subject: Trestle Table Feasting In Middle Ages Design [print this page] The trestle table design goes back to ancient Roman and Greek times, they were the folding table of the age. The top rested on a base of some sort and it all collapsed for easy storage. They became popular in the Middle Ages when castles and forts were meant for defense and the people who lived in them would gather in a common room to eat. After dining the table would be cleaned and put away. The royals would retire to their chambers and the staff would pull up some straw and blankets and sleep where the table was.
During the Middle Ages the dormant table was a stationary trestle table covered with a carpet or a runner. In Medieval times monasteries had very long trestle tables in their refectory or group dining room and they later became known as refectory tables. In late Middle Ages this type of table was the preference for banquets and feasts held in castles and large estates. These tables were crafted from solid wood for royalty and noblemen. What a fine commission for a woodworker in those times.
Designs ranged from plain and very utilitarian to very regal and ornately decorated. Sawbuck, melon-turn and slab-side were the popular choices of style. Sawbuck is an X-shape support system, a sawbuck device used in holding the wood is where the named derives from. Melon-turned was spherical and very ornate rounded post ends, a predecessor to the pedestal design. The slab-sided design is slabs of wood possibly decorated and placed vertically holding the ends up between the trestles.
The sawbuck design was a popular Gothic choice but usually found in New England tables because of its rustic and functional style. Another American version of this came from the Delaware Valley of Philadelphia where German-Swedish craftsman created highly decorated pieces.
Imagine the great halls of Europe, Henry the XVIII ripping into a leg of wild boar served at his massive trestle table. In castles of kings, in great halls of the wealthy between the 12th and 15th centuries these great tables served feasts. Diners would be seated on long benches or stools on one side of the table while the other was used for serving. This may be why earlier tables were narrower. After the feast the table could be dismantled and stored to one side of the great hall. Free standing pillars with cruciform feet for stability were used for support.
These pillars were sometimes just plain and other times ornately decorated. Very few medieval tables exist today, but a fine example can be viewed in the Great Hall of Penshurst Place, Kent where a pair has been in existence since the 15th century. Something of this caliber, if you were lucky enough to find it, would be priceless.
Wood furniture in the Middle Ages was not stained or sealed. It was wiped with oily rags to pick up the scraps of food and dust that accumulated. Body oils from hands and grease from foods would soak into the wood. Just eating would be the seal that the table would naturally get.
The primary reason for sealing wood is to keep it from drying and cracking and getting stained. Those old tables must have had a lot of character, you could probably tell what the fare was for dinner by the stains.
by: Francis Steeds
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