Dame of Sark

Pictures of Sark

Each month, I get out all my favorite magazine collections: Romantic Homes, English Home, and Victoria,  from 1988 to 1996.  It is always interesting to find ways to increase our knowledge through the articles in these older issues.    The March, 1996 contained a report of the Isle of Sark, in the English Channel. The history was fascinating. Sybil Hathaway, the last Dame of Sark, wrote a book about the island, for her children, when is now available to read for free online, here.

The island was owned by Dame Sybil and her American husband during World War 2. She wisely kept her subjects encouraged by going around to all the farmers daily and talking to them. She wrote a book about it called "Dame of Sark" which you can actually read online    Time magazine related an amusing story about how she handled the Nazi officers during their occupation of her island.

  We can benefit from this in the home, I am sure, as we strive to guard and guide the people put in our care.  Reading the book aloud to your children is more effective, I think, as it comes to life. We can learn from her courage.

See my previous post on Sybil Hathaway here https://homeliving.blogspot.com/2010/03/sybil-hathaway-beaumont-1884-1974.html

Here are some pictures from the 1996 March Victoria:

When I return this evening I will post a recipe for this, which was served in a tea room in the 1990's on Sark:

I  have tried this, and it works.

English Summer Pudding

 For a wonderful review of the story of  the Dame of  Sark, go to The Pleasant Times.

The story was made into a television series in England.  I listened to my daughter read the story aloud and was instantly inspired by it. This woman didnt allow taxes on her island and she tried to encourage long marriages. Her island had no motor cars but did allow tractors.  For five years when her island was surrounded by barbed wire, she kept the islander's morale up.

 I think the reason I felt so in tune with her was that in a way, the home today is being attacked and occupied by forces that destroy it. A homemaker, the wife and the guard of the home, has to keep everyone reminded of who they are and what their purpose is.  This woman would not tell the Nazi invaders anything and neither would her subjects. In our homes today we have to be very careful to keep the family loyal to each other . We need to learn that the home is private and not open to the public, but only by our choice for hospitality.  The Dame of Sark would invite the officers to her dining room when she wanted to but they were not allowed in there all the time.

 I thought the story was actually better than The Sound of Music. They got very low on food because the Nazi's forbid fishing and planting and farming. They wouldnt let any supplies in.  This woman said that she would always maintain dignity and not let defeat enter her voice.   With the attack from within the home (husbands who want their wives to go to work, critical friends, etc) homemakers can really learn a lesson from this woman, who was strong in times of peril. 

See also, my post: Sybil Hathaway

Sybil Hathaway 1884-1974

Today I made sure to visit my daughter during the history lesson she teaches her children, just to get in on the reading of "Dame of Sark."  We all gathered around in the living room, sipping Yorkshire Gold and eating home made shortbread,  while she read the story from her laptop.

Sybill Hathaway Beaumont, visited by the Queen in 1957

This is not a big, long book that is tedious to read, but a few chapters with significant detail to enthrall the listener. We cheered while she outwitted the officers that occupied her little kingdom, and cried when she put up the American and British flags upon hearing of the allies coming.  In the end, she said, her attendance at a dinner aboard a British liner did something to her that no enemy soldier ever could, during even the worst days on the island: the appearance of tablecloths and napkins, freshly laundered, and the goodness of hot tea and biscuits  made her weep. She had not seen anything cleaned by soap in all those years. The  island had been so isolated that they had used up their supplies a long time ago.

The Nazi occupants had cut off the island from any supplies or help, so the sailors who caught their fish supply began to wear out their clothing. The islanders collected cloth from the tablecloths and curtains, and used different string and yarn as sewing thread. It did not matter what color it was, because as long as they were able to supply the sailors with clothes, that was the important thing.  By the end of the war, every house in Sark had been so ransacked for every available supply of any type, that they all needed to be re-furnished and re-decorated.  The islanders had to abide by the many rules and regulations of the occupying army, and one of them was that no one was allowed in a boat without a Nazi officer and the time limit on the sea was so short that the sailors did not catch many fish.  They devised a scheme whereby they would only go fishing in the worst storms. The officers that accompanied them would then get terribly sea sick. The fishermen could then stay out as long as they wanted, and catch more fish.

