Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1872-06-20
The Table Manners of Our Ancestors.

OUR Saxon ancestors had some rude |
customs about their meals, which are in |
striking contrast with modern refinement. |
To begin with, they had no table, but in |
stead of one board (berd), which was
brought out for the occasion from some
place of storage, laid on trestles, and
when the meal was ended, carefully put
away again. This was called laying the
board, to which our similar expression
owes its origin; and from the same source
comes our word "boarder"-one who sits
at the board to eat
The guests and family were summoned
by horn, and after they were seated, the
cloth was spread; and about this they
were extremely particular, but of what
kind OF fabric it was made does not so
clearly appear. 1t certainly was not linen,
for that was not introduced into England
for such use until the reign of Elizabeth.
For long time carpets and pieces of
tapestry did service as coverings for
tables.
The use of a carpet for the floor does
not seem to have occurred to those easily
| satisfied individuals who were willing to
| sleep on straw-mat, with a log under
their Leads, or at best sack filled with
chaf or straw, for a bolster Floors were
strewn with rushes, occasionally renewed
| as the accumulation of rubbish made it
necessary. Among the items at the time
is charge of thirty three shillings for
strewing Westminster Hall with herbs
and rushes. 1t is this custom which
Shakespeare refers to in Claiming of the
Shrew"-"Where's the cook? Is supper
ready, the house trimmed rustes streaoed
cobwebs swept?"-and in other plays.
| Those were the days when they had
oiled paper or thinly shaved pieces of
horn in what they called windows, or the
openings were filled with strips of wicker,
interlaced in checker-work; when scarce
ly church even could boast of pane of
crystal, and when a nobleman, who had
thin layers of beryl in his castle windows,
was looked upon as very luxurious in his
tastes.
After the cloth was arranged, the salt
cellar was set on, then the knives Gf they
were so fortunate as to have any were
placed, the spoons, the drinking horns,
and the trenchers.
The salt-cellar was the most important
article of all; very large, and made with
a cover. 1t is this latter popularity which
Shakespeare alludes to, where he makes
Launce say: "The cover of the salt hides
the salt, and therefore it is more than the
salt"
Where the host could afford it, it was
OF solid silver, elaborately chased; often
a very substantial piece OF plate, as costly
as his means would allow. And this ac.
counts for the greed with which Queen
Elizabeth once seized upon one, on the
occasion of visiting certain great Off
cial; she had already received valuable
gifts from him, but before her departure
} she "toOk salt, spoon, and fork of fail
agate"
The salt-cellar occupied the place ot
. honor on the table, and the most distin
guished persons sat above it. To sit ''be
low the salt'' meant to be in the position
of an inferior.
The meats were brought in on spits ius
. as they were cooked, and in that way
passed round by the servants to the
guests, who, in the more barbarous times
, tore off portion as best they could. AT
, terwards, when they had advanced a lit
tie in their ideas, there was carver, who
held the meat with one hand while he GU
r with the other; and the guests helped
themselves, using their hands, and aftel
! they had devoured what they wished
threw the bones to the dogs and cats tina
waited under the table and scrambled fo
, their share among the rushes. NATURALLY
7 enough, every one was expected to wasl
l his hands before coming to the s'board
} and certainly it was needful afterwards
: A few had knives. shaped like razor
= but forks were unknown. Even the grea
t Elizabeth ate with her fingers. In he
S reign, however, commerce was extended
t and luxuries began to appear, porcelain
t and glasses instead of pewter mugs t,
I drink from, and in her bathroom she hat
! \ mirrors, and this was considered a grea
: extravaganza. Her immense and lof,
= rooms were meager and cheerless enougi
d with their scant furnishings; and he
r table, i'll spite of many pieces of plate
: was not altogether removed from tn
n rudeness of manners of the early Saxons
. At first, two persons ate from On
." 'trencher," as it was called. There wer
}. no plates, and these trenchers were mad
r. to answer the purpose They were, il
o fact, large slices of bread, placed befor
IL each one Tor two), to accommodate tn
e meat: There were two qualities of bread
e one fine, to be eaten; the other, of tn
o coarse inferior flour, was made into larr
!, loaves, then the outer crust was remove,
u u and laid aside for the poor, and the rest Gu
n into very thick and substantial slices, an
i thus used instead of plates. In the cours
d of time, some ingenious person conceive