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Hall 400 years ago
Sources of light at Aston Hall 400 years ago
Aston Hall was built 400 years ago. In those
days there were no electric lights. And lights that worked by
gas had not been invented yet.
A naked flame was the only way to get light
after dark. This was not a very safe! The flame needed a fuel
to stay burning - fat, oil or wax.
Daylight
Aston Hall was built with large windows. The man who built
the house was rich. Glass cost a lot of money.
People long ago
did as much as they could in the day time. The lights they
had for after dark were not as good as our electric light bulbs.
Rushlights
Rushes are a plant growing in wet places. The white centre
was used as a wick. The peeled rushes were covered in melted
fat.
The rushes were held in a special holder.
The light was poor. They burnt up quickly - maybe just lasting
enough time to get ready for bed!
Oil Lamps
These could be just a hollowed out stone. A wick (string)
was used to soak up oil and keep the flame going.
The pottery oil lamp in this picture is a
copy of one from 400 years ago. The oil was put in the little
cup at the top. A wick was fixed in the spout.
Tallow Candles
Tallow was fat. The best sort of fat for making candles was
sheep or mutton fat.
The fat was melted in a pot over a fire and
the wick (hemp, linen or cotton) was dipped in and out. Lots
of dips gave a thicker candle.
Beeswax Candles
The best candles were made from bees wax. Bees make wax honeycombs
for their eggs which hatch into larvae.
The wax could be rolled flat and wound around
a wick as in the picture. Or it could be melted and poured into
a candle mould with a wick in the middle.