No cars allowed on the island, even today

Although Sybil and her American husband had allowed no cars on the island, the occupying forces brought heavy tanks and jeeps that ruined the roads, so after the English rescued the island, they made the soldiers stay and repair the roads again.  They reached starvation when the farmers could not plant or harvest, due to the 13,550 land mines that were planted on the 3 and a half mile island. After the war, the soldiers who put them there were ordered by the Dame, to remove every single one of them, and to restore all the houses that they had ruined in the 5 years of occupation. There was a book written on this subject called "Mined Where You Walk."

During this trying time,  the residents were not allowed to gather in groups larger than 5, and they were forbidden to listen to the radio. Sybil had a wireless hidden at the bottom of a trunk, with an old,  stained cloth on top of it. She threw in some dead moths to make it look disgusting enough for the soldiers not to want to dig through it. When the dogs barked, warning that someone had come to the door, she would take her time walking to the hall and answering it, to give her husband a chance to hide the wireless. Each day, they listened to the news from England and then she would go around visiting people and telling them what she had heard. One  BBC broadcast gave instructions for making a wireless, using ordinary objects, and soon everyone on the island had their own radios.  

 She said it was useless to have any underground rebellion, so their subterfuge would have to be morale. One officer told her he was amazed that everyone was so cheerful and happy and asked her why. "Of course we are happy," she said. "The allies will win, and even if it be far off in time, it will happen."

Sybil taught her subjects to "keep calm and carry on" in dire circumstances. This is a quality that we need to reinstate in our national character. It does not mean to resign to something that is not right, but to have a steadiness and control.  Winston Churchhill had a friend  named Lord Max  Beaverbrook, who was described as having an "acid humour."  In stressful time, Churchill said, "Some people take drugs. I just take Max."  Surely the determination and steadiness of the Dame of Sark was the cup of tea for the residents there.  She wrote that when they used up all their tea leaves, they picked raspberry leaves and used them to make a type of hot drink similar to tea.  She said they had no weapons and no chance of rebellion, so their weapon  had to be their happy morale.   When the officers came to see her they enjoyed her company so much, that the army kept replacing the soldiers with harder ones who would not be melted by her personality.

All communication going out of the island was censored, so she and her daughter worked up a code. If they were hungry, she would write that she could not find Mrs. Beeton's cookbook. If her daughter had received the letter she would write that she met a friend and use Sybil's maiden name. When the officers demanded that all the wheat on the island be brought to them, leaving only a small percentage for the people, Sybil arranged for her friends to bring empty bags to the storehouse, fill them up, and cart them out to a hiding place. They did this almost in front of their eyes. They hid potatoes in her cellar which had a door right under a rug and couch in her living room. She would distribute these potatoes when she went on her rounds.

At her daughter's wedding in 1948

They would always bring her orders written in German , to sign, but she would never sign them. They took many people off the island and sent them to prison camps, including Sybil's husband, who was really the ruler of the island, and left the rest of them there to fend for themselves.  They surrounded the island with barbed wire, and when the allies came, the soldiers were kept as prisoners to remove all the wire they had put there 5 years earlier.  The dame was always insistant on being cheerful no matter what, and sometimes had to cheer up her own captors.

Sybil said that the first year of being a prisoner in her own home, she read every single book in her library, and her favorite was a very long one called "Gone with the Wind."  She said she felt so much like Scarlett O'Hara.  There was a book written by a woman in the south when their homes were invaded by the Federal Government of the US. She said that the women tried to carry on as normal in their homes, and teach the children their Bible lessons and try to reassure the entire household. Dame Sybil thought that morale was their greatest weapon for survival, and I believe that is the case with homemakers and homeschoolers  who fight off the negative remarks and threats  and the pressure to conform with the prevailling society.

