Curiosa: Update on Isabella Petty

[nebroadwe]

A few days ago, I ran across an interesting, partially illegible inscription in one of the seventeenth-century books currently piled on the IN shelf of my cart. Being curious, I referred it to my supervisor, who helpfully puzzled out one of the words to give us:

Isabella Petty Next door
to ye [fothers? fathers?] Tauern
16       89

We're now of the opinion that this is an autograph with an address. Street numbers are not a geographical convention in seventeenth-century England -- everyone navigates by landmarks. A bookseller wishing to advertise his shop will inform the reader that it is located

neere the great North dore of Paules, at the signe of the guilded Key

or

at the South Entrance of the Royall Exchange

or

at the Swan in Duck-lane

(which sounds like the beginning of a fairy-tale). Think of that, the next time you're cursing Mapquest for sending you off the on-ramp. :-)

Comments

[windfeathercat.livejournal.com]

Have I mentioned that I enjoy the curiosae you supply? They really very fun to read.
I lurk around your journal for your own writing, but the bookish stuff is intriguing and often amusing. This one in particular reminds me of how I often give directions to tourists searching for various Places Of Import. "How do I get to such as such?" "You'll want to go three blocks up, turn at the brick law building and walk on 'til you get to the cherry trees, though you'll want to start off by turning around..."

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Have I mentioned that I enjoy the curiosae you supply?

You have now. :-) Thanks!

The no-address thing also reminds me that even a moderately large city like London (or an even larger one like Paris) in the 1600s is still small potatoes by our standards; it will still be possible to navigate by street names and landmarks. Mind you, I still prefer to navigate by landmarks, in addition to the numbers; your kind of directions always help me get where I'm going with less nervousness than simply, "Go up 523 until you see the turn for 22 East ... " Is that a long way or a short way? How will I know when I'm approaching 22 East? Help! :-)

More writing on the way. My last two stories were both contest entries and must remain anonymous until judging is finished; then I'll post them here.