Furniture of Mediaeval Times ENGLAND in the Middle Ages was
very far behind the other large European countries in the matter of comfort, decoration and adomtnent of its homes. Although wood-carving in churches and other buildings of note was Of a very high order and hangings and tapestries rich and exquisitely worked, furniture as a general rule was meagre and of crude design. It was made ' entirely of native woods of which oak, being one of the commonest trees found in these islands and of well- known durability, was the most popular. Furniture was built to stand rough usage, as it was carried about on pack animals and in country carts over bad roads when the nobility and important Church dignitaries journeyed about the country from castle to castle or abbey. Little furniture was found outside these great castles and ecclesiastical establishments. The peasant had none and even the wealthier merchant in the town existed with one or two pieces, such as a table, bench, coffer or two, and a bed. Even in -the castles only two rooms were furnished, the "Large or Banqueting Hall" and the Lord and Lady's "Living Room." The floors were covered with rushes allowed to decay and only rarely removed. The earliest form of furniture was the coffer or chest.
This was a strong box used for the storage and carriage of articles of value and weight. Fine specimens, dating from the early thirteenth century, are to be found in many of the ancient churches throughout the country. In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries the carving on the front became more elaborate, depicting in some instances, tilting scenes and feats of arms from the fields of chivalry. Towards the end of the fifteenth century, linenfold panelling was freely used in the manufacture of chests. In addition to the coffer, two similar articles of furniture were made, the almery or aumbry, used as a receptacle for food and perforated to admit air, and the armoire. The latter was a large chest used for the storage of clothing and the knights' - arms and armour to protect them from damp and rust. From these early pieces evolved the cupboard, the court cupboard and standing cupboard of Tudor and Jacobean times.
The earliest tables of which we have any record date from the late fourteenth century, and it is very doubtful if before this date they were used. Coffers presumably took their place in the earlier times. The first tables were trestle tables. These were often of great length and of enormous weight. A conspicuous example Is the one in the great hall at Penshurst, which is twenty-seven feet in length and three feet wide. At one end of the table was placed a smaller one at right angles, for the use of the lord of the castle, his family and principal guests. As time went on the trestle gave way to a more permanent form of support; and fixed legs, either square or turned, were used. The number of legs varied according to the size of the table. Later still, the draw- top table was made, so that when not extended it would only take up a comparatively small area. In the fifteenth century, the side table was first made and before its inven- tion, chests were used for the serving of food and drink.' The original side tables were a combination of the long table and the chest.
Chairs do not appear to have been in existence before the fifteenth century and, up to the seventeenth century, were not in common use. In each house there were only two or three. The ordinary. seats being stools, benches or chests. The early chairs were used only by the Lord and his wife and were carved with the coat of arms or initials of the owner and conferred on the occupier the stamp of authority. Without doubt the church pew was the originator of the early chair.
Furniture was not upholstered until the sixteenth century, and during this century Italian artists intro- duced into England the art of inlaying furniture with coloured woods. The English craftsman readily took up this form of decoration, which became very fashionable during the succeeding century, and many beautiful specimens of inlay and marqueterie were produced, which are highly prized to-day by their fortunate owners.
J. T. AVISON.
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