The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-05-30
O.d English Beds.

The 'four-p0ster. or great standing
bed. was common in ancastrian times,
although ten different enough to that
in use to-day. The idea j. by some
supposed to have come from Aust ia
but its direct importation was probably
fr,m rance. where sumptuOus carved
on bedSteads were alre dy well known.
These were co monty pane e to The
floor. and cont Il ned drawers, chests
and re>srs. over which The sleeper vIr-
tualIy held guard. Our ichard III.
pos essed one OF this kind of which a
double story is told. On LIST of
August, s he arrived at Leices er.
some of his retinue having preceded
him wi h the running wardro e, which
included ponderous four posted bed
stead with do be bottom of boards,
inc uding military chest, which was
erected in chamber Of the Roa g Head
. ichard silent on it that night, his last
on eartn, tor xt day he was de-
ieated and slain on Bosworth Field.
The bed was stripped of its hangings and
tinery, tut the bedst, ad was lett with
mine b ST, and net anne kind of show
at the Blue toa In the reign of
Elizabeth the house was Kept by u man
Famed Clark. who ew T one day VIII lie
shaking or MI g the bed, OBJ erved q
gold coin roll on the floor; this led to
an investigation, when it was
iound that the double bottom con-
cealed very large sum of gold. partly
coined by Richard and partly of
earlier de;e 1t was, in ct, Richards
trea u $, AID at the pass to which he
had then come, might be So d TO be the
very la of it. The sum is not named.
but acco ding to Tweden this Clark
reaped an incredy BILE mass of wea tn
(but lad 1t wit enough not to discover
We same bui became of poorer man
very rit. h. wa y ayor, and this, in We
end dying LETT hys wife We ) ritch. who
styll kept on We lnne at We blue bore IN
eice-ter, tyli. in the end, some guests
coming to lodge with her. she was by
them robd. who CARVED away seven
horse loads of easure, and We, left
great Store scattered about the howse
of gold and 81 yer. Mrs. Cleark herself
beeing in this action made away by q
mavd rvant W o stopt her breath by
.hrusting her finger into her throat, she
being very fat person; for which fact
Mrs. lumber saw her burnt as the seven
men were hanged"
1t was long trad tional idea in Eng
land, and cry common in the Eliza
oethan days, to carve on each of the
post- of bedstead 8 figure of one OF
lie evangelists. Hence tie rhyme:
Matthew, Mark Luke and John,
Bless the bed that eep on"
But we must not forget that there
were two forms of bed in use during
tho,e days. the and NC bed and
truckle tel. VIII CHI latter was q
low-iramed bedstead. pla to t e last
degree, mounted on a,tcrs, and c3pa-
bic of being put under he former; in
deed. it was not merely often put
away there, bu. so times occupied
by an infer or. My ally ma d not I'M
frequently sc on he DOR bes de the
beds cad of h m stress. An old bal
lad speaks of the chaplain who had
..Lie upon the truckle bed,
Whilst his young mater lieth DER bis head y
1t is fur her mentioned that anc' ently
a minis rel would often lie on low bed
to amuse his lor | win lie ne was awake,
or to lull him to sleep. and that per
sons were so Ell mes employed to read
for e same - rpoSe.
The posts, head noards and canopies
Of the -iizaie. han bedstead We uri-
ousi, VT ught and carvei in oak and
o her woods, e It and painted. They
were ofls adorned W tn notices one
- run iery in cumberland had this
.nscriptn "Mark the end, and gov
shall psvsa aoeW amis." The oed