Earliest Use of the Word "F*ck" Found in Court Case From 1310
Historians are pretty sure they’ve found the first ever recorded use of the word “fuck” in an English court document dating from 1310. The document, from December 8, 1310, was spotted by a medieval lecturer named Dr. Paul Booth just before he retired, the Daily Mail reports. In it, there is mention of a man named “Roger Fuckebythenavele,” which historians believe is a reference to his lack of sexual prowess or gross stupidity. “I came across this by accident,” said Booth. “It really does shout at you.”
Apparently, Fuckebythenavele had had three previous run-ins with the law, and, per British law at the time, if you had a fourth, you could be outlawed and executed without trial if caught. Booth says the name is definitely not a joke, as evidenced by its inclusion three times in the document. “I thought it might be a clerk’s joke, but I think this is actually someone who had been given this nickname,” he said. “It’s written clearly and three times, and I think that shows it’s not a joke.”
Continue Reading On Complex
