Neither comfort nor privacy: This is why people slept in wooden closets in the Middle Ages
From medieval times until the early 20th century, it was a common practice in Europe. In addition to maximizing space, it served as protection from the cold.
Large wooden structures similar to our modern-day wardrobes were quite common to sleep in and were also known as a closed bed or wardrobe bed.
Its use was widespread throughout Europe from medieval times until the beginning of the 20th century. What on the outside looks like a wardrobe like the ones we all know and can have in our homes, since it is assembled in the same way, can accommodate up to five people on the inside. The image at the top of this article is of a closed bed found in the Wick Museum, in northern Scotland.
They came in various types, as reported by the BBC. From the simplest, “nothing more than simple wooden containers,” to more elaborate ones with carved or painted sides. Some had doors so anyone could sleep in complete darkness, or small windows to let in some light. The most sophisticated could also house a seat at the base.
While they later became associated with the lower classes or farm workers, they were initially used by the latter as well as by fishermen and members of the nobility. They were also a kind of miniature bedroom, providing shelter for large numbers of people, which would otherwise be impossible. According to a case documented by the Wick Society in 1890, a family barely able to fit into their one-room house in the Scottish Highlands had some members sleeping in the barn.
Sheltered from the Cold
Therefore, it was not unusual to share a cupboard bed with family members and even coworkers. The Factory Lad, an 1825 melodrama, depicts how workers slept in stacks of cupboard beds, with two or three people in each. This type of accommodation was more common in the United Kingdom and continental European countries.
According to an 1840 account, as reported by the BBC, most Brittany cabins featured these pieces of furniture, usually made of oak. But in addition to maximizing space, one of their greatest advantages was the heat they generated. Far from the heating systems and insulation found in buildings we have today, rooms could reach very low temperatures in winter.
According to Roger Ekirch, a university professor of history at Virginia Tech, in his book “At Day’s Close: A History of Nighttime,” between the 14th and 19th centuries, Europe and parts of North America suffered a “Little Ice Age.” In London alone, the River Thames froze 18 times. To put that into context, that’s something that hasn’t happened since 1963.
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