Customs and Fashions in Old New England
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"A second Looking Glass as good as can be bought for four or five pounds, same kind of frame.
"A Duzen of good Black Walnut Chairs fine Cane with a Couch.
"A Duzen of Cane Chairs of a Different Figure and a great Chair for a Chamber; all black Walnut.
"One bell-metal Skillet of two Quarts, one ditto one Quart.
"One good large Warming Pan bottom and cover fit for an Iron handle.
"Four pair of strong Iron Dogs with Brass heads about 5 or 6 shillings a pair.
"A Brass Hearth for a Chamber with Dogs Shovel Tongs & Fender of the newest Fashion (the Fire is to ly upon Iron).
"A strong Brass Mortar That will hold about a Quart with a Pestle.
"Two pair of large Brass sliding Candlesticks about 4 shillings a Pair.
"Two pair of large Brass Candlesticks not sliding of the newest Fashion about 5 or 6 shillings a pair.
"Four Brass Snuffers with stands.
"Six small strong Brass Chafing dishes about 4 shillings apiece.
"One Brass basting Ladle; one larger Brass Ladle.
"One pair of Chamber Bellows with Brass Noses.
"One small hair Broom sutable to the Bellows.
"One Duzen of large hard-mettal Pewter Plates new fashion, weighing about fourteen pounds.
"One Duzen hard-mettal Pewter Porringers.
"Four Duzen of Small glass Salt Cellars of white glass; Smooth not wrought, and without a foot.
"A Duzen of good Ivory-hafted Knives and Forks."
The floors of colonial houses were sometimes sanded, but were not carpeted, for a carpet in early days was not a floor covering, but the covering of a table or cupboard. In 1646 an inquiry was made into some losses on the wreck of the "Angel Gabriel." A servant took oath that Mr. John Coggeswell "had a Turkywork'd Carpet in old England which he commonly used to lay on his Parlour Table; and this Carpet was put aboard among my Maisters goods and came safe ashore to the best of my Remembrance." Another man testified that he did "frequentlie see a Turkey-work Carpet & heard them say it used to lay upon their Parlour Table." Dornix, arras, cloth, calico, and broadcloth carpets are named. Sewall tells of an "Irish stitch't hanging made a carpet of." Samuel Danforth gave, in 1661, a "Convenient Carpet for the table of the meeting house." In 1735, in the advertisement of the estate of Jonathan Barnard, "one handsome Large Carpet 9 Foot 0 inches by 6 foot 6 inches" was named. This was, I fancy, a floor covering. In the Boston Gazette of November, 1748, "two large Matts for floors" were advertised—an exceptional instance in the use of the word mat. Large floor-carpets were advertised the following year, and in 1755 a "Variety of List Carpets wide & Narrow," and "Scotch Carpets for Stairs." In 1769 came "Persia Carpets 3 yards Wide." In 1772, in the Boston Evening Post, "A very Rich Wilton Carpet 18 ft by 13" was named. The following year "Painted Canvass Floor Cloth" was named. This was doubtless the "Oyl Cloth for Floors and Tables" of the These pages are © Laurel O'Donnell, 2005, all rights reserved
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