Grandfather's Chest

I have been away for a while due to pressure of work from several directions.

Sorry about that.

While I was away this song came to mind. I have no idea why, but it did.

“Oh, Soldier, Soldier won’t you marry me

With your musket, fife and drum.

Oh, no, sweet maid, I cannae marry you

For I have nae blouse tae put on.

So, off she went,

To her Grandfather’s chest

And she bought him a blouse of the very, very best.

And the soldier put it on.”

Her ‘Grandfather’s chest’, eh?

Let’s have a look at that.

chest (n.)

Old English cest "box, coffer, casket," from Proto-Germanic *kista (cf. Old Norse and Old High German kista, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, German kiste, Dutch kist), an early borrowing from Latin cista "chest, box," from Greek kiste "a box, basket," from PIE (Proto-Indo-European) *kista "woven container." Meaning extended to "thorax" 1520s, replacing breast (n.), on the metaphor of the ribs as a box for the organs. Chest of drawers is from 1590s.

Now we know what a ‘chest’ is what is the relevance to her ‘Grandfather’s chest’?

Years ago, in the olden days when steam trains were still lighting their fires, the master of the house kept all the money.

The master was, in all probability, Grandad.

There were no banks to speak of for the middle class or poor people. When a domestic servant was paid sixpence a month for their labour the employer would hold the money in care. This was because the poor person could not be trusted with large amounts all in one go.

Some time ago I read a book about the local master, a Laird, of a region in Scotland the centre of which is called Kirriemuir. There were notations of his accounts in places so that we could now see what he spent and on what he spent it.

Travelling, for instance.

He was inclined, at times, to go to Edinburgh. This is no great distance by our standards but, then, it was a considerable journey that required a lot of planning.

He would start the journey by walking nearly twenty miles on foot. There was no point in taking the horse because he would have to pay for its upkeep for several days while he was away.

Once in Dundee he would then take the ferry to the far side of the River Tay at Newport-on-Tay where he would obtain lodgings for the night.

The next day he would catch the post coach South to North Queensferry where he would take lodgings again for the night until, the next morning, he might get a ferry over to Queensferry and then another coach into the city.

The total cost of this trip would be in the order of £2=50d. Then, of course, he would have to pay the same to get home when he had finished his business.

Compare this with the servant getting 6d a month. He was quite lavish when it came to travelling.

He was, incidentally, caught up in the political riots in Dundee at the end of the 1800’s but that, as they say, is another story.

With no banks available to ordinary people the only recourse was to keep the money in a lockable container – known as the ‘Chest’.

Even now we speak of ‘War Chest’ especially when it comes to elections!

If you hear the song now you will understand that she didn’t get the clothing from her ‘Grandfather’s Chest’ but she got the money from the chest and then went off and bought the clothes.

Sometimes I wonder if we should not still keep our money in a secure box!