Bed
Maker & role
Unknown, Maker
Production date
Early 19th Century
Object detail
Collection
Measurements
0 - Whole, H: 85 x W: 73 x L: 212cm (H: 850 x W: 730 x L: 2120mm)
Signature & marks
Stamped with broad arrow and 'BO'.
Credit line
Purchase, 2006
Hyde Park Barracks Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Hyde Park Barracks Collection, Museums of History New South Wales
Description
Hand forged iron convict bed. Stamped with broad arrow and 'BO'. Knocks apart into several pieces and slides into itself to reduce its size. Parts consist of an iron head board, 2 iron bed bases, a middle leg support, 2 individual legs, 2 securing nuts for legs and 6 metal wedges.
‘The departure of the remaining convicts in 1848 and the arrival of immigrant women necessitated further changes to the fabric and appearance of the building. The hammock rails and supports were removed and replaced with iron-framed beds, which were held in place by ‘bed battens’ nailed to the floor (Varman 1981:13). The battens indicate that beds were arranged in two east-west rows in the dormitory rooms. Lime-washing of ‘walls, ceiling and inside of roof’ was also carried out as a hygienic measure (Thorp 1980:4.2) …. Ref. Crook, Davies and Murray, ‘An Archaeology of Institutional Refuge - Hyde Park Barracks 1848-1886’, to be published in Studies in Australasian Historical Archaeology volume 3, 2011, part 1 ‘The Hyde Park Barracks: a brief history – Modifications and renovations’.
This type of folding iron bed also had convict associations as evident in the 1830s hand coloured engraving ‘Death of a convict on the hulk Justitia’ in the collection of the National Library of Australia, http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an8891819
‘The departure of the remaining convicts in 1848 and the arrival of immigrant women necessitated further changes to the fabric and appearance of the building. The hammock rails and supports were removed and replaced with iron-framed beds, which were held in place by ‘bed battens’ nailed to the floor (Varman 1981:13). The battens indicate that beds were arranged in two east-west rows in the dormitory rooms. Lime-washing of ‘walls, ceiling and inside of roof’ was also carried out as a hygienic measure (Thorp 1980:4.2) …. Ref. Crook, Davies and Murray, ‘An Archaeology of Institutional Refuge - Hyde Park Barracks 1848-1886’, to be published in Studies in Australasian Historical Archaeology volume 3, 2011, part 1 ‘The Hyde Park Barracks: a brief history – Modifications and renovations’.
This type of folding iron bed also had convict associations as evident in the 1830s hand coloured engraving ‘Death of a convict on the hulk Justitia’ in the collection of the National Library of Australia, http://nla.gov.au/nla.pic-an8891819
Accession number
HPB2007/13
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