What Is a Wooden Trencher?

Early Dinnertime

• Wooden slabs intended for the meal to be presented on have been found in tombs and excavations dating as far back as 500 BC, one belonging to Kleostratos the Spartan as mentioned in the Phainomena. Simple pottery was known at the time, so we must assume that bowls and vessels made of clay were also used. Wood has the advantage of being less likely to break if dropped, and abundant in more temperate climes, while clay can sometimes be harder to find.

Medieval Trenchers

• One of the earliest known records of the shipment of wooden trenchers is found in 1430, when a shipment of them was recorded leaving Scotland. At this point, trenchers were more than a simple slab, often carves into a shallow bowl. More oblong shapes were intended to be shared between two people. Trenchers were suited well for meals that were stewed, and sopped up with rough bread as was common in England.

Wooden Trenchers in the New World

• Pewter had replaced wooden ware by the time the colonists arrived on North American shores, but was expensive and used only on special occasions. Wooden trenchers were what was used when the menfolk went a-traveling, and when the family sat down to dinner with no company. Commonly they were shared, and were considered valuable enough to be left to family in a will.

Trenchers in the Modern Times

• Trenchers are still used, and antique versions collected today. The primitive beauty of the old wooden bowls appeals to the collector. The baker enjoys the size and freedom of movement of the long oblong bowl for mixing, proofing and kneading bread dough, making the trencher much sought after for the kitchen of a connoisseur. Wooden trenchers are still made and used for living history museums, as well.