A rope bed is a type of platform bed in which the sleeper (and mattress) is supported by a lattice of rope, rather than wooden slats.
In cold climates, a rope bed would be topped with one or more insulating pailasses or bedticks, which would traditionally be stuffed with straw, chaff, or down feathers. It might also have a canopy hung with warm curtains.[1][2] Modernly, they may be topped by a thin futon (a form of bedtick) or other roll-up mattress[3] (see mattress topper).
In the sixteenth century (England?), bedmats of woven or plaited rush were often laid on the widely-spaced ropes, and the bedticks were laid on the mats. This stopped them from bulging between the ropes.[4]
Rope beds need to be tightened regularly (with a bed wrench, and sometimes with wedges) as they sag. They must also be re-strung occasionally; re-stringing reduces sag and evens out wear.[5][3][6] When fully or partly unstrung, rope beds can be packed flat for transport.[3] The need to tighten bedcords has been said to be the origin of the English phrase "sleep tight", [4] but some etymologists disagree.[7]
Medieval-reconstruction rope beds (circa 1465); note loops of rope protruding from side boards
A rope bedframe thought to have belonged to William Shakespeare
Bedclothes pulled back to show the bedcords of the 1590s Great Bed of Ware
Touchable museum samples illustrating the layers of the Great Bed of Ware: the bedcords, a plaited-rush[8] bedmat, a flockbed and then a featherbed in dun ticking, a downbed in striped ticking, and the bedlinen.[4] Flock is unspun fibers, in this case probably wool. The bedticks stuffed with the softest fillings are laid topmost.
^Karstensen, Rebecca (2018-01-18). Graves, Jean (ed.). "Sleep Tight, Don't Let the Bed Bugs Bite – A Myth Debunked". libraries.indiana.edu.
^"Canopy beds and rope beds". Greydragon Furniture collection. (includes links to plans and information on tightening and use)
^ abcDevin, Harold. "Making a Rope Bed" (PDF).
^ abcVredeman de Vries, Hans (September 28, 1998). "Great Bed of Ware". Victoria and Albert Museum: Explore the Collections. V&A Explore The Collections. Victoria and Albert Museum.
A ropebed is a type of platform bed in which the sleeper (and mattress) is supported by a lattice of rope, rather than wooden slats. In cold climates...
mattresses common in traditional European bedsRopebeds support the mattress or sleeper with a lattice of rope. Other woven bases use braid, straps, rushes...
controlling the sagging of the bed as it ages with use). It is mostly used in warm areas: in cold areas, a similar ropebed would be topped (with an insulating...
Rope bondage, also referred to as rope play, kinbaku, shibari or fesselspiele, is bondage involving the use of rope to restrict movement, wrap, suspend...
beds). A ropebed has a wooden frame within which crossing ropes, which may support a straw- or down-filled single mattress. See charpai. A slat bed is...
A Murphy bed (also known as a pull-down bed, fold-down bed, or wall bed) is a bed that is hinged at one end to store vertically against the wall, or inside...
erotically to BDSM. A number of bondage positions and methods are used in rope bondage and other BDSM activities. Ropes are a common element of these positions...
My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Swans released on September 23, 2010; it was their first...
wire rope for one or more of their mooring lines. Wire rope is hard to handle and maintain. There is also risk associated with using wire rope on a ship's...
2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022. "Exclusive: Taneea Rajawat roped in for Disney Plus Hotstar's Bed Stories". IWMBuzz.com. 24 June 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2022...
furnished as a 19th-century bedroom. Included in the bedroom is a four-poster ropebed and small cradle, both of which belonged to pianist and composer Ethelbert...
to c. 1330), where it has developed to a regular hanging bed. The sling now ends in two rope beckets that anticipate the rings of the naval hammock. Like...
Velvet Rope Tour was the third concert tour by American recording artist Janet Jackson. Launched in support of her sixth studio album The Velvet Rope (1997)...
is Angaraib (1987), which takes its name from the traditional Sudanese rope-bed, united with the concept of the North American Indian 'horse travois'....
drive. Cavers entering Majlis al Jinn require about 200m of specialized rope and equipment to descend and ascend safely. For several years tourism companies...
is a type of truck the bodywork of which is just an entirely flat, level 'bed' with no sides or roof. This allows for quick and easy loading of goods,...
most famous for his role as landlord Mr. Roper on the sitcom Three's Company and its spin-off