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Home » The Domestic Sphere » Furniture and objects » Dower chests

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  • An oak-panelled dower chest. Chests were generally used to hold clothes or bed-linen and upon marriage, women were presented with linen and blankets in a wooden chest which became known as the 'dower chest'. The lid of this chest is carved with the letters and date 'L.A.K.A, 1671'. These were the initials of Lewis Anwyl and Katherine Anwyl, Parc, Llanfrothen, who married in 1671.
Dower chest, dated 1671
  • This carved oak chest may have been made as a dower or wedding chest. It is simply made, as its flat sides also form its legs. The sides and chest front are carved with flower, lunettes and scroll patterns. Carved on the front are the date '1686' and the initials 'EJ'. The carved initials may signify that this was made to mark a marriage. The chest comes from Penpicillion, a small estate near Llansteffan. Carmarthenshire items of furniture of this date are rare.
Carved Oak Chest from Penpicillion, Llansteffan, 1686
  • This early eighteenth-century chest has been carved with motifs such as birds and flowers, which are not normally associated with Welsh furniture. Furthermore, on the centre panel of the chest the words 'Sarah Ward / Her Chest' and the date '1722' have been carved. Although it is not known who Sarah Ward was, it is possible that this was her dower chest. The chest was originally from Maesrhyddid mansion near Blackwood in Monmouthshire and may also have been made in the same area.
Sarah Ward's chest, Blackwood, early 18th century