A FLY AND A HALF, EXETER, 1842.

The Western Times of  16th April, 1842 reported:

"A man named Charles Wright, by trade a baker, was taken before the County Magistrates, at the Castle, on Monday last, charged with having attempted to administer cantharides, or Spanish flies, to a young girl, named Mary Wickett, living in St.Thomas.

It appeared that the prisoner had placed about a fly and a half in a broad fig, which he gave to a little boy who lived with the complainant, and told him to give it to Mary Wickett, without letting her mother know anything about it.

Fortunately, however, the mother of the girl intercepted the dangerous drug, and gave the man into custody,

After a full examination, Wright was ordered to find bail, himself in £50  and two sureties in £25 each, to appear at the next general Sessions to answer the above charge.

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I hadn't heard about Spanish flies since I was in the Lower Yard at school.   We all knew all about them then.   A boy found a gurl and cleverly tricked her into eating a Spanish fly and she would instantly turn into a sex-mad predator who would certainly want to kiss him.  I don't imagine many of us had ever seen much of the creatures in question, flies or gurls, yet the reputably aphrodisiacal Spanish fly existed and doubtless still exists despite the fact that it happens to be a beetle.  These days, to parody Ogden Nash:  'flies get a rise/ but liquor is quicker', especially, when experienced by the something like ten-per-cent of the population whose drinks are 'spiked' from time to time.

The poor, lovelorn baker, Charles Wright, I suspect he was not much more than a boy, tried the experiment on little Mary Wickett but Mary's mum found the flies and recognised them for what they were.  A good thing too in so far that the fly and a half were more likely to make Mary ill than to make her amorous,  but rather severe on Charles whose offence was deemed by the magistrates at Exeter Castle to be serious enough  for him to face trial at the Assize. 

And what is a broad fig?