When guests take a tour of the Campbell-Flannagan-Murrell House Museum they are often asked what they think this pictured item is. Answers anywhere from popcorn popper to pooper scooper are given. It is, in fact, a copper/brass bed warming pan. These warmers were used from the 1500s until the late 1800s, or until central heat came into the homes. They were used to warm cold beds before families retired for the night.
Smoldering embers from their fires were placed in the pan and the hinged lid closed. The long handle was needed for carrying the warmer from the fireplace to the bed where it was moved under the bed covers until the chill was gone.
The pan lids were often beautifully decorated. Queen Elizabeth’s warmer was made of gold and decorated with small diamonds and rubies. The CFM Museum’s warmer has a decorative starfish and sunburst on its lid. This warming pan shown in the accompanying photo came from an old farmhouse in New Jersey that was built in 1749.