I would certainly encourage the 1400 viewers that come here, to go to The Pleasant Times to read m ore of this story. I wish my daughter could read it over Librvox, as she did such a fine job that anyone in the house stopped to listen. If you read the book aloud to your husband or children, I think it has more impact. Please also note the previous post, with more info on the Dame.

Most Requested Posts

The Lesson

by Frederico Zandomeneghi (1841-1917) Italy

Below are the most requested posts on Home Living. Many of them are listed on the left side.

Dame of Sark  This post includes a link to another post about Sybill Hathaway, Dame of Sark, during Nazi occupation. Her American husband was taken and put in a prison camp, leaving her to manage her kingdom as best she could. She decided the only way she could derail the enemy was by cheerfulness. The book tells of her amazing courage and creativity in the face of starvation, poverty, isolation, and lack of communication with the West.


Don't Miss Out on Real Life  - How pursuing education and careers delays marriage and childbirth.

Protecting Our Daughters - Asks why we understand how to protect our most valued material posessions but fail to protect our daughters.

Do What God Says Do, And Let Him Take Care of the Rest - Quitting work and fulfilling your responsibilities at home is largely a matter of faith. 

Charity Begins at Home - Young women who want to be missionaries need to be reminded that they are supposed to be preparing for marriage, and that their talents are needed most, at home.

Keepers of the Springs, By Peter Marshall - Women used to be thought of as something too special to allow to be used as work horses in the market place. It took the 20th century to drag her down. Peter Marshall tells the devastating effects of feminism on women themselves.

Taylor Caldwell - Women's Lib - Born in Victorian England, a famous author tells how women's liberation created less respect for women.

The Effect of Architecture on Home Living - Modern home designs that drive women crazy and the advantages of the old fashioned Victorian style home. Those people knew something about home living that modern designers do not.

The Wife, by Washington Iriving - How a wife responds when her husband loses his income and has to move to a lowly house, without their accustomed luxuries.

When Queens Ride By - Made into a Loretta Young Show film  in the early 1960's  this is the story that never fails to lift you up.  A woman struggles to help her husband on the farm, while her family does without good meals, a clean home. Things change after a conversation with a stranger whose car breaks down near the farm. 

How to Stop Worrying About Politics and Still Change the World - Does all this tension over the latest news drive you nuts?  This article shows how you can do something about it without neglecting the home.

Thirty Times Yes - This is the one called "Taking Time to Reflect" that everyone is always asking me to find, with the list of thirty things you should do at home before you consider going to work. Those things will never be done, so you can never justify leaving your duties at home and going to work for someone else. I hope to create a new post with things not listed in this article. For example, is your closet clean, with clothing arranged according to season or occasion, and do you keep a list of things you need?  Is your sewing organized well enough that you can quickly find a needle and thread and button to repair a shirt?  Could you put a meal together if someone comes over unexpectedly?

The Formal Home - Should homemakers be made uncomfortable in their own homes by allowing just anything?  How the casual can become a burden, and how a certain amount of formality at home makes the family more respectful and dignified.

The Path to Maturity - Habits and vices (smoking, drinking, scoffing, partying, etc) will determine what kind of older woman you will become.  The world is searching for the Biblical examples of womanhood.  How can your youth effect the outcome?  Will you be in training to be an example of goodness to younger women, or will you carry your worst habits into old age?

(to be continued)

Links for You

Hello Ladies,

Get out your tea things and drink hot tea, all day, whenever possible. Hot liquids flush out impurities and yes, viruses, from your body.

On this post I include Dame of Sark (Sybil Hathaway) link to blog posts here.  There is, on one of the posts, a link to read it online. Thanks to a comment for remembering this!

At the end I include pictures from a recent Hoffman Media publications. They are the ones that produce Victoria and Tea Time and do a great job at it. 

I have suggested these links to many people but if they are already sunken into despair, they will Not want to hear anything hopeful.  If they succumb to fear, they have lost the battle to survive, and if they succumb to panic of any kind, it debilitates their health. A study of "adrenaline fatigue" will reveal that. 

