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Caitlin G. DeAngelis

@caitlindeangelis.bsky.social

9.4K followers 4.7K following 4.3K posts

graveyard historian; spouse to @fionawh.im; she/they 🏳️‍🌈 THE CARETAKERS (War Graves gardeners in the French Resistance): https://www.prometheusbooks.com/9781633888999/the-caretakers/

www.prometheusbooks.com

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · Jan 16

Happy birthday to my book, which is out today in the US!

rowman.com/ISBN/9781633...

Cover of The Caretakers: War Graves Gardeners and the Secret Battle to Rescue Allied Airmen in World War II
by Caitlin Galante DeAngelis

sepia cover with black and white images of gardeners' mugshots and a cemetery decorated with flowers

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Reposted by Caitlin G. DeAngelis

LongTime🤓FirstTime👨‍💻 @longtimehistory.bsky.social · 18h

ICE secretly kidnap autistic boy during bathroom break—never notify parents.

Mother reported him missing a week ago—turns out ICE had him detained the whole time.

He was helping sell fruit and asked to go to the restroom—by the time she was done helping a customer he was gone.

Houston, Texas

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Reposted by Caitlin G. DeAngelis

Sarah Elizabeth Cox @oispooky.bsky.social · 15h

The first British Professional Boxing Association was formed in London in 1885 at the Blue Anchor, Shoreditch. Its founding members numbered around 60. I believe Hezekiah Moscow to be the first Black man to be elected, but the digitised Sporting Life in which they're all named is too faded to read!

Two photos of a nine and a half stone Black or Black mixed heritage Chinese man in his late 20s. On the left he is posing shirtless in white tights, fists raised against a painted backdrop of tropical plants in a studio portrait. On the right in the same studio he is wearing a typical late-Victorian working man's outfit, a dark velvet looking jacket, waistcoat, shirt, trousers.

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 16h

I don’t know the relative use of the term in English vs Scottish sources in the 17th and 18thc, nor exactly when it fell out of common use, though the 19th newspapers do seem to treat it as an older or rarer synonym for flour-egg-milk pancakes.

Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 16h

In early modern English, the fried, flat cakes made of flour, milk, and eggs were sometimes called flapjacks, and North American English has retained that usage ever since. The term became rare in the UK and was repurposed for the oat bars in the 1920s.

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 16h

I think it’s early modern British that’s been used continuously in the US for centuries even after it was less common in the UK. The UK newspapers still have griddle cake recipes called flapjacks into the 1920s, so the South African usage doesn’t have to come from the US.

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 18h

OED confirms that English-speakers used "flapjack" for a pancake back to at least the 17th century, and that UK usage diverged in the 2nd quarter of the 20th century (OED says 1935, though newspapers confirm earlier usages to 1928). Notably, OED says not ubiquitous in southern England in 1970s.

1.a.
1620–
(a) A pancake. (b) An apple turnover.
1620
A Flap~iack, which in our translation is call'd a Pancake.
J. Taylor, Jack a Lent (new edition) sig. B2Citation details for J. Taylor, Jack a Lent
?a1640
My Mother..could have taught thee how to a made butter, and flap-jacks.
J. Day & H. Chettle, Blind-beggar (1659) sig. K2Citation details for J. Day & H. Chettle, Blind-beggar
1652
Flapiacks, and Pan-puddings.
R. Brome, Joviall Crew ii. sig. E1Citation details for R. Brome, Joviall Crew
1789
Pies, custards, cranb'ry tarts, and flapjacks.
Massachusetts Spy 5 March 4/1Citation details for Massachusetts Spy
1825
Like a flap-jack in a fryin' pan.
J. Neal, Brother Jonathan vol. I. 272Citation details for J. Neal, Brother Jonathan
1842
We had a splendid breakfast..of flapjacks or slap-jacks, and of whortle-berries.
N. Hawthorne, Journal 15 August in American Notebooks (1972) vi. 335Citation details for N. Hawthorne, Journal in American Notebooks
1871
We told Munro we'd have his flap-jacks for second course.
Lady M. A. Barker, Christmas Cake in Four Quarters 294Citation details for Lady M. A. Barker, Christmas Cake in Four Quarters
1945
To make a flap-jack, mix some flour and baking powder into a thick paste.
A. P. Harper, Camping & Bushcraft in New Zealand i. 21Citation details for A. P. Harper, Camping & Bushcraft in New Zealand

