And speaking of those naughty birds, in Henry IV Shakespeare characterised Richard II as a June cuckoo. This might have been a sly pun on Dicky Bird even though the Bard clarifies the comparison by stating Richard, like the bird of summer, was noticed but not regarded. We can only trust this newsletter won't suffer a similar fate.
M.F.K. Fisher once remarked on the ancient pairings of cheese and wine, moon and June, and aches and aspirin. Given mid-June brings another newsletter from Casa Maywrite, aspirin seems appropriate as its twin companion, although how much cooking sherry is imbibed by subscribers in order to keep up their spirits while perusing Orphan Scrivener is a matter best kept purely between readers and the managers of their local off-licences.
If you've read this far, a little birdy advises you to keep going!
Is there any other country where a debate would gallop along in the pages of a popular scholarly publication concerning the identity of the person who first popularised the umbrella, that essential part of national dress in general and city gents and civil servants in particular (not to mention Steed of Avengers fame)?
Given the date of this newsletter it's appropriate I picked up the soggy trail in the 8th June l850 issue of Notes & Queries. In polite fisticuffs over the question at hand, Jonas Hanway, who died in the mid l780s, was the favourite, being generally credited with introducing these essential accessories for summer days to London, from which their use spread out into the provinces. His employment of an umbrella might have been connected with a wish to appear neat and unsplashed, for a correspondence signed J. F. cites a work published in l787, stating "a small parapluie" sheltered Hanway's face and wig from rain. A portrait of Hanway with his umbrella published about l753 is also mentioned in the jousting, and there is a charming note from G. C. Renouard of Swanscombe Rectory recallingg a green silk Chinese umbrella his father brought back from Holland between l770 and a decade later.
E. B. Price leaps into the lists to point out an earlier reference, citing Gay's Trivia or Art of Walking the Streets of London (l7l2) which speaks of housewives "underneath th' umbrella's oily shade". E. B. also mentions an umbrella listed as a "utensil" in a l656 work about John Tradescant's collection of rarities and curiosities.
Nor are Scottish bumbershoots overlooked, for contributor R.R. points out one Dr Jamieson introduced Glasgow to umbrellas in l782. It seems the physician's gamp was French and manufactured of strong wax cloth and cane ribs. Being described as "ponderous", I cannot help thinking it would have been an excellent makeshift weapon if Dr Jamieson were ever set upon down a dark Glaswegian alley.
Finally, W. J., writing from Havre, points out the ancients regarded umbrellas as denoting social distinction, citing reports by Pausanias and Hesychius of an Arcadian city where during festivals honouring Bacchus an umbrella shaded the statue of the god as it was carried about in procession.
But whatever the provenance of the humble yet useful umbrella, few would expect to see one figuring in a trial -- yet that's what happened in California in l983.
Unlike the item in question, the case wasn't exactly open-and-shut. The defendant was caught entering a bank with a stick-up note and an umbrella handle draped with a towel, thus giving it the appearance of a weapon. His defence was high wind had broken his umbrella and he intended to join the handle to a handle-less specimen he had at home. This seems reasonable as far as it goes, but what about the stick-up note and towel? Well, the fellow in the dock stated when apprehended he'd just attended a job interview, and while waiting for his appointment had read an article about bank robberies. Being at a loose end, he'd then penned a mock stick-up note. And the towel? He testified he carried it around because he suffered from excess perspiration.
A most ingenious explanation, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, but alas, it did no good. Ultimately an appeals court ruled an umbrella handle disguised in the fashion described was frightening enough to the average person to support the accused's conviction for attempted armed robbery.
In the fictional world, the only story involving an umbrella springing immediately to mind is Ed Hoch's One Bag of Coconuts, published in the November l997 issue of EQMM. If you haven't read it, it's well worth seeking out to enjoy when kept indoors by a rainy day.
The Mystery File site is a wonderful assortment of (among other things) reviews, articles, biblios, news, and essays. Since they are a favourite type of mystery at Casa Maywrite, we particularly enjoyed the checklist of fiction dealing with locked rooms and other impossible crimes. There's a link to it and other themed checklists at http://www.mysteryfile.com/Improbable.html
Our thanks to Steve and the Mystery File!