Bed warmers on display at the Norway Historical Society. Submitted photo

 

How many people prefer to get into a warm bed on a cold winter night? The question is rhetorical, no need to raise your hand and wave, especially if you are reading this in a public place. (We wouldn’t want those around you to think you were summoning the mothership for a return to the home planet.)

The answer is: Many people prefer a warm bed to a cold one in winter.

Two of these items were commonly used until the end of the 19th century to warm the bed prior to retiring for the night. The foot warmer was a portable heat source for use in unheated environs. The bed warming pan, soapstone and foot warmer were frequently stored near a fireplace or wood stove to be close to a source of hot embers.

The bed warmer is said to date back to the 16th century. The brass or copper pan was attached to a long wooden handle. The more ostentatious wealthy homes had silver pans. La-de-dah!

The bed warmer was an important item in the household and was often passed along from generation to generation.

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Some warmers had ornate perforated patterns in the cover. These holes allowed air to keep the coals alive and, thus, heat longer. The holes did have a downside, however, they allowed fumes to get into the bedding and could possibly scorch the sheets. The long handle allowed the pan to be passed up and down the length of the bed between the mattress and the blankets before the shivering occupant got in. Once the pan was placed in the bed it was a good idea to keep it moving, since, as today, beds tend to be flammable.

Good thing there was no TV or internet to distract the operator of the warmer.

The second bed warming option is that dark, rectangular, unpretentious block shown in the picture with the warming pan and foot warmer: the soapstone. This greasy feeling stone is actually a form of talc. That’s right, the same talc which provides the powder for sprinkling on a baby’s…well, you know. The stone is dense and retains heat. (According to the Tribune-Star of Terre Haute and Wabash Valley, this stone was used by Native Americans for carving cooking bowls.)

The soapstone was placed in front of the fireplace or, later, in an oven to heat up before being moved around under the covers of the bed at night. It could then be placed in a flannel bag and located at the foot of the bed for keeping the feet warm.

Lastly, the foot warmer, sometimes called a foot stove, was used primarily in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. These wooden frames had metal sides punched with holes, in decorative patterns of course. Inside the frame was a metal or clay pot to hold hot coals and provide heat for the feet while traveling by carriage or sleigh in winter. These little conveniences often accompanied church-goers on Sunday since churches were not especially warm and sermons could be long.

Some people went the thrifty route and carried heated rocks, bricks or flat irons. One source suggests that baked potatoes could be used as pocket and hand warmers. Heat and lunch.

Considering what our predecessors had to do to keep from freezing we can draw some conclusions: they were creative in problem solving, winters were cold, we should maybe remove the word “good” from the expression, “good old days,” and finally, it’s amazing that any buildings survived from those times.

These are some of the many interesting artifacts in the collection of the Norway Museum and Historical Society. Although we must be closed to the public now, we look forward to welcoming you when we can.

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