Common cottage implements

This page shows implements which would have been found around a cottage in Easter Ross in the 19th century.<br /> <br /> A 'fish-hake' was a triangular wooden frame on which fish were dried. The frame was hung on the side of a shed or house for up to two days. A 'speet', 'speight' or 'spit' was a round wooden rod of about an inch in diameter. It was pushed through the 'ears' of the fish and then they were hung up in the smoke house. A 'tinter' was another version of the speet. It was a flat piece of wood about 4ft long with hooks along both sides. It made smaller holes in the fish's 'ears' and could hold more fish in the smoke house. The smoke house or 'bothan' was a wooden shed, although some were later covered with corrugated iron. It had an earth floor with a fire in a hollow in the middle. There was no chimney, so the smoke was trapped to move around the fish.<br /> <br /> A 'tipping' was a piece of line which hung down from the main fishing line. It held the hook. Tippings were often made of horse hair and lead weights were needed to make them. A 'boot jack' was a wooden device for pulling boots off without having to use hands. A 'plocan or chapper' was a wooden cooking utensil used to mash potatoes, while a 'spirtle' was used for pushing clothes back down into the washing water.<br /> <br /> A 'brander' was the forerunner to the modern grill. It was a wire implement laid on a red fire. It was often used for cooking fish which made a change from boiling them.<br /> <br /> A 'skillet' was a spoon-like ladle used for scooping water out of a well. 'Hawks' were wooden rakes which were used for clearing the potato rigs of weeds.<br /> <br /> These illustrations were taken from 'Down to the Sea' by Jessie MacDonald and Anne Gordon, illustrated by Johan Sutherland. The book was published in Dingwall by the Ross and Cromarty Heritage Society in 1989