Curiosities of Olden Times

What It's About

This is a collection of essays exploring odd and little-known corners of history, ranging from the origins of mourning customs and the meaning behind funeral black, to strange and contested wills, court cases involving ghosts and even animal defendants, and unusual punishments for unusual crimes. Baring-Gould ranges freely across centuries and countries, taking in curiosities such as a scandal over chocolate-drinking in church and the long human pursuit of the philosopher's stone, treating each topic with scholarly curiosity and a dry wit.

Key Concepts

Recurring themes include superstition and folk belief, the social rituals surrounding death and mourning, eccentric legal history, alchemy and pseudo-science, and shifting social attitudes across earlier centuries.

About the Author

Sabine Baring-Gould (1834–1924) was an English Anglican clergyman, antiquarian, and folk song collector, known for the breadth of his scholarship across theology, folklore, and history. Ordained at the age of thirty after a brief period as a schoolteacher, he served parishes in Yorkshire, Essex, and Devon, eventually settling as squire and rector of his family estate at Lew Trenchard, where he remained until his death.