Before Electric Blankets: How Grandmothers Used a Copper Object to Warm Their Bed
When you head to bed, there’s a good chance your room is already warmed by radiators. But in the past, when heating systems were less efficient, people had to find ways to face the cold winter nights. To make their rooms more comfortable, our ancestors used, notably, a copper object, which they slid beneath their sheets.
Difficult Winters Before the Arrival of Modern Heating
Between the 16th and the 20th centuries, living in a house during the coldest months was not particularly pleasant. Indeed, home insulation was often nonexistent, or nearly so, with windows letting in drafts. Moreover, the fireplace could not heat all the rooms. Bedrooms could therefore become very cold at night.
To cope with these low temperatures, there were a whole host of tricks. One involved using copper utensils to warm the beds. They were practical enough to be easily handled on a daily basis. They mainly provided a welcome warmth before going to sleep.
Our Grandmothers Used This Copper Object to Warm Themselves
The copper bed-warmer used by our grandmothers resembles a flattened kind of pot, equipped with a long handle. Its operation was fairly simple: you simply placed glowing embers or burning coal inside, and closed its lid. Usually, several small openings allowed air to circulate.
The handle allowed the user to slide the utensil between the sheets to spread the heat throughout the bed. Some precautions had to be taken to avoid scorching the fabrics. At times, these bed-warmers were passed down from generation to generation. The Rosenberg Museum-Library houses a piece whose history is astonishing. It is said to have belonged to John Proctor, a figure from the famous Salem witch trials.
A Copper Bed Warmer Linked to a Dark Chapter in American History
John Proctor was born in England in 1631. He was still a child when his parents joined the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He is best known for having been condemned to death during the Salem witch trials in 1692. By way of reminder, several village girls were accused of witchcraft because they displayed inexplicable symptoms, including convulsions and hallucinations.
Very skeptical of these accusations, John Proctor publicly challenged the testimonies of these girls. But Mary Warren, a maid who worked for him, ultimately accused him as well as his wife Elizabeth. On August 19, 1692, John was hanged despite the lack of tangible evidence. His wife, who was pregnant, escaped execution. It was not until 1711 that their innocence was officially recognized. The objects that belonged to him, such as this copper bed-warmer, thus carry symbolic significance.
