The Armour Archive

Now that I have your attention. I am looking for information on those pointy things that people use to eat, and that everyone wants to sell in their medieval eating kit.

I have looked at a bunch of "findings" books and haven't seen a prick in any of them.

I have looked through period artwork (15th century) and haven't seen a prick on the table or in a person's hand

I seem to remember some etiquette advice saying not to pick your food up with a knife and bring it to your lips. I don't remember reading anything about bringing a prick to your lips.

The imagery of this conversation is very interesting.


Although this post is a bit tongue in cheek I am interested in finding out about the uses of a prick in the 15th century.

Steve

Wolfesco wrote:I seem to remember some etiquette advice saying not to pick your food up with a knife and bring it to your lips.

"Do not carry your knife to your mouth with food, or hold the meat with your hands in any wise" (The Babees Book or A Little Report of How Young People Should Behave, MS Harleian 5086, ca. 1475)

"Nor bear with meat thy knife to mouth" (The Book of Courtesy, MS Sloane 1986, ca. 1460)

No mention of the tool in question as far as I can tell in The Babees Book -- just spoons, knives, trenchers, cups, and napkins -- but occasional mentions of toothpicks (which aren't the same thing). Is it possible that the morsels were meant to be cut so small as to be carried with a spoon and that, perhaps, the prick was meant to be part of a kerver's tools, rather than given out to all of the diners)?

I think the idea that the prick which goes with the byknife and dagger, on some late Medieval cased sets *must* be an eating tool is a modern reenactorisim. I have seen it *speculated* by some scholars that the prick might have been intended to be used as a eating impliment, or might just have been intended to be used as a handy awl for tasks.

I have never seen positive documentation for it being intended as an eating impliment, but I have used it to convey meat to my trencher, although I usually convey anything greasy or cooked to my mounth with a spoon (small bites, remember, I carve my meat into small bites if it isn't already so provided). Those prickers are SHARP - I certainly wouldn't want to accidentally stab myself in the gums with one.

Karen Larsdatter wrote:"Do not carry your knife to your mouth with food, or hold the meat with your hands in any wise" (The Babees Book or A Little Report of How Young People Should Behave, MS Harleian 5086, ca. 1475)

"Nor bear with meat thy knife to mouth" (The Book of Courtesy, MS Sloane 1986, ca. 1460)

Hey, that's my favourite part of SCA feasts - eating with a dagger. Guess I'll have to portray an untutored barbarian.

"Do not carry your knife to your mouth with food, or hold the meat with your hands in any wise" - so, hands tied behind your back for a pie-eating contest is okay?

Hew wrote:"Do not carry your knife to your mouth with food, or hold the meat with your hands in any wise" - so, hands tied behind your back for a pie-eating contest is okay?

Well, it doesn't say not to ... just avoid filling your mouth completely, don't talk with your mouth full, and don't pick your teeth with your knife!

Interesting point... I know the dagger set I have with the prick is pretty close to the one I saw at the Wallace, BUT - it could have been meant as a general-purpose too vice an eating utensil. Will research more.

I also remember reading somewhere that it was thought that it wasn't a prick with the by knife on the scabbard of a sword but possibly a file for removing burrs from the edge of the sword. Anybody else come across this?

Steve

I'd say you wouldn't need a Swiss file type tool for the job of removing nicks from edges, but something considerably bigger, like a mill file, for field use. For getting the entire blade properly done, no doubt the grindstone was the tool to use.

haha steves always trying to find a reason to have his lil prick in camp
wait till tanc gets ahold of u this weekend

And I thought this thread was gonna be about Glen K!