To be honest, we didn't realize that there was a story behind the name of the "Skimmington Castle",
we just assumed that "Skimmington" was a family name. At the very least we assumed that the "Skimmingtons"
were an ancient family of apple barons who married well, inherited wisely,
and fermented their crops for liquid consumption.
Still, we are often given to flights of fancy, and while there is no regal lineage of
wise and well off "Skimmingtons" there is indeed a meaning for the word.
Scholars often debate the actual definition of "Skimmington". Frankly, scholars have way too much free time
and date infrequently. After careful research we came upon this, our preferred definition:
Skimmington: Public ridicule of a hen-pecked husband who doesn't stand up to his wife.
Using that definition, you can understand why he spent so much time at the pub and
why a few dozen pints of cider would seem like just the thing. While we don't recommend the use
of strong cider to settle marital disagreements, we won't discourage it either.
Read more about the derivations of "Skimmington" at the following sites:
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