The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-12-06
ORIGIN Of THE FORK
FIFTEEN HUNDRED YEARS WERE
REQUIRED TO DEVELOP THE
IDEA.
MENTION OF EARLY USE.
A GREAT RARITY IN EUROPE AS
LATE AS THE SIXTEENTH
CENTURY.
They Were First Manufactured in
England I'm zoos, and Their Use
Was Then RidicuIed.

II dine with forks that have but two
prongs. Swift
There can be but little doubt that
the table fork owes it's origin to the
pitchfork, yet it required 1,500 years
and perhaps twice that time to evolve
the idea. Forks are a modern inven-
ton, when compared with spoons. The
Irishman who defined a fork as "a
split spoon had true idea of it's
origin, as the earliest ones had only
two prongs.
The first medieval mention of forks
is at the marriage of a Byzantine mai
den to the Doge of Venice in the elev-
enth century. In Venice this young
woman ate as she was accustomed to
do at home cutting her meat in few
small bits on her plate, and carrying
it to her mouth with a two-tined fork.
The Venetians regarded this manner of
eating as a morbid luxury.
1t seems highly probable that the
fork originated in the Byzantine court,
and thence spread westward. 1t was
not introduced into England generally
until about the latter end of the six
teenth century, and it's Introduction
lies a the door of one Thomas Coryatt
Coryatt was the son of a prebendary
of York cathedral, and was a member
of the household of Prince Henry, the
eldest son of James l. He published
curious account of a walking tour UNI
der the title "Coryatt's Crudities Has
tily Gobbled up in Five Months Trav-
els in France. Italy, ETC." wherein he
speaks of an article called a "forke."
1t is certain that forks were in use
in the early middle ages, but only to
spit meat and toast bread. They were
never seen on the table. In the four
teenth century Clemence de Hongrie
had thirty spoons and one gold fork.
The Duke of Anjou, in 1860, had fork.
The inventory Of Charles V. of France
twenty years later describes two forks
with crystal handles. With silverware
worth a million, the monarch possessed
all told only twelve forks. The use of
a fork was considered such a luxury
that many mOnastic orders &forbade
their members to indulge in it. Its use.
was considered effeminate and be
meath the dignity of true man.
Queen Eleanor, wife of Edward L.,
had among her plate a fork of crystal
and a silver fork with an ivory and
beony handle. The Duchess of Tou-
raine had only two forks, though she
boosted of ten dozen spoons.
AS late as the sixteenth century forks
were a great rarity. Queen Elizabeth
was the first English sovereign and the
only woman who used one in her day.
Her mobiles thought it was sheer affec-
tation on her part, and SO great was
the prejudice against their use, even
by educated people, that an eminent
divine preached a sermon about forks,
saying: 1T is an insult to the AL
mighty not to touch ones meat with
ones fingers" AS late as the reign of
George 1. so little was known Of forks
and their use that few inns provided
them for the use of guests. No one
thought of carrying the food to the
mouth with a fork until Queen Eliza
beth set the fashion.
In little book entitled Isle des Her
naphroditis," ridiculing the effeminate
handles of the French court of Henry
", the writer tells how it was forbid
den on the fabulous island to eat meat
with the fingers. Every one was COM
PEELED to get his food into his mouth
with a fork. These forks kept the
hands of the diners so clean that no
one wished water and towels between
the courses. The performance was as
good as play"
With the opening of the seventeenth
century came the introduction of forks
into France, Germany and England by
the Italians. Louis XIII. used fork,
though his wife, Anne of Austria, ate
with her fingers.
To the genial Duke de Montausier do
we owe, it is probable, the general use
of forks. His wife was the beautiful
Julia d. Argennes, daughter of the Mar
quis de Rambouillet. The marquis
house was the abode of the highest
culture of the period. and, true to the
Italian traditions of his family, the
marquis always used q fork. AS soon
as the duke learned it's use and saw
its advantages he exerted his influence
to encourage the use of forks among
the French aristocracy, ard, as the