A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle AgesWright, Thomas
History
A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages
Wright, Thomas
England -- Social life and customs -- 1066-1485
Agnes Hubbard, a lady of Bury, in Suffolk, who made her will in 1418,
left among other things, “one feather-bed” (_unum lectum de plumis_).
A rich townsman of the same place bequeathed, in 1463, to his niece,
“certeyne stuffe of ostilment,” among which he enumerates “my grene
hanggyd bedde steynyd with my armys therin, that hanggith in the
chambyr ovir kechene, with the curtynez, the grene keveryng longgyng
therto; another coverlyte, ij. blanketts, ij. peyre of good shetes,
the trampsoun, the costerys of that chambyr and of the drawgth chambyr
next, tho that be of the same soort, a grete pilve (_pillow_) and
a smal pilve; the fethirbeed is hire owne that hire maistresse gaf
hire at London.” After enumerating other articles of different kinds,
the testator proceeds--“And I geve hire the selour and the steynyd
clooth of the coronacion of Our Lady, with the clothes of myn that
long to the bedde that she hath loyen (_lain_) in, and the beddyng
in the draught chamber for hire servaunth to lyn in; and a banker of
grene and red lying in hire chambyr with the longe chayer (_a settle,
probably_); and a stondyng coffre and a long coffre in the drawth
chambyr.” William Honyboorn, also of Bury, bequeathed to his wife in
1493, “my best ffether bedde with the traunsome, a whyte selour and a
testour theron, with iij. white curteyns therto, a coverlight white
and blewe lyeng on the same bedde, with the blankettes.” The same man
leaves to his daughter, “a ffether bedde next the best, a materas lyeng
under the same, iiij. peyr shetys, iij. pelowes, a peyr blankettes.”
John Coote, who made his will at Bury in 1502, left to his wife, for
term of her life, “alle my plate, brasse, pewter, hanggynges, celers,
testers, fetherbeddes, traunsoms, coverlytes, blankettes, shetes,
pelows, and all other stuff of hussold (_household_);” and afterwards
bequeaths these articles separately to his son and daughter, after
their mother’s death:--“I will that William Coote have my beste hanged
bede, celer, testor, and curteyns longgyng to the same, the beste
fetherbede, the beste coverlyght, the beste peyer of blankettes, the
beste peyer shetes; and Alys Coote to have the next hanged bede, celer,
and testour, wyth the ij^{de} fetherbede, blankettes, and the ij^{de}
peyer shetes.” In the will of Anne Barett, of Bury, dated in 1504,
we read, “Item, I bequeth to Avyse _my servaunte_ x. marc, a ffether
bed, a traunsom, a payre shetes, a payre blankettes, a coverlyght.”
Lastly, the will of Agar Herte, a widow of the same town, made in 1522,
contains the following items:--“Item, I bequethe to Richard Jaxson, my
son, a ffetherbed, ij. trawnsoms, a matras, ij. pelowes, iiij. payer
of schetes, a payer of blankettes, and a coveryng of arasse, and a
secunde coverlyght, a selour and a testour steynyd with fflowers, and
iij. curteyns;” ... “Item, I bequethe to Jone Jaxson, my dowghter, a
fetherbed, a matras, a bolster, ij. pelowes, iiij. payer of schetes, a
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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