Flitch of bacon custom Flitch of bacon custom The awarding of a flitch of bacon to married couples who can swear to not having regretted their marriage for a year and a day is an old tradition, the remnants of which still survive in some pockets in England. The tradition was maintained at Wychnoure until at least the eighteenth century, but now the flitch required to be held remains only as a carving over the fireplace. At Little Dunmow in Essex a similar ceremony also survived into the eighteenth century. The tradition can be traced back to at least the fourteenth century at both
Flitch beam from "The American Architect and Building News" compares three alternatives in a hypothetical railway station “in which the second story is devoted to offices, and where we must use girders to support the second floor of 25-foot span, and not less than 12 feet on centres if we can avoid it. This would give us to be supported by the girder a floor area of 12’ x 25’ = 300 square feet” and 31,500 pounds of load. After performing calculations the beams compare as follows: The article also cites the fire-retardant character of the flitch beam, “in case of a