This sloping desk box might feel familiar to those using laptop stands or writing mats today. It was used to prop up books and documents for reading or writing. It was also used for storing writing materials, from documents and paper to ink. The two hinges seen on the top of the box allow the lid to be lifted, giving access to the items stored within. Similar to musical instruments like the virginals, it could be moved around the room, stored, and then placed on a table for use. Desks, as we know them today, did not become popular until the late seventeenth century, so many middling households owned writing boxes like this. If you saw one in a household, it was a clear sign that the occupier was literate, perhaps involved in business or trade or held a role in the community, like churchwarden, that required literacy.
Desk Box (Locked Box), c.1600

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Desk Box

Desk Box (Locked Box), c.1600

This sloping desk box might feel familiar to those using laptop stands or writing mats today. It was used to prop up books and documents for reading or writing. It was also used for storing writing materials, from documents and paper to ink. The two hinges seen on the top of the box allow the lid to be lifted, giving access to the items stored within. Similar to musical instruments like the virginals, it could be moved around the room, stored, and then placed on a table for use. Desks, as we know them today, did not become popular until the late seventeenth century, so many middling households owned writing boxes like this. If you saw one in a household, it was a clear sign that the occupier was literate, perhaps involved in business or trade or held a role in the community, like churchwarden, that required literacy.

This object appears in our memory parlour and web tour. Can you find it?

Object Type Locked Box
Year c.1600
Material Wood
Owned By SBT 1994-22
Keywords reading; writing; processing; storing; administration; literacy; occupation; householder; wood; furniture
Image Credit Box (c. 1600), SBT 1994-22, CC-BY-NC-ND; Image Courtesy of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

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