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Black over Bill's Mothers

Its dark over everywhere around here at the moment Brian:D

Because of my Bills
 
My Mom used to say " Its black over Bill's Mothers"

Names I am researching : Phillips, Evans,
 
Wonder where that saying originated?. Love to find out. The other one I recall is Aunt Nellies. Maybe she was married to Bill?????. Jean.
 
It means rain is on the way, This saying seems to be more widespread around the country nowadays, but many - including Eric Partridge in his ‘Dictionary of Catch Phrases' - believe it started life in the East Midlands.
The best explanation I've ever heard as to its origin is the one that suggests the ‘Bill', ‘Will' or ‘William' in the phrase refers to William (Will/Bill) Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-on-Avon, to the west of the Midlands and - if the sky is dark and threatening over that area (ie over Bill's mother's) - it means rain is probably headed for the east of the Midlands region, because the prevailing winds are likely to push the wet weather in that direction.


There you are friends
 
The way I understood it was that, whichever direction you look, there's bound to be a Bill as it's a very common name and presumably most (if not all) of the Bill's have mothers.
Just my two (old) penn'orth.
Stan
 
Alf, that sounds like a good feasible explanation when you know that the prevailing winds that bring rain would be from the southern part of the Midlands.

Graham.
 
OK everyone. Enough analysis about a good old Brummie saying. I'm sure my mom (rest her soul) never thought anything about which direction the clouds were coming from or the prevailing winds, etc, etc. She would be prompted to say it whenever dark clouds appeared in the sky, whether they were in the direction of town, Aston Cross, Newtown Row or Gt Lister Street (standing in Bracebridge Street or even just looking out of the window that is). I said in an earlier post that I still use the saying today but now I'm thinking that I might think twice before I say it again? Is thiis how old sayings die out due to over analysis? Sorry guys. Maybe I'm in a funny (not ha ha) mood today? Perhaps I haven't got over the WIFE boo-boo yet? Or am I just over analysing the over analysis? Sorry, but that's just how I feel about it. Don't know about the rest of the Forum?
I've just asked my 88 year old mom-in-law and she remembers only that it was "black over something". Say no more!
 
I reckon its good to pass these old sayings on. My young daughter often uses the saying, and we don't care who Bill is. Another one is 'a cat lick and a promise' 'I'll go to the foot of our stairs' and Dads favourite 'Guys Squints'.
It gives me such a warm feeling remembering the way my family used to talk. I remember lying in bed as a youngster, and listening to Mom gossiping over the fence with the next door neighbour. Bless her!
Lynda
 
This is a saying my mom still occasionally uses. It has been talked about on a You Tube channel recently, where two women from the US 'react' to a Black Country interview. Obviously when rain clouds are building. My mom 'bay a Brummie', being a Black Country woman , from West Brom, but I'm sure it is commonplace across the West Midlands region.

Anyone else aware of it?

I believe it stems from where usual bad weather is supposed to originate from. We mainly get Westerly Winds in the British Isles. This is why it is usually wet and generally mild conditions (although Climate Warming is making moisture and wet weather more common in any case). We get remnants of Atlantic Hurricanes which dump these storms upon us. It is also why the East End of Cities in the Industrial revolution had poorer housing and so-called 'lower' classes living there - the wind took the pollution away from the 'better' areas.

Regarding the saying, the wet , stormy weather usually comes in from the West and South West. In the Midlands, this would be the general area of Stratford - hence the saying - Bill's mother, meaning William Shakespeare and Mary, his mother (born Wilmcote). It probably isn't totally accurate in geographic terms. But, at least this is one theory. It might be challenged.
 
There is an earlier thread on this (though not with as descriptive a title). I have moved this post ti that thread and altered title
 
Mark Wilson said:
This is a saying my mom still occasionally uses. It has been talked about on a You Tube channel recently, where two women from the US 'react' to a Black Country interview. Obviously when rain clouds are building. My mom 'bay a Brummie', being a Black Country woman , from West Brom, but I'm sure it is commonplace across the West Midlands region.

Anyone else aware of it?

I believe it stems from where usual bad weather is supposed to originate from. We mainly get Westerly Winds in the British Isles. This is why it is usually wet and generally mild conditions (although Climate Warming is making moisture and wet weather more common in any case). We get remnants of Atlantic Hurricanes which dump these storms upon us. It is also why the East End of Cities in the Industrial revolution had poorer housing and so-called 'lower' classes living there - the wind took the pollution away from the 'better' areas.

Regarding the saying, the wet , stormy weather usually comes in from the West and South West. In the Midlands, this would be the general area of Stratford - hence the saying - Bill's mother, meaning William Shakespeare and Mary, his mother (born Wilmcote). It probably isn't totally accurate in geographic terms. But, at least this is one theory. It might be challenged.
Click to expand...
My mother used the Bills saying, I am sure she had no idea who Bill was or his mother. Regarding the weather, my grandfather would tell me ( I was about 5-6) that would be about 75 years ago that the bad weather was caused by the “steam trains”, so if it’s from a grandfather it has to be true :cool: !
 
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