A sweet dense baked item made from rolled oats and typically sugar, golden syrup, and melted butter, usually served in rectangles.
Now ubiquitous in Britain, although OED Supplement (1972) observed ‘Not known to some correspondents in southern England.’
1935
Date Flap~jacks... Cream the butter and sugar and when they are soft work in the rolled oats. Press half the mixture in a well-buttered tin, and spread with the dates.
M. Struan, Popular Home Cookery 234Citation details for M. Struan, Popular Home Cookery
1942
Flap Jacks. Ingredients. 6 oz. butter or margarine. 8 oz. rolled oats. 6 oz. Demerara sugar. Pinch of salt.
Radiation Cookery Book (ed. 24) 149Citation details for Radiation Cookery Book
1950
Syrup Flapjack... Melt the margarine, sugar and syrup together, add the rolled oats..and bake it in a moderately hot oven. When the flapjack is golden-brown, remove it from oven.
Good Housekeeping Tea-Time Fare 34Citation details for Good Housekeeping Tea-Time Fare
1962
A proper recipe for genuine oats-and-treacle flapjacks.
Guardian 17 November 12/6Citation details for Guardian

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The Transfeminine Review @thetransfemininereview.com · 1d

Alright I need a short story break before I dive back into another gargantuan anthology, so let's read one of the oldest transfemme books I'm aware of!

Autobiography of an Androgyne is one of the earliest "trans memoirs," published a solid 15 years before the commonly cited 'first' trans memoir.

Autobiography of an Androgyne by Jennie June

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Reposted by Caitlin G. DeAngelis

Chris Baker @fourteeneighteen.co.uk · 20h

Latest addition to The Long, Long Trail: "A factor in recruitment: separation allowance for dependants" #ww1 #genealogy See www.longlongtrail.co.uk/a-factor-in-...

A factor in recruitment: separation allowance for dependants - The Long, Long Trail

Army Order 402 of 1914 described regulations under Article 4 of the Royal Warrant and was on the subject of separation allowances […]

www.longlongtrail.co.uk

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 20h

My next research question would be whether the Australian soldiers ever referred to the hardy, travel-worthy ANZAC biscuit as “flapjacks” as a joke, since they are the opposite of the delicate, non-shippable flapjacks they knew at home. And possibly British people thought that was their name?

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 20h

To summarize,
it seems likely that British people were introduced to the oat-based ANZAC biscuit that Australians were sending in care parcels during the First World War and—for reasons unclear—began calling similar oat bars “flapjacks” around 1928.

In the US, flapjacks continued to mean pancakes.

Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

We are realizing that we have no idea what British people think a “flapjack” is.

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Reposted by Caitlin G. DeAngelis

King's College London, History Department @kingshistory.bsky.social · 2d

See the fantastic work of our colleague Alana Harris @dralanagharris.bsky.social on the history of Horton cemetery #Epsom #London
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
#WorldMentalHealthDay

'Grandad is one of 9,000 buried in Epsom's derelict Horton Cemetery'

The Friends of Horton Cemetery wants the site to be a memorial to those buried there.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Reposted by Caitlin G. DeAngelis

Zohran Kwame Mamdani @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social · 21h

UNTIL IT’S DONE, Ep. 4: Sylvia Rivera

In the 1970s, queer New Yorkers had been pushed to the margins of NYC. Our trans neighbors faced immense cruelty. But in Sylvia Rivera, they found a champion.

As we combat Trump’s politics of darkness, her legacy can light the path forward.

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 21h

Fabulous! It would take a little more corroboration to be 100% sure of the timing, but it does seem like the modern UK flapjack may be a descendant of the ANZAC biscuit, with a name change in the late 1920s.

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Rafiq @rafiqcopeland.bsky.social · 1d

Sounds like they’re doing a version of an ANZAC biscuit. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzac_b...

Anzac biscuit - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

"Australian Shortbread" shows up in British newspapers during the First World War. The recipe is recognizable as the flapjack known in the UK today. I can't find any oat bars called flapjacks in the papers before 1928, but the Australian Shortbread seems to be the same thing.

from the Forest Hill & Sydenham Examiner, 31 August 1917, a recipe calling for 1/2 pound rolled oats, 3 oz margarine, 1 1/2 oz granulated sugar, 1 tsp salt

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

The sauce is made of veal!

Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

Then again, maybe not! Here's the Daily Mirror, 12 December 1928, calling the oat bar version both "Flapjacks" and "Australian Shortbread."

This person says he had "the best flapjacks I've ever had in London," meaning the oat bars. That suggests they had been around for a while and he expected them

item from the Daily Mirror: Flapjacks Sometimes Called Australian Shortbread by Cooks.
In a little teashop not far from Westminster Abbey, I tasted the best flapjacks I've ever had in London.

recipe for flapjacks: 6 oz rolled oats, 4 oz butter, 3 oz brown sugar

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

Interesting: the London Daily Chronicle (21 Feb 1929) refers to "a kind of American nut-biscuit" eaten during intermission at a theatre with a "Bohemian atmosphere." So perhaps the oat bar started in the US and went to London?

The Bohemian atmosphere of the little theatre over the Adelphi Archies makes all this seem quite natural, and an innovation that is much appreciated is the chocolate cake and "flap-jacks," a kind of American nut-biscuit, that everbody was eating during the intervals.

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

Here is a recipe for oat bar flapjacks from 1929, so we can walk the date back a little bit (and who knows how long they were called that before they turned up in a newspaper).

South Yorkshire Times and Mexborough & Swinton Times, 24 May 1929
a recipe for Flapjacks calling for half a pound of rolled oats, quarter pound of butter, 2 oz sugar, quarter teaspoon of salt

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

But then it's 1930 and we're doing the oat bar thing.

Daily Mirror, 30 January 1930
Yesterday I had a heavenly time making flapjacks for nursery tea (how my domestic accomplishments are appreciated in that region!) Here is the recipe: 6 oz rolled oats, 4 oz butter, 3 oz brown sugar. Cream butter and sugar. Add the oats. Spread into a baking tin. Score across so that it can be cut into fingers easily. Bake for half an hour in a moderate oven.

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

It's 1929 and most of the flapjack recipes in British newspapers are still pancake-y. There are some variations—one wants you to add a generous portion of currants to the batter—but they are still mostly the batter of flour, eggs, milk, etc. on a griddle.

Daily Herald 13 April 1929
Flapjacks
Can any reader give a recipe for flapjacks? In australia they are made simply with flour, water and salt beaten together to a batter and fried on a rather dry pan or shelf. Another, more elaborate way is to mix sel-rising flour, a little salt, milk and eggs to a stiff batter, and drop on to a greased pan over the gas ring. But there may be some other way and I should be glad to find it for a reader who asked for the recipe.

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

snacking while you're cooking

Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

British newspapers use the word "flapjack" to refer to Indian flatbreads as well. This suggests that the shape/floppiness was still a defining characteristic of the term in the early 20th century.

excerpt from the Weekly Journal (Hartlepool) Friday 18 March 1904
a story called My Lord the Elephant, which includes the quote: One elephant was skillful in counting. His daily ration included twelve wheaten flapjacks. One day the mahout, who had a large family, took one of the flapjacks for himself. The wise animal discovered the short deal and proceeded to turn the pile over and lay them out in a row, trumpeting loudly when the mahout passed by

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

I wonder if any of the ladies took up John Sheepshanks, Bishop of Norwich, on his offer to share his flapjack recipe.

Loftus Advertiser, 24 April 1903

a portrait of John Sheepshanks, bishop, with a black coat, large pendant, huge gray beard, and bald head

live in to talk like that. That is your idea, is 1 not?" The meeting, with delightful candour, answered "Yes." Whereupon the bishop retorted that he had lived as hard as any man, had cobbled his own boots and mended his own breeches, and, he added, "If any of you ladies want a lesson in simple cookery-how to make flapjacks or to fry bacon-come to me, and I'll teach you." We don't know what the bishop's cook would say if all these ladies were to take him at his word.

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Caitlin G. DeAngelis @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social · 1d

The Dundee Courier (7 April 1897) says that a pancake is a flat cake made of flour, eggs, and milk cooked on a griddle, but it is not served at breakfast.

Courier Daily Menu
Breakfast: Porridge and Cream, Eggs Convent Fashion, Rolls, Toast, Cream Scones, Marmalade, Tea, Coffee
Dinner: Clear Soup, Beefsteak Spanish Style, Cauliflower and Cheese, Custards
Tea or Supper: Cold Ham, Potato Salad, Rye bread, muffins, flapjacks, syrup, tea, cocoa

Flapjacks.-Sift two teaspoonfuls baking powder with one-and-a-half pints flour; beat the volks of two eggs; stir the eggs and one teaspoonful of salt into a pint-and-a-half of sweet milk: add this to the flour, and then fold in the well-beaten whites of two eggs. Bake about the size of a breakfast plate on a hot girdle. Butter them as they are baked, and sift maple sugar over them. If maple sugar that has been "stirred off" can be obtained it will be the best; otherwise have off that which comes m cakes. Pile the flapjacks on a warm plate; cut in sections with a hot knife, and serve.

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