1893 text

The dredger was probably the drageoir of France; in low Latin, dragerium, or drageria, in which comfits (dragdes) were kept. Roquefort says, “The ladies wore a little spice-box, in shape like a watch, to carry dragles, and it was called a drageoir.” The custom continued certainly till the middle of the last century. Old Palsgrave, in his “Eclaircissement de la Langue Francaise,” gives “dradge” as spice, rendering it by the French word dragde. Chaucer says, of his Doctor of Physic, “Full ready hadde he his Apothecaries To send him dragges, and his lattuaries.” The word sometimes may have signified the pounded condiments in which our forefathers delighted. It is worth notice, that “dragge” was applied to a grain in the eastern counties, though not exclusively there, appearing to denote mixed grain. Bishop Kennett tells us that “dredge mault is mault made up of oats, mixed with barley, of which they make an excellent, freshe, quiete sort of drinke, in Staffordshire.” The dredger is still commonly used in our kitchen. — B.


This text comes from a footnote on a diary entry in the 1893 edition edited by Henry B. Wheatley.

1 Annotation

Second Reading

Charles Oglethorpe  •  Link

Talking to a member of the Wordhipful Goldsmiths Company he suggests this might have been a larger silver item for the spreading of, perhaps, sugar, rather than a small vinaigrette.

Log in to post an annotation.

If you don't have an account, then register here.

References

Chart showing the number of references in each month of the diary’s entries.

1666

  • Feb