Robert who had inherited Castle Hamlake, also known as Helmsley Castle scontinued rebuilding the structure with stone.

                                                        Helmsley Castle Gateway

The castle had been originally built of wood in 1120. He added two stone round corner towers and a large main gateway. Upon his death his son, William inherited the Castle.

de Ros coat of arms - Gules, three water-bougets argent - legal description

　

This coat of arms is carved upon the shield held by Sir Robert on his tomb effigy at Knights Church.



　

　

In 1196 Sir Robert was in Normandy France in the service of King Richard, The Lionheart. He was at war with Phillip Augustus the King of France. During this time Sir Robert was arrested and ordered to pay 1200 marks of silver over the escape of a valuable prisoner.

King Richard I

 

In what is being called "a pleasant passsage of arms" or better yet a Tournament or joust, in Normandy between knights of King Phillip and those of King Richard, Hugh de Chaumont was taken prisoner and brought before King Richard. Hugh was a wealthy Knight and a dear friend of King Louis VII father of King Phillip. King Richard ordered Hugh de Chaumont into the custody of Sir Robert who turned Hugh over to be kept guarded in Bonneville Castle by whom he thought was a good and faithful retainer, William de Espinay.

King Philip II Augustus

 

The de Espinay family had been supporters and soldiers for the Trussebut family for many generations. Sir Robert received the service of the de Espinays after the death of his mother Rohese Trussebut and her sisters who had inherited from their father.

Bonneville castle was known as Bonneville-sur-Touques and is located in Normandy. It has been a castle since 1063 and was built on a hill and surrounded by a deep moat. The Castle was built to protect the Port of Touques and was used frequently, many years earlier by William the Conquerer as a hunting lodge.

Bonneville-sur-Touques

 

William de Espinay became neglegent or maybe he was tempted by a large bribe, whatever happened, it is believed that with help, one night Hugh de Chaumont escaped from the castle. Sir Robert, as I mentioned before was arrested and paid a steep fine. William de Espinay was also arrested and found guilty of treason agaisnt King Richard, and Sir Robert. He was immediatley hung.

The year before he died Sir Robert de Ros founded a Hospital for the Templar Knights Order of St. Lazarus in Bolton called St Thomas the Martyr. The hospital had room for 13 lepers.
He married a daughter of The Lyon King of Scotland, William.

Robert is at Knights Church London

In a palce in London known as Temple Church or Knights Church lies the body of a man named Robert de Ros.

Temple Church was built by Knights Templar an order of warrior monks who went on Crusade in the 12th century. Their task was to protect pilgrims along the road to and from Jerusalem. The church has two parts the Chancel and The Round Church. The Round Church is designed to look like The Church of The Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was built in 1185.

By the year 1145 Templars wore white tunics and robes with red crosses. Why.... the secret to that may be found in the Bible in the book of Revelations where is says....the martyrs of Christ clad in white robes washed with the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14) are those who will be called to life at the "first resurrection". For a millennium they will reign with Christ; at its end, Satan will lead all the nations of the earth against ‘the beloved city’ Jerusalem (Revelation 20:9). The final battle will be in Jerusalem and the Knights buried in The Round Church are armed, ready and awaiting that call.

 

                                                 
Robert de Ros, born around 1171 in Yorshire England was also known as 4th Baron of Hamlake, and was my 25th Great Grand Father. He was a member of the Order of Knights Templar and had the title of Furfan which meant Grand Master. In the year 1211 Lord Robert became a monk. By 1213 he was Sheriff of Cumberland and later Govenor of Carlisle.

                                  de Ros Coat of Arms you can find it on the chart of Barons

In 1215 he was assigned to be one of the 25 Barons who were to oversee provisions of the Magna Carta were followed. He died in 1226 and was buried wearing the robes of the Order of Knights Templar in Yorkshire and later moved to Temple Church in London.

                                               Arms of the 25 Barons of the Magna Carta Surety


When Sir Robert died he gave the manor and the tithes made from the manor of Ribston to the Templars for the maintenence of his burial and his body for the Holy Land. Ribston is a small village in Yorkshire, England. There is small chapel dedicated to Templars that has been incorporated into a Manor Hall. The charter for this gift of Ribston reads like this....

To all the faithful of Christ to whom this present writing of Robert de Ros shall come Health in the Lord. Be it known to all of you that I by intuition of divine piety and for the health of my soul and those of my ancestors and successors have given granted and by this my present charter have confirmed to God and Blessed Mary and the Brethren and the Knighthood of the Temple, my manor of Ribston with the advowson of the Church of the same township and the vill of Walshford with the mills of the said vill, and with all other their appurtenances and franchises and free customs and easements to wit with demesnes and homage’s, with free tenants and rents, assises and villenage with woods and plains, with meadows and pastures, with ways and paths, with waters and mills, with pools and fishponds, with moors and marshes, with turbaries and all commons, with free entries and exits in all things and places within the vill and without to the aforesaid manor of Ribston appertaining without any withholding. As wholly as I ever held the said manor entirely with it’s appurtenances. To have and to hold to the aforesaid brethren of the Knighthood of the Temple in pure free and perpetual alms as freely quietly and unburdened as any alms can be freely well and quietly given to any religious house. And this gift I have made to God and St Mary and the aforesaid brethren of the Knighthood of the Temple with my body and in aid of the Holy Land in the East with all improvements, which the said brethren in the said manors and its appurtenances shall make. And I the aforesaid Robert and my heirs the aforesaid gift with advowson of the aforesaid church and all their appurtenances to the aforesaid brethren of the Knighthood of the Temple against all men will warrant acquit and defend forever. In order therefore that this donation, concession, and confirmation of my charter may have firm effect I have strengthened it with the impression of my seal. These being witnesses, Robert de Veteri Ponte, Martin de Pateshill, John fitz Robert, Brian de Lisle, William de Lisle, Richard Duket, Robert de Cokefeld, William de Tameton, William de Barton, Walter de Soureby, Walter de Wildeker, Adam de Linton, Robert de Garton, and many others.

Mom Day

My friend J and I had decided to go on an adventure Sunday. A photographic safari to find the word Mother in all its forms and create an album. We went to several locations and and got some shots. One location I thought might be a good place to llok was a cemetery. Sometimes you can find headstones that say Mother.

 What we found was something little more disturbing. A shoe. A man's shoe just randomly laying a bit askew in the grass. Not near a grave, more like it was tossed out in haste or lost during an altercation. Was a man kidnapped while bringing flowers to the gravesite of his mother? Did an ex-husband get in a duel with the current husband over a grave of a beloved wife and in his haste to remove the now deceased husband leave a shoe behind?

There is more.... we stopped at one location to find a geo-cache which was there a couple weeks ago in April but we could not find it. We moved 114 rocks around and never found it. The clue had the word prick in it so we assumed it was near a prickly pear cactus. The blue GPS dot stayed right there by the cactus no cache. We moved on.

There we sat havng a lovely dinner when a gun fight broke out in the restaurant. A child was screaming and running a man was growling and chasing him. As we sat there in disbelief the child hid behind a colum near the salad bar and the man charged from his hiding place shooting the child square in the chest with a big fat "splat" sound. The boy shreiked. The man laughed and off they ran again. Yep, it was a water pistol fight right there in the restaurant involving the staff and customers.

Next the manager escorts a family over to the salad bar and stays with them as they heap lettuce, tomatoes, dressing and cheese on their plates challenging them all to a salad eating competion. He makes a salad and off they marched to their table where we could here a 1,2,3, go! Several moments later the manager screams "I won!!!" He then proceeds to do a victory lap to the kitchen.

Our waitress happens to be Megra, the wife of Hercules and we are forced to listen to her lamentations of life with Herc and his crazy vengenful father Zeus. Could this night be any weirder?

Yes, there before my eyes on Mother's Day is a little family. A mom loaded down with a large purse, a ginormous diaper bag, in the other hand she is holding the tiny hand of a barely walking toddler and where is dad? Strolling along behind them with a very proud look carrying nothig but a phone the size of an i-pad strapped to his skinny, pant sagging, hip. Carry that diaper bag and your son you addlepated, dim-witted, under-educated nincompoop!! What a bloody wanker!!!!

Next letter we will be discussing Mr. Brain's Pork Faggots.

Capture at Melrose

I have been hunting the ghost of Thomas de Musgrave, my 22 Great Grandfather. What caught my attention was the Battle of Melrose. Most of the history I find is how Clan Douglas tells of the event. In the end Sir Thomas, Baron Musgrave and his son Thomas are taken prisoner.

Melrose is a small town in Roxburghshire Scotland. It is part of what is called the Scottish Borders. During Sir Thomas life time (1302 - 1385) it included Dumfriesshire and Kirkcudbrightshire in what is now Scotland and Westmorland, Cumberland and Northumberland in what is now England. Sir Thomas and all his kin were from Westmorland, Northumberland and Cumberland areas. He was Governor of Berwickshire which is in Northumberland.

                                                               Berwick Castle
The town of Berwick has a strategic location with the rivers Forth and Tweed as well as a seaport. Being on the edge of all three created a very wealthy town and because of that it was considered a prize and was raided, besieged and changed hands between Scotland and England often. King Richard I "The Lion Heart" once sold the town to Scotland to raise money for his Crusade. An arm, belonging to William Wallace was displayed in Berwick after he was hung, drawn and quartered in 1305. (Remember dear cousin Andrew de Harcla was also quartered and displayed across the Empire).

In 1378 a nephew, Alexander Ramsey, of Archibald Douglas, also known as Archibald the Grim, 3rd Earl of Douglas invaded and seized Castle Berwick by surprise with 50 men. The attack came at night; where under cover of darkness they scaled the walls startling the sleepy men garrisoned there. A few of the men escaped and made their way to the town of Berwik waking Sir Thomas who immediately set siege to the castle. Douglas then massed an army of 500 and marched to the aid of his nephew gathering more men on his way. As the Douglas approached his spies reported back that Sir Thomas had over 10,000 men with siege engines, archers, heavy horse and ships blockading the river.
                     

Douglas retreated toward Melrose, but Sir Thomas with an escort of 300 lances and 300 archers reached Melrose first. Capturing two of Sir Thomas squires The Douglas discovered Sir Thomas' occupation of the town and planned an attack. Men who held cornage to Sir Thomas outside of Melrose reported to him the plans of Douglas' attack on Melrose. Wanting to spare the town Sir Thomas rallied his men and went out to meet The Douglas in the field. During the battle Sir Thomas was knocked form his horse and forced to yield or die, he was in his 70s. Sir Thomas yielded and was taken prisoner along with his son and several other nobles.

                                                            Berwick Castle

The surviving English went back to Berwick where news of the battle, imprisonment and ransoms of the local Lords outraged the citizens and other neighboring Lords They took a direct path to quick retaliation. Castle Berwick was again under siege with ferocity. Once breached every Scotsman, except for The Douglas' nephew Ramsey was slain. He was to be used as bargaining chip for the release of Sir Thomas and the Lords.

 

Sir Thomas, 1st Baron Musgrave is 19th Great Grandfather to Princes William and Harry of England as well as Prime Minister of England, David Cameron's 22 Great Grand Father.