, 1886-01-21
The BEDS or our ANCESTORS.
Dod-Room Fixtures of the Houses of An
Client E~ng1and-A Tradition.


Ded-Room Fixtures of the Houses Of An
Client E~ngIand-A Tradition.
The beds of our ancestors were bags
filled with straw or leaves Otter, from
the Latin legere, TO collect; l%ectuIn, a
bed,) like the modern palliasse, but not
upholstered or squared with modern
neatness. The bag could be opened and
the litter remade daily, as the travelled
reader will have experienced with tho
mattress of old-fashioned inns in Italy.
There were few bedrooms in the houses
OF ancient England. The master and
mistress of the Anglo4Saxon house had
a chamber or shed built against the wall
that enclosed the mansion and its de-
Tendencies; their daughter had the
same. Young men and guests slept in
the great hall, which was the only 40
ticeable room in the house, on tables or
benches, Wooden coverlids were pro-
vided for warmth; poles on which they
could hang their clothes, or hooks pro-
jecting from the wall; perches were pro
vided for their hawks. Attendants and
servants slept upon the floor.
Bedding of this rough kind could be
slowed away during the day and as
many guests could be accommodated as
there was room for in the hall. All the
rooms of the house, such as the hall,
the chapel, the sleeping rooms against
the walls, the offices, were on the
ground floor. After a time a room was
built above the hall, called the solar, n
chamber which admitted the sun freely
and had occasionally a gallery or ter
race on which TO take the air. 1t was
approached by outside steps and the
terrace was probably a long landing
place or open-air passage.
The E~lizabethan bed is still to be seen
in many varieties. 1t stood under a can
opy or tester, on four stout columns,
two of which formed the framework of
the bed head. Sometimes the actual
bedstead was within the paneled en-
closure and could be drawn out and
pushed back without disturbing so large
n structure. II was derived from tho
paneled bed Of the middle ages, to which
reference has beer made. On the col
umns OF the older beds were figures or
half figures of the four evangelists. A
il'hidtNai btiAha iltilthDiiH lht iOui
gospellorus (gospelers or evangelists) on
the four pillorus pillars and heads Of
angels, "all of one mould" The tradi-
ton of these old beds survives in the in
vocation still used in some country
places. Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John bless the bed that l sleep ON. Two
angels at my head, four angels round
my bed; two to watch and two 10 pray,
n two TO carry my soul away" etc.
After the Reformation this old usage
died out.
The columns of the Tudor beds have
square dado bases, and in general char
acter resemble balusters on n large scale.
The bedstead is supported by caryatides,
or terminal figures, and paneled with
arched or square recesses sometimes o IL
tanning figure carving of some merit.
The tester is paneled, and all frame
pieces, wherever set, are carved with
decorative mouldings of many kinds.
Many beds made of oak for the English
market were imported from Flanders, the
bed heads and feet composed of many
tiny open arches. Bed testers finishe
with details representing hanging fringes
and decorative detail borrowed from
drapery, may generally be set down as
of Flemish origin. English beds of this
date are more massive and ruder in ex-
ecution. Shaw's Ancient Furniture
contains an engraving of the great "bed
of Ware" in Hartfordshire. 1t is in the
Tudor style, twelve feet square, and
bears a date (but not authentic), 1850.
Magazine of Art.