Following on from Sandra's post about domestic interiors in Holland, I am lucky enough to live in an English village which has many houses
still in existence dating from the 17th century. The evidence for
this is written above the doorways in “datestones”, the initials of the
original occupier and his wife, thoughtfully carved in stone along with the
date.
In North Lancashire most houses were built of cruck (oak arch) frames with
wattle and daub infill, and thatched with straw, or even bracken if you were
poor. The average house consisted of four bays (the space between the cruck
arches), but some as few as one. Chimneys slowly appeared in the 17th
century, at first as a mere projection from the gable end to keep smoke and
fire from the thatch.
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| Cruck buildings survived until the Victorian Era - The Blacksmith's |
The Mourholme Local History Society has done much work to
uncover the history of the village and has trawled through Wills and probate
inventories, and in my research for The
Gilded Lily I referred often to their book “How it was – A North Lancashire
Parish in the 17th Century” which gives details of these bequests.
In the first half of the century the position of rooms in a house was
defined by their relationship to the main room, known as the firehouse or the
bodystead. In the
second half of the century side-rooms are defined by name as buttery (a place for
keeping, not making, butter) kitchen, bed-chamber, wash-house. The main room was later described as the parlour or bower. The increase in
this standard of living had come earlier in the south but was much slower to
spread northwards.
Most village houses were
furnished simply. Items mentioned in inventories include
Bedstocks or beadsteads with chaff or feather mattresses.These were mostly 'tester' beds with curtains that could be drawn to provide warmth and privacy.
Tables – surprisingly these feature only in 21% of
inventories in the first half of the century, rising to 60% in the second.
There were however “trests” – a trestle with a board that could be erected and
removed to save space. (The idea of the board survives in the English language as the expression "Bed and Board" or 'boarding house' and even 'boarding school.')
Tableware – from pewter or wood, with wood or horn spoons.
Chairs, stools and ‘formes’ – simple wooden furniture. When
I say simple, the construction was simple, but often decoration was added
afterwards by the householder resulting in quite elaborately carved items.
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| An Ark storage box |
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| A man's chair, women's chairs had no arms so they could knit and sew |
Arks – mentioned in half of the inventories were bins made
of split wood and pegged together.They were used for storing flour or meal, and
could be taken apart for cleaning.
Almeryes – a type of cupboard with a pierced door. Thomas
Greenwood who lived in the village had what he called a ‘Cat Mallison’ to keep
meat and cheese in. As a maleson
meant a curse, we assume it was to keep the cat from the meat!
Brandreth and cauldron – a brandreth was an iron trivet to
set over the fire. The cauldron could be set on this, or on rackencrooks (an
adjustable hanger from the ceiling).The fires burned peat turves cut from the
local marshes, most inventories include stocks of peat for burning.
Quishons (cushions) and other soft furnishings are mentioned
frequently; beds were usually draped four posters with bolsters and pillows,
though very few inventories mention curtains – I can only assume shutters were
employed against the weather.
From these simple rural surroundings in rural Westmorland Ella and
Sadie Appleby, the two sisters in The
Gilded Lily, are on the run. They set off for
The Lady’s Slipper is
out now. The Gilded Lily will be
released in the UK Sept 13th
and the US
Nov 26th 2012. www.deborahswift.blogspot.com
furniture pictures from www.periodoakantiques.com and www.onlinegalleries.com