You can also look at YouTube channels such as Amazing Polly and Blue Collar Logic, which have been suggested to me. I can't vouch for the spiritual beliefs of these commentators or if there is strong language in their broadcast, but if you are mature, you can get past that long enough to see what they are saying.  While I am not "recommending" or "endorsing" anything, I'm just suggesting all this as an alternative to the news media (even conservative news is lately rather hyped up.).

If you choose not to look at the links, be assured there will be future videos here to listen to. 

Ron Paul Video

Common Sense About the Virus

Dame of Sark

Sybil Hathaway

For many of us at home, the current events don't change anything. We are usually quite nested inside and life goes on as usual, as we are always home anyway.

This magazine is one of the "perks" of life at home. I like to get it if I can afford it, when it comes out once a year or every few years (a special publication) at the Walmart book stand. Books and magazines are 10% off there.

The pictures are delightful and you can go to Hoffman media online and see more about this magazine.

I always flip through to the florals, and I like that in some of the current Hoffman Media publications, the containers are so ordinary and interesting. This looks like an old coffee server.

And of course, a refreshing idea for a room in the house is always energizing:

The cost of magazines is rather high, I think, but Hoffman media uses such good paper, that is  parchment-like in quality, and if I am given one of these, such as the Springtime one in the previous post, it will be a valued part of my books, even for the next generation.

Also I want to share a cute c.1950's print on some fabric I got at Dollar Tree:

Be looking for another video soon. 

The Importance of Having Tea

Sunday Tea-Time

by Stephen Darbyshire

Luxury Without Expense

Homemakers want to guard the home in a way that helps it prosper and keep it from poverty. It is important to have leisure time, or quiet time, and to enjoy activities that refresh the heart, but they need not have a high cost. Tea time is one of them. It is a luxury that is enjoyed by people of all ages and all walks of life. Tea is not necessarily expensive, either, and these days, letters race back and forth between friends, containing interesting flavors and brands of tea. Many hostess gifts these days contain whole boxes of fragrant tea.Using fruits and spices, some people make their own tea just by adding boiling water.

Crises Control
The Dame of Sark whom I mentioned in previous posts, boldly served tea to her own invaders (and gave them a run for their wits at the same time).  In a tight spot conversationally, the fictional Fanny and Emma, of Jane Austen fame, announced brightly, "Tea!"  It is not just the drinking of the liquid that is the point in all of this. It is the dignified atmosphere of the ceremony---even if just pouring tea from a teapot into a teacup--brings to those gathered around the room.  It seems to say, " We must not forget who we are. It is time to behave in a civilized manner."

Taking Tea, 1904



Finding Time

By setting aside time during the day, along with all the other things in a to-do list, a homemaker can be sure to include this enjoyable moment in time. Children love the ceremony and eagerly look forward to it, but even those who live alone can include this elegant activity in their daily lives.



Choose your own time for tea. If your day begins very early, 10 a.m. is a good time for a tea break, and 2 p.m is perfect go-between between lunch and dinner.



Taking Tea in the Garden



Not a Matter of Wealth or Poverty, Nationality, Class or Status

Taking tea makes life beautiful no matter what the circumstances. Tea in the humblest of homes is often better than tea taken in the finest resorts, because it can include favorite recipes and tea cups, perhaps passed down by a great-grandmother. Tea is taken the world over. I found a lovely contemporary painting depicting Russian tea from a samovar, here.

Typical Edwardians Taking Tea

(Canadian)

An Affordable Elegance

Tea sets are so beautiful that it may seem like they are meant for show, but they are meant to be used. Although it is tempting to think they must be saved for a better day, when the sun comes out, when life is richer or when someone of prestige comes to visit,  this is really an every day activity prepared with beauty and elegance. 

