Trencher mat, posy mat, roundel

Trencher posy mat or roundel. These discs of thinly sliced and polished wood (usually in beech, but occasionally of sycamore) typically range in size from 130 mm -150 mm. One side is generally painted with floral and other designs with mottoes, proverbs, epigrams, Biblical and classical quotations. The other side is invariably plain, and is always perfectly fresh and clean. Twelve usually form a complete set and they are normally enclosed in cases of turned wood, the covers of which are occasionally painted with the royal arms of Queen Elizabeth, the Royal Arms of England and, more rarely, the Stuart arms of James I. Their use, seems to be confined to England. Nearly all are round, but some are rectangular, so the term 'roundel' is not entirely appropriate. The term 'trencher' is also slightly problematic, since these were normally fashioned from a robust slab or dish of wood (commonly a square block with depressions for salt and other condiments). The use to which these mats were put, whether in the serving of fruits and sweetmeats or as source or entertainment for guests, is uncertain. In his Arte of English Poesie (London, 1589: PML6515, p 47) George Puttenham observed that: 'There be also other like Epigrammes that were sent usually for new yeares giftes or to be Printed or put upon their banketting dishes of suger plate...they were called Nenia or apophoreta and neuer contained aboe one verse, or two at the most, but the shorter the better; we call them Posies, and do paint them now a dyaes upon the backe sides of our fruite trenchers of wood'. The absence of any signs of wear or sticky residues on the plain side is something of a puzzle. It is possible that the sets were not used in a dining context, or perhaps the plain side was covered with a napkin, the equivalent of a modern doilly. In many cases the same verses are found on different sets of trenchers, which points to a common origin. They were evidently popular and it is probable thatt they were made in some speciality shop and were manufactured in large numbers.