Hand Warmers: Older Than You Realize
My country has been having a bit of a cold spell, and the biggest sufferers are hands. These extremities chill fast.
We are not alone, either. Around 1300, the average temperature dropped 2°C (3.6°F) around the world, and this created a problem for folks holding Mass early in the morning.
(I mean, it created other, bigger problems, like kicking off a famine in Northern Europe which made the pandemic of Bubonic Plague a generation later all the worse, but today we are talking about hands. Stay focused.)
Problem:
Gelid mornings before central heaters meant that big stone cathedrals and little castle chapels are not conducive to holding the host and chalice steady. Numb fingers can make people fumble.
Also, the pious aren’t going to focus on their prayers if their fingers are about to freeze off.
Solution:
There are actually some great videos about keeping warm: The Welsh Viking demonstrated how a cape and layers of linen underclothes are energy efficient. There were mantuas and mittens from way back too.
But most inventively, there are little metal handwarmers placed strategically around the altar or held in a celebrant’s hand.
These intricately engraved balls had burning coals inserted into them. You could put your hands on them discretely to warm up.
These charming balls were often made of brass or copper and then coated with silver to look fancy. Their warmth and their symbolic carvings (medieval folks loved them some symbolism) could remind people of the warmth of salvation on a frosty morning.
And they were even more clever: The ball has a cup inside it that rides a gimbal so that the coal can’t fall out and burn people.
These are squarely in the tradition of warming pans, framework pouches with embers, or bed warmers, where people put a stone in a fire, let it warm, and then put it in their bed to warm up the sheets before they got in.
These are at least as effective as today’s chemical warmers and, let’s face it, cuter.
Source:
The Effects of the Little Ice Age (c. 1300–1850) — Climate in Arts and History (smith.edu)
Warming the Soul: The Forgotten Role of Handwarmers in Medieval Worship — Medievalists.net
Hand Warmer | Unknown | V&A Explore The Collections (vam.ac.uk)