Preparation

Tea pots and cups, whether made of fine porcelin or heavier glass, must still be looked after. Store them carefully without stacking them too close together so that they do not chip, and wash them separately in a dishpan and then in rinse-water. When preparing tea, gradually warm the cups and pot with tap water until it is hot. Boil water in a kettle and then pour out the warm water and add the tea bag or tea ball, loose tea, or whatever you prefer. Let it set for a couple of minutes, and then pour into warmed tea cups. If you do not warm the cups and the weather is cold, it may crack them to have hot water poured in them suddenly.  

Treats

Serve whatever you have on hand: crackers, small bites of raw vegetables, a plate of different kinds of cheese and meats, small sandwiches using chicken, cucumber, avocado, tomato or any combination that you like,  or quick-breads made with raisins and other ingredients. These are easy to make and delicious hot with real butter or cream cheese.  Sometimes all one really needs is a hot cup of tea with a few apple slices and some cheddar cheese with walnuts.  Tea Time magazine, published by Southern Lady, is full of delicious-looking ideas for tea. 



Afternoon Tea

A tea for one.

Relax

Thirty minutes a day to prepare and take tea allows just enough time to fully relax. If the tea things are prepared at the first of the day, ready to be served, it allows even more time just for the tea ceremony. A tea for one gives the homemaker time to make new lists or create ideas of things she would like to make or do. 



Make it Pretty

If no one else prefers tea, it is even more important to make a special area in your home where tea is taken, and to make the setting as cheerful as possible. Above is a needle-work towel done in gold threads, picturing a tea pot and tea cup surrounded by roses, set on a doily. It is placed beside the tea cup.

In Varying Circumstances

In times of financial hardships or uncertainty in life, it is even more important to continue an established tea time at home. None of us are going to get out of this life alive, so we might as well make the best of it and enjoy taking tea. From cottages to campers and tents, women can set out a tea tray and serve a favorite tea blend and some scones.  Even the Queen takes tea, and it is something everyone can participate in, no matter what their circumstances.  A lady I knew who had just moved into a new house set a tea table on the moving boxes and took a break from unpacking. Others find these tea moments give them more energy for the tasks that remain in the day.

Still snowing...snowing, but a great time for tea. The fields are white an the trees coated with snow, like icing on a tea cake.

A new tea called "White Chocolate Kisses."  Tuck a tea bag in a letter and think of the recipient enjoying the scent.  When you send a letter, your friend can make a cuppa and sip while she reads your pages.

Especially in Discouraging Times
These are the times when the act of doing tea are the most important and the most appreciated, so, even though it is easy to forget it until a better time comes along, it is best to take time out to pour tea, sit still and think or dream of everything that is good and lovely. In tense times when the subject needs to be changed, one can always offer tea. In sad times, one can offer tea, and in times when people are worried about the economy, tea can be served. In snowed-in times or on foggy days, tea brightens things up.

Tea cups through the generations

Since tea has been around since 200 B.C., there must have been many people who enjoyed its benefits, and people today can still enjoy it if they would only take time for it.  Sometimes it can be discouraging to find that a favorite tea room has closed down, but it gives people a chance to put tea-time into their homes and enjoy being in a place that  they truly love, in which they have put a lot of time and work to create a loving atmosphere.

Ladies Taking Tea Outside, 1898 Ontario

An unmatched tea cup saucer makes a bright plate on which to lay a little treat to eat with hot tea.

Photograph of Victorian Women Taking Tea Outside

Don't forget: WalMart has pretty sidewalk chalks, about a dozen for a dollar, which work best on chalkboards.

View a Tea Room in Victoria

The History of Tea---it dates back to 200 B.C.

Taking Tea in Period Movies

Tea Time Books

A Cute Tea Cup Card Craft With Instructions

Time to Improve

 

Sweet Solitude

by Edmund Blair Leighton 

1852-1922

Hello Dear Ladies. Please enjoy culling, cleaning, organizing, arranging, cooking, and anything you need to do, while hearing  this broadcast.:

Included in this broadcast: A reading from the 1860 book "The Gentleman' Book of Ettiquette and Polite Behaviour"

Also, I mentioned Dr. Eric Berg, D.C. for some good info on natural health.

Dame  of Sark is at Archive.com