Category: Newsflash

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St Valentine’s Day -it’s always Chaucers’ fault

It’s probably Chaucer’s fault that we associate Valentine’s Day with romantic love.
February 14th was a day to remember the deeds and martyrdom of Saint Valentine, with no particular romantic significance, until Geoffrey Caucer penned ‘Parlement of Foules” (Parliament of Fowles) in 1381. Chaucer’s poem describes all of the birds being brought together by mother nature on Saint Valentine’s Day to choose their mates.

This noble emperesse, ful of grace, Bad every foul to take his owne place,
As they were wont alwey fro yeer to yere, Seynt Valentynes day, to stonden there.

By mid February, as winter frosts thawed, people would see birds becoming more active around them, seeking each other out. Medieval people took to the idea of a day in late winter where we seek out a mate and bring them shiny gifts, and St Valentines Day has become cemented as a secular celebration of romantic love.

The rebrand hasn’t been bad for St Valentine, with many modern people celebrating his saint’s day long after St Frumentius and St Godelva passed into obscurity.

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Comparison of Linen Threads to Sewing Machine Threads

You might have noticed that our linen hand sewing threads have a Nel number code to describe their thickness, like 60/2 for our ‘light’ thread. The first number refers to the weight of each strand, with higher numbers being lighter weights, and the second number being the amount of ‘plies’, or strands, that are twisted together.

A handy way to think about thread sizes is by dividing the weight number by the ply number to get the total weight. A 60/2 linen thread is 2 plies of #60 linen, so 60/2 is the same weight as #30, also known as 30/1.

Standard sewing machine thread converts to be equivalent to 120/2 in the Nel system, so 60/2 is twice the weight of standard sewing machine thread.

90/2 extra-light thread = 1.5x sewing machine threads

60/2 light thread = 2x sewing machine threads

35/2 medium thread = 3.4x sewing machine threads

25/3 heavy thread = 7.2x sewing machine threads

This same handy rule shows us that:

25/3 = 8.3

and

16/2 = 8

So 25/3 and 16/2 are very similar weights, but 25/3 is 3 ply, and 16/2 is 2 ply.

At the extreme end, hand-stitched shoes often use 8/5 to stitch on the sole, so that thread is #1.6, or the weight of 37.5 sewing machine threads bundled together!

Is that any clearer? Do you have a different way of making sense of Nel numbers?

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Saint of the month; St Edward the confessor Oct 13th

Feast Day: October 13th

King Edward the confessor, canonized 1161, was invoked for miraculous cures for which he was famous while alive.

This replica badge was found in London. A similiar piece is in the Museum of London. This particular replica for Edward the Confessor depicts a royal crown with fleur-de-lys, jewelled circlet & lining

Buy a replica here

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Saint of the month; Exaltation of the Holy Cross Sept 14th

The Feast of the Cross, celebrated on September 14, is a celebration of the cross itself as the sign of salvation.

This month to celebrate, we are highlighting the Croix Bellaert badge which is dated to the 15th century and was found at the Sinten Shrine in France. This badge depicts a circular solid field badge with cross. The Croix Bellaert or belted cross originated with the discovery of a piece of the true cross and the healing properties then found in the well water in which it was found. original Walraversijcle, near Ostend. Belgium.

Buy your badge here

Learn more about the Exaltation of the Holy Cross here

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Saint of the month; The Assumption, 15th of Aug

The Assumption celebrated on 15th August is the belief that when Mother Mary died her body was assumed into heaven

This badge dated to the 15th century was found at the Eton Shrine. Shrine; Eton. Associated with Our Lady of Eton, it shows the central figure of the crowned Virgin, supported on either side by angels. She stands above the letter ‘e’ and a barrel, these being the seal for Eton. A similiar badge is located in the Musuem of London. A replica can be purchased here

Learn more about The Assumption of Mary on the wikipedia page

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Extant Examples of Whistle spoons

Whistle spoon

Various examples of whistle spoons can be found, particularly in the netherlands

2 examples of whistle spoons – both have lost the stem/bowl of the find – which can be common in soil finds due to the more fragile nature of the stem in the Rotterdam museum. Both spoons are dated to the 1350- 1450 time period and are made of lead pewter

https://bodemvondsten.rotterdam.nl/objecten/?_object=fluitjeslepel

In this Article from the Dutch Tin Association, whistle spoons are talked about in detail, including a whistle spoon found whole, expected to be dated around 1280. It also have several fragments, including one of the two in the Rotterdam museum.

https://www.nederlandsetinvereniging.nl/wp-content/uploads/001-100/0031/031_Tinkoerier-2012-jrg-20-nr-1.pdf

16th Century English – Pewter

https://ryedaleauctioneers.com/catalogue/lot/6f2090b26541b596041968303f1605cd/9d11f60be671b513983083c71f4b193c/monthly-antiques-interiors-collectables-lot-670

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Saint of the month; St Christopher 25th July

Feast day: July 25th

St Christopher, was and remains the Patron Saint of travellers. He was also believed to provide protection against sudden death and plague.

In this badge Christopher is shown leaning on a staff and turning to see the Christ child on his shoulder, holding the orb of sovereignty. The original badge was dated to the 15th century and was found in London.

Buy your replica of the badge here

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Saint of the month; St Alban Jun 22nd

Feast Day: June 22nd

Saint Alban is England’s first martyr. This replica badge depicts the story of how St Alban, a Romano-British Legionnaire at Veralmium was converted to Christianity while providing refuge to a priest and was killed when he refused to give up his faith and the priest.

The original badge was found in London and a similiar badge can be found in the Museum of London.

Buy a replica here

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Know your spoon!

Spoons are one of the oldest and most common of dining tools. Throughout the medieval period spoons were so integral to a persons kit that they were carried everywhere with them, usually in their pouch or in a sheath along with their personal knives. When eating away from home, it was quite normal for a guest to be expected to bring and eat with their own spoon. 

Spoons came in a wide variety of materials including wood, horn, bone, pewter, silver and silver gilt. People would choose based partly from personal preference and also their status and wealth. As with all tools, spoon profiles (the shape and form) were shaped based on how people ate their food so medieval spoons tend to have similar profiles – a leaf shaped shallow bowl with a straight handle and often, a knop.

The knop was a decorative element on the handle end providing weight for balance, character to the spoon, and often a meaning for the owner such as continued good health. A surprising number of different knop themes have been found, some of which recur throughout the centuries such as the Acorn and the Diamond (a pointed pyramid top) while others appeared only briefly – a snapshot of fashion and belief of a time and place.

So, choose your spoon as you would your jewellery – something that reflects your personality, beliefs and the wealth and status you’d like to project, and don’t forget to keep it close!

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Eating with medieval dining Spoons

As the cold depths of winter rolls around, thick soups and rich stews of all kinds are on the menu. Spoons, bowls and crusty bread are on the table just as they were in Medieval times, but did you know that how we eat today is not the same as medieval families?

Soups and stews were generally drunk not ‘spooned’ from small bowls with taller sides. The spoon was used similar to a spatula – to scrape up any missed tasty solid and semi-solid morsels at the bottom of the bowl. This is part of why the shape of a medieval dining spoon bowl is so flat compared to our modern spoons. Spoons weren’t about ferrying the liquid or cutting smaller portions – that after all, was the knife’s purpose – they were about capturing the remnants.

Why not try this next time you have a stew – it’s not really that different to a cup-a-soup and it really brings a different dimension to the taste of a soup or stew