The Great Bed of Ware

THE GREAT BED OF WARE

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The Great Bed of Ware, is an extremely large oak four poster bed.

Supposedly made for King Edward IV, and standing a colossal 12 feet square, this unique four-post behemoth of the bedchamber so impressed and enchanted, the King, that he granted the carpenter, a pension for life.

Its expertly carved with marquetry, and like many objects from that time, the bed is carved with patterns from European Renaissance art.

Originally it would have been brightly painted, and traces of these colours can still be seen on the figures on the bed-head.

Although it was painstakingly carved for a royal occupant, the bed then spent centuries being passed from one Inn to another.

Over the years, 'commoners' who have slept in the bed, have covered it in graffiti, and damaged the fine carvings.

Despite its majesty, The Great Bed of Ware is not the best place for a decent nights sleep....

Those who stayed a night in the Bed, did not find much rest.

They would find themselves being scratched, pinched, and generally beaten about, until forced to sleep elsewhere.

A man named Harrison Saxby, a Master of the Horse to King Henry VIII, endured the bed for a night, hoping to seek the love of a local girl....

He was found the next morning, covered in bruises and utterly exhausted, lying on the floor beside the bed.

According to legend, carpenter Jonas Fosbrooke, who made the bed for the King, was so outraged at the disrespectful treatment of his treasured work, that his ghost attacks anyone who sleeps in it.....

Is old Jonas haunting the bed?

A poltergeist angry at this debasement of his greatest work, by lowly commoners who occupied this bed he had designed for noble blood?

Ultimately, the Bed’s mottled history is still written on it.

It had been despoiled, tragically, by its many residents, with various dates and initials carved into its woodwork, ruining the magnificence it once held.

Its adventures ended after some time in Rye House in the 1800s, and ended up at last where it can be seen today....

The Victoria and Albert Museum.

The Great Bed’s mystique, though, lives on in its many carvings and sheer leviathanic majesty.

Whether or not Jonas himself lives on in it, deterring potential common defacers, his legacy certainly carries on.

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https://www.ourhertfordandware.org.uk/.../a-great-bedbug

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https://ko-fi.com/thetudorintruders