The Chatelaine

The chatelaine was a chain or group of chains usually worn on the belt of the lady of house/manor. It held keys, sewing tools, grooming tools, and sometimes amulets, apothecary bottles and seals. Some Chatelaines, showed a person’s profession such as nurse or seamstress. It often showed public status as the lady of the manor held the keys to the manor, pantry, jewelry chest, etc. The chatelaine was seen as far back as the Roman Empire in the second century A.D. During this period, chatelaines were actually worn as brooches with toiletry tools, such as ear scoops, tweezers and nail cleaner suspended from them.

second century Roman chatelaine Fifth century Roman chatelaine from the British from Leicestershire in Britain. Isles. British Museum. In his book, The Story of England, historian Michael Wood notes evidence from burial records of Anglo-Saxon women wearing chatelaines containing keys. These keys reflected their status as “hlafdig” –(Lady of the Manor).

Viking bronze chatelaines holding key, amulets, tweezers, and ear scoop circa 800-1000 A.D. The use of chatelaines continued through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Evidence of chatelaine were found in the Dutch Republic, the British Isles, Persia, China and the Ottoman Empire. Examples of chatelaines can be found in the British Museum, The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Charleston Museum, and the Chicago Museum of Art.

German 16th century 16th century Chinese Grooming Chatelaines 16th century Persian Chatelaine My Chatelaine: My chatelaine needed to reflect my persona, her crafts, and her status. I used beads that had been gifted to me as largess, beadwork and sewing tools (My craft are beadwork), a key, a mirror, a jar of salt and grains of paradise for flavoring food (I am a member of the Bright Hills Cooks Guild), a book of David’s Psalms-(I am Jewish). These are my comforts and necessities.

References

1. ^ "Chatelaine." Antique jewelry glossary. Adin antique jewelry. Accessed 29 Sept. 2012. 2. ^ D'Ambra, Eve (2007). Roman Women. Cambridge University Press. pp. 116–

17. ISBN 978-0-521-81839-1. 3. ^ Allason-Jones, Lindsay, ed. (2011). Artefacts in Roman Britain. Cambridge University

Press. p. 204. 4. ^ Williams, Howard (2006). Death and Memory in Early Medieval Britain. Cambridge

University Press. pp. 73. ISBN 978-0521142250. 5. ^ Victoria and Albert Museum, Natalie Rothstein, Madeleine Ginsburg, Avril Hart,

Valerie D. Mendes, and Philip Barnard. 1984. Four hundred years of fashion. London: Victoria and Albert Museum in association with W. Collins. Page 174.

6. ^ "Chatelaines". 1Earth Antiques Appraisals. Web. Accessed 29 Sept. 2012. 7. ^ Chatelaine Miriam Webster Online Dictionary. Accessed 28 June 2020 8. ^ Smith, Albert, Paul Gavarni, and John Gilbert. The Natural History of the Flirt.

London: D. Bogue, 1848. 9. Historical Treasure: The chatelaine, ornament with a purpose By Linda

Hardin Special to the Tribune-Star 10. The History of Chatelaine Belts – Kathryn Pardoe's Portfolio (wordpress.com) 11. Chatelaines: Utility to Glorious Extravagance by Genevieve Cummins and Nerylla

Taunton 12. The Chatelaine – A European Adornment. By Sarah Corbett | Ethnic Jewels Magazine 13. Chatelaine by Sarah Corbett, Ethnic Jewels Magazine 14. The Story of England by Michael Wood