The Abraham-men (also Abram-men or Abraham coves) were a class of beggars claiming to be

lunatic ''Lunatic'' is a term referring to a person who is seen as Mental disorder, mentally ill, Risk, dangerous, Foolishness, foolish, or crazy—conditions once attributed to "lunacy". The word derives from ''lunaticus'' meaning "of the moon" or "moo ...

s allowed out of restraint, in the Tudor and Stuart periods in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The phrase normally refers to the practice of beggars pretending that they were patients discharged from the Abraham ward at Bedlam. The phrase can be traced back as far as 1561, when it was given as one of ''The Fraternity of Vagabonds'', by John Awdeley. It also appears in the taxonomy of

rogue A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior or strikes out on an independent and possibly destructive path. Rogue, rogues, or going rogue may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * ...

s given by

Thomas Harman Thomas Harman ( ''fl.'' 1567) was an English writer best known for his seminal work on beggars, '' A Caveat or Warning for Common Cursitors''. Life He was the grandson of Henry Harman, clerk of the crown under Henry VII, who obtained, around 14 ...

, which was copied by later writers of

rogue literature Rogue literature is a literary genre that tells stories from the world of thieves and other criminals that was popular in England in the 16th and 17th centuries. The stories were mostly in a confessional writing, confessional form and full of vivi ...

. The author of ''O Per Se O'' (1612) reported that Abram-men made marks on their arms with 'burnt paper, piss and gunpowder' to show they had been in Bedlam Hospital: "some dance, but keep no measure; others leap up and down". The phrase ''Abraham-men'' also appears as a disguise for Edgar in ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' (1604–05) and John Fletcher's ''

Beggar's Bush ''Beggars' Bush'' is a Jacobean era stage play, a comedy in the canon of John Fletcher and his collaborators that is a focus of dispute among scholars and critics. Authorship The authorship and the date of the play have long been debated b ...

''. They were called ''anticks'' or ''God's minstrels'', and later ''Poor Toms'', from the popular song ''" Tom of Bedlam"''.

John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He was a pioneer archaeologist, who recorded (often for the first time) numerous megalithic and other field monuments in southern England ...

, the

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

, said they were common before the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, and wore a badge of tin on their left arms, an ox horn around their necks, a long staff and fantastical clothing. However, the badge seems to have been in myth. It may have been convenient

theatrical property A prop, formally known as a (theatrical) property, is an object actors use on stage or screen during a performance or screen production. In practical terms, a prop is considered to be anything movable or portable on a stage or a set, distinct ...

. Richard Head wrote in ''The Canting Academy, or Devils Cabinet opened'' (1673) that they: In 1675 the governors of Bedlam issued a public notice in the

London Gazette London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Tha ...

: Ribton-Turner, C. J., ''Vagrants and Vagrancy and Beggars and Begging'', London, 1887, p.172 Bedlam specialised in the care of mental illness from 1403, and remained the only such hospital in England until the 17th century. There cannot have been many genuine ex-inmates. In 1598 there were only 20 patients there, one who had been there over 25 years and others for several years. In 1737 the ''Dictionary of Thieving Slang'' still described ''Abram-men'' as "shabby Beggars, patched and trick'd up with Ribbons, Red-Tape, Fox-tails, Rags of various Colours; pretending to be besides themselves, to palliate their Thefts of Poultry, Linnen, &c. A sort of itinerant Hedge-Robbers, and Strippers of Children, &c."

References

*Carroll, W. C. ''Fat King Lean Beggar; Representations of Poverty in the Age of Shakespeare'' Cornell UP, Ithaca & London, 1996 *''The Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable''

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham-men Obsolete terms for mental disorders Beggars