Thursday 27 October 2011

Gwely Wenscot

Reading through the wills of the Lloyd family from 1684 onwards there is a recurrent handing down of six ‘wainscot bedsteads’ – four at Dduallt and two at Bron y Mannod, the other manor house and farmland which they owned.  They must have been sturdy beds to withstand so many generations and were obviously highly regarded possessions. I looked up the term wainscot which is defined as a type of panelling. 

I mentioned these wainscot bedsteads to a neighbour and she said ‘Oh you mean gwely wenscot’. A bit like a four poster enclosed on three sides with maybe a sliding door or curtain on the fourth side to keep out the draughts. St Fagans kindly supplied some photos. As double glazing is not an option for a Grade II listed property maybe I ought to buy some timber and make a few of these before the onset of winter.

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