# Great Royal Scandals: Lady Frances Howard and the Sulfuric Acid Enema of Doom **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 18, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010 "2014-11-18T23:01:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010/21 "2014-11-20T21:06:09Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > I can’t immediately think of a worse way to go, than a sulfuric acid enema. Well, there was Richard II, with a red hot fireplace poker in the ass… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010/22 "2014-11-20T21:19:33Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > Add Edmund Ironside to the list of men who are alleged to have met unfortunate “ends”. 😃 > > [“They don’t like it up ’em…” Revisiting the sordid deaths of Edmund Ironside, Edward II, Kenneth II and James I of Scotland | A Blast From The Past](https://allkindsofhistory.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/they-dont-like-it-up-em-revisiting-the-sordid-deaths-of-edmund-ironside-edward-ii-and-james-i-of-scotland/) Thank you for this link. Fascinating reading. I’m going to spend quite a lot of time exploring the stuff here. ---
**Author:** ![Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a8b319/32.png) [@Fuzzy\_wuzzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuzzy_wuzzy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010/23 "2014-11-20T21:21:31Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Well, there was Richard II, with a red hot fireplace poker in the ass… Richard was starved to death, which in itself is a pretty bad way to go. The poker up the ass of Edward II is probably a myth. Im not sure if I prefer it to be a myth, or not. My humanitarian side hopes its a myth, my ghoulish side hopes not. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010/24 "2014-11-20T21:32:48Z")
> [@Malthus](#): > > [“They don’t like it up ’em…” Revisiting the sordid deaths of Edmund Ironside, Edward II, Kenneth II and James I of Scotland | A Blast From The Past](https://allkindsofhistory.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/they-dont-like-it-up-em-revisiting-the-sordid-deaths-of-edmund-ironside-edward-ii-and-james-i-of-scotland/) > [@](#): > > … so that when the king sat on it the arrow was released and entered his fundament.’ Hehe, I learned a new vocabulary word I love. Now to figure how to to slip “Fundament” into conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2014, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010/25 "2014-11-20T21:35:30Z")
> [@wolfman](#): > > Hehe, I learned a new vocabulary word I love. Now to figure how to to slip “Fundament” into conversation. Well, you could always just snigger childishly at “fundamentalists”. Lord know I do. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010/26 "2014-12-02T18:29:55Z")
Returning to this topic, a question: was it usual in Jacobian times to have women’s outfits that were this low-cut? Basically, it looks like she went more or less topless! > **[Frances, Countess of Somerset - National Portrait Gallery](https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw133676/Frances-Countess-of-Somerset?LinkID=mp04187&role=sit&rNo=2)** > > by Simon de Passe > line engraving > early 17th century > © National Portrait Gallery, London [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/great-royal-scandals-lady-frances-howard-and-the-sulfuric-acid-enema-of-doom/705010.md?page=1)