land newspapers, unless the "bedstead
in a painted press" in the _Boston Gazette_ of November, 1750, may be
one.

The bed furniture was of much importance in olden days, and the coverlet
was frequently mentioned separately. Margaret Lake, of Ipswich, in 1662,
so named a "Tapestry coverlet" worth L4. Susannah Compton had at about
the same date a "Yearne Courlead." "Strieked couerlids" appear, and Adam
Hunt, of Ipswich, had in 1671 "an embroadured couerled."
"Happgings"--coarse common coverlets--are also named. In 1716, on
September 24th, in the _Boston News Letter_, the word counterpane first
appears. "India counterpins" often were advertised, and cheney,
harrataen, and camlet coverlets or counterpanes were made to match the
bed-hangings.

A pair of sheets was furnished in 1628 to each Massachusetts Bay
colonist. This was a small allowance, but quite as full as the average
possession of sheets by other colonists. Cotton sheets were not
plentiful; flaxen or "fleishen" sheets, "canvas" sheets, "noggan"
sheets, "towsheets," and "nimming" sheets (mentioned by Lechford in his
note-book in 1640) were all of linen. Flannel sheets also were made, and
may appear in inventories under the name of rugs, and thus partially
explain the untidy absence, even among the possessions of wealthy
citizens, of sheets. "Straken" sheets were of kersey. After spinning
became fashionable, and flax was raised in more abundance, homespun
sheets were made in large quantities, and owned by all respectable
householders. "Twenty and one pair" was no unusual number to appear in
an inventory.

There were plenty of "ffether boulsters," "shafe boulsters," "wool
bolsters;" and John Walker had in 1659 a "Thurlinge Boulster," and each
household had many pillows. The word bear was universally used to denote
a pillow-case. It was spelled ber, beer, beir, beare and berr. In 1689
the value of a "peler-beare" in an inventory was given at three
shillings. In 1664 Susannah Compton had linen "pillow coates." Pillow
covers also were named, and pillow clothes, but pillow bear was the term
most commonly applied.

The following list of varieties of chests is given by Dr. Lyon: Joined
chests, wainscot chests, board chests, spruce chests, oak chests, carved
chests, chests with one or two drawers, cypress chests. Joined and
wainscot chests were framed chests with panels, distinguished clearly
from the board chests, made of plain boards. The latter were often
called pla