Can you believe that it never occurred to me that settles were helpful in keeping people warm?????
Here's how:
"In sitting before an open fire it was often complained that while one was roasted in front he was frozen in the back and this led to the use in nearly every family of a long seat made of boards called a "settle," with a high back to keep off the wind from behind, which, when placed before the fire, was usually occupied by the older members of the family."
Dow, George Francis. Every Day Life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (Kindle Locations 1599-1601). bz editores. Kindle Edition.
Here's how I used "settles" in The Riddle of Penncroft Farm, which I am holding as I sit in a settle in the picture above, taken at the City Tavern in Philadelphia.
I cleared and wiped the table, then swept the plank floor while Aunt Cass did the dishes. Then she picked up a sweater and put it on.
“Better wear your jacket,” she said. “Sandra put it in one of the settles last night.”
“Huh?” “The settles—those high-backed benches. The seats open up. That’s where I keep hats and mittens and things.”
I flipped open one of the wooden benches. My jacket was inside. “It looks like my coat is already settled in,” I punned.
“You’re a punster—good,” remarked Aunt Cass without a glimmer of a smile. “Always liked puns; never much good at making ’em up. Come on.” She pushed open the door and we went outside.
Jensen, Dorothea. The Riddle of Penncroft Farm (Great Episodes) (p. 23). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.
