Caddy spoons were small pieces found beginning in the 18th century in cutlery drawers or buffets. Usually very short and squat, the caddy spoon was usually crafted with a wide, flat bowl. Because this spoon was almost always used to scoop out portions of tea from the house tea chest, the bowl was the perfect size and shape.
Sugar nippers were used like scissors to cut small pieces of white
refined sugar from the cones in which it was sold. These small pieces
were then put into the sugar bowls used when serving tea, or the sugar
was ground with a mortar and pestle into the granulated form with which
we’re more familiar today.
With open hearths and flames in colonial homes, fire was a real concern. Each home kept at least one fire bucket filled with water and sometimes sand. Fire buckets were made of leather and lined with pitch and often had the owners names
painted on them. Laws often required all residents to purchase them and keep
them in repair. Fire fighting was a community event and "Bucket Brigades" were quickly assembled which consisted
of 2 lines of people stretching from the town well or river to the fire.
They passed buckets of water to the fire, and empty buckets back to the
water source to be refilled.
The quill winder operates very much
like a spinning wheel and is commonly mistaken for one. Weavers use a quill winder to wind yarn onto a "quill," a pencil-thin
tube of rolled paper or corn husk. The drive string
from the wheel rapidly turns the spindle, allowing the weaver to
quickly load already-spun yarn onto the quill on the spindle. When the
quill is fully loaded, the weaver slips the quill off the spindle and
slides it into his shuttle, ready for the loom.
Rushlights were the simplest and least expensive kind of lighting
device. They were made from common meadow rushes which grew in the
marshes. The outer skin of the rush was peeled away and the remaining
pith was dried and then dipped in hot fat. After drying, the rush was
placed in the jaws of the rushlight clip to burn.Sometimes they also had a socket for a candle.
Shutter
latch
to
secure
shutter
to
house.
Exterior
shutters were first used in window openings before glass was readily
available or affordable. Wood shutters served as a protective barrier
against inclement weather, direct sunlight and dusty unpaved streets.
Even after the mass production of glass, shutters continued to protect
fragile window glass and provide privacy for a building's inhabitants.
Have you seen these items before? Do you know of any unusual everyday items that were used in Colonial times?
Very interesting Carla.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,Tina
What a cool post, Carla! Loved this! I just bought a silver-plated Caddy spoon out at Colonial Williamsburg last week!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting - thanks for all your research :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. Very interesting!
ReplyDeleteLoved the post, info very beneficial to me especially the sugar cone. Thanks for doing the research.
ReplyDeleteI knew about the sugar nippers, but that was it.
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