Hahaha, I was just watching a clip from Horrible Histories which happens to be very educational. You may know about some of the methods used by Anglo Saxons to prove if a person was innocent or guilty. For example, a person would be tied up and thrown in the river. If they floated it meant they were guilty and if they sank it meant they were innocent. However, if they sank they also drowned...
Well, apparently there was an ordeal that involved eating cake, bread or cheese. I'll paste what I read:
"
The clergy were unwilling to submit to the hazards of the ordeals by fire and water themselves, so their ordeal was literally a piece of cake. Called the corsned, the "cursed morsel," a piece of cake, bread, or cheese was placed on the altar of a church. The accused was taken to the altar and there made to recite a prayer to the effect that God would send the archangel Gabriel to stop his throat and make him choke if he was guilty. Few were convicted at these trials."
Apparently somebody did choke on cake once!
And here for your entertainment is the clip from Horrible Histories:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4UeVL4SKoQ&feature=related
Well, apparently there was an ordeal that involved eating cake, bread or cheese. I'll paste what I read:
"
The clergy were unwilling to submit to the hazards of the ordeals by fire and water themselves, so their ordeal was literally a piece of cake. Called the corsned, the "cursed morsel," a piece of cake, bread, or cheese was placed on the altar of a church. The accused was taken to the altar and there made to recite a prayer to the effect that God would send the archangel Gabriel to stop his throat and make him choke if he was guilty. Few were convicted at these trials."
Apparently somebody did choke on cake once!
And here for your entertainment is the clip from Horrible Histories:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4UeVL4SKoQ&feature=related
