Nelson & His World

Can anyone identify this item which is one of a pair. The anchors are stamped with the words PAT May 3 84 and the rope is of a coir type fibre. The Bars are turned and approximately 36 cm long--I say approx because I packed the pair a week ago ready for shipment to a Maritime museum.
This is my first attempt at opening a discussion point and with pix, so here goes
EMP

EMP,

I would say that is a good estimate of what they are, although I have not seen any myself. The anchors are, I would imagine, stamped with the date of the Patent, May 3rd, and I would think the year is 1884, rather than 1784. They somehow look late nineteenth century. I would think the anchors actually serve a function, perhaps for adjusting the height, but I don't really know.

I looked up a picture of Nelson's cot on the Victory and noted that it hangs from a central bar, running the length of the cot, and which is fitted to the deckhead. So, if these are late nineteenth century cot hangers, then the way of slinging cots had changed.

Incidentally, googling 'cot hangers' brought the response: 'do you mean coat hangers'? I then had several hits for either 'coat hangers', or 'children's cots', both in navy!

There are few photos on Flickr of the various cots in HMS Victory:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/flora1972/ ... 9/sizes/l/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50081377@N00/2171038991/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/r36ariadne ... 6/sizes/l/

The last shows that the central bar above Nelson's cot actually only supports the curtains. The cot is suspended each end by about ten cords from the ring above.

The anchors in EMP's photo, would I think fasten to the loop on the end of the rope after it had been passed through a ring above.

On the subject of cots - Nelson mentions in a letter to Lady Hamilton (Oct. 18th 1801) that 'I must leave my cot here, till my discharge, when it shall come to the farm [Merton], as cots are the best things in the world for our sea friends.' Does this mean his navy friends would be offered a cot to sleep in when they stayed at Merton as guests?!

Apologies for this being only loosely connected to the cot hangers!

Regards

Caitlin

Hi all
Thanks to the replies no matter how loosely connected.
I also think that the anchor is for adjustment but the turned wooden bars seem too fragile to carry any weight, especially a man.
I am attaching 2 pix of either side of the centre connection--for want of a better word.
EMP

Tony,

You're right. The photo I looked at was from a distance and didn't show the the end!

Caitlin,

I imagine that is very likely just what Nelson did mean – and don't forget that seamen looked at things rather differently from those ashore. So, what to 'landlubbers' might seem strange and uncomfortable, they were used to and accepted as normal!

EMP,

Not sure the bars would have been that fragile since, if you think about it, pressure would have come from both sides – and there were two of them!

Or perhaps we are all wrong – and it is a long-forgotten instrument of naval discipline!

EMP:

The dealers on this site handle naval curios as well as swords, pistols etc. Maybe they might be able to comment more fully on your cot hanger:

http://www.leonsmilitaria.com/browse-pr ... lproducts/

Incidentally, the wiki definition of a 'naval cot' is a bed for naval officers, designed to act as a coffin, if required - not a thought conducive to restful sleep!

At 36 cm the bars seem a bit short for a cot’s width – I know that hammock spacing wasn’t much more than that, but how wide were cots? They also seem a bit elaborate for a cot suspension.

Perhaps they could have supported a shelf? (Preferably with raised edges!)

But the iron rings on the ends of the bars have another ring below, perhaps to suspend something else below? The ring below is a different shape – squarer, as if to take a strap rather than a rope? Or maybe several thin cords...

So my guess is that it is it some sort of hammock spreader bar – with half of the suspension cords (nettles?) going through the ring on each end of the bar. Here are a couple of illustrations with some similarities (turned wooden bars):
http://news.google.com/patents?id=JO5hA ... q=&f=false
http://news.google.com/patents?id=HXd-A ... q=&f=false

Thanks Anna,
I have just sent an email with pix to the site you mentioned. I shall let you know the result as soon as it arrives--before or after Turkey.

Thanks Tony,
The most feasible explanation so far, in fact the hammock stretcher/spreader has to be the answer!

I just felt a bit foolish donating something I knew nothing about although I have had them for many years--there's my landlubbite background showing. I am also donating the barrel of a late 18th cent volley gun--the one that Nelson banned. This had 7 barrels all firing at the same time, usually setting fire to ones own rigging and breaking the aimers shoulder, sending him crashing fatally to the deck.
EMP
PS The barrel of the Volley-gun quoted is of the type Nelson banned and NOT the actual one!!!

Hi Anna,
Still no reply from leonsmiltaria; maybe they are in league with the Nelson Society!!!
EMP

Sorry you've had no reply, EMP.

Just Googling idly, I came across another link to a dealer in maritime curiosities. Maybe this one will be quicker off the mark!

http://www.cylex-uk.co.uk/company/trafa ... 69756.html