The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1892-01-15
OLoLoNDoN HOUSEHOLDS.
Picture of an English Home In thu
Enurteenth Century.

Fourteenth Century.
Would you know how young married
couples set up housekeeping? Here is
the inventory of the household furniture
Of such pair in the fourteenth century.
It is not the only document of the kind
which exists, but it is interesting be
cause it forms part of story which
remains unfinished.
The inventory belongs to the year
1887 The proprietor's name was Hugh |
lie Bevere; that of his wife, Alice. Hugh |
lie Bevere was craftsman of the better |
sort, but not a master. He was so we'll
off that the furniture of his house, in
GLIDING clothes, was valued at e12 1Ss.
kd., which, being interpreted into
modern money, means about e2OO. DE
had been married but a short time
which caused this inventory to be drawn
up. The newly married pair lived In a
house consisting of two rooms, ono
above the other The lower room,
which was the kitchen and keeping
room in one, was divided from the houses
on either side by solid stone walls; 1t
had a chimney and a fireplace;
the walls were hung round with
kitchen utensils, tools, and wea-
pons; a window opened to the street,
the upper part of which was glazed,
while the lower part could be closed by
a stout shutter; the door opened into
the street; there was another door at
the back which opened upon buttery,
where there stood ranged in a row six
casks of wine. One folding table and
two chairs served for their wants, be-
cause they were not rich enough to en-
terrain their friends. A ladder led to
the upper room, which was an attic or
| rarret, built of wood and matched with
rush. Here was the bed with mat
ress, three feather beds, and two pill
| lows. A great wooden Golfer held their
household gear; here were six blankets
and one serge, a coverlet with shields
of sendale Ia kind of thin silk, eight
| linen sheets, four table-cloths- The
clothes, which were laid in chests or
hung upon the wall, consisted of three
surcoats of worsted and ray; one coat
with a hood of perset (peach-colored
cloth), and another of worsted; two
robes of perset; one of medley, furred;
one of scarlet, furred; a great hood of
sendale with edging; one camise (only
| One!l. ana NAH d OOZch odbC-AdPOo
| (aprons). One perceives that the in
ventory omits many things Where, for
instance, were the hosen and the
shoon? For kitchen utensils there were
brass pots, a CRATE, andirons, basins,
washing vessels, a tripod, an iron horse,
an iron spit, a frying-pan, a funnel,
two ankers (tubs), etc. They had one
candlestick 'of lattone;" two plates,
Loo
board; curtains to hang before the
doors to keep out the cold; cushions
and a green carpet; and for the hus-
band a haketon, or suit of leather
armor, and an iron headpiece. OF
knives, forks, wooden plates, cups,
glasses, or drinking measures, there is
nothing said at all. But it is evident
that the house was provided with every
thing necessary for solid comfort;
plenty OF kitchen vessels, for instance,
and plenty of soft feather beds, SianE-
cts, pillows curtains and sheets
Every morning at 6 o'clock, after a
bunch of bread, a substantial slice OF
cold meat, and pull at the blackjack
of small ale, Hugh lie Bevere walked
off to his days work. Then Alice, left
at home, washed and secured, made
and mended, cooked the dinner, talked
to the neighbors, and, when all was
done, sat in the doorway enjoying the
sunshine and spinning husily.
They had been married bur short
: time There were no children. Then
: lone knows nothing; no one must
Judge harshly; there may have been
jealousy; there may have been cause
for jealousy; perhaps the woman had a
tongue uncomfortable fourteenth CEN
fury tongues were cruelty sharp; per-
= haps the man had a temper uncon-
trolled lin that century there were
many such); but no one knows, and,
again, we must not judge-then, l say,
! the end came, suddenly and without
: warning. When it was all over, some
of the neighbors thought that they had
heard high words and a smothere6
shrek, but then we often think we
have heard what probably happened
In the morning Hugh lie Bevere went
not forth to his work as usual; Alice die
not open the door; the shutters re
manned closed. The neighbors knocked
there was no answer. They sent for the
alderman, who came with his sergeant'
and broke open the door. Alas! alas
. They found the body of Alice lying
| stark ana OedQ upon JAS IOOFs DcSlOt
her sat her husband with white face ani
: haggard eyes, and the evidence of hi
u crime, the knife itself, lying where HI
had thrown it.
They hailed him TO the lord mayor
court, They questioned him. He mad,
i no reply at first, looking as one dis
traught; when he spoke, he refused tt
plead. For this, in later times, h
would have been pressed to death
What was done to him was almost d
L bad; for they took him to Newgate, ant
y shut him up in cell with penanoe, tina
s is to cay, on bread and water, until HI
died,
This done, they buried the unfortunat
Alice, and made the inventory of all tn
= chattels, which the city confscated, ant
sold eIs 1Ss- 4d., out of which, no doubt
they paid for the funeral of the woman
! and the penance of the man. The rest
, one hopes, was laid in masses, a
= far as Il would go, for the souls of tn
hapless pair. Death has long since re
&c leased Hugh lie Bevere; he has entere'
his plea before another court; but tn
CITY has never learned why he killed hi
9 wife, or if, indeed, he really did kill her
y Walter Besant, in Harper's Magazine
e. Cats as Bird Catchers.
If NJ Rasnail has lately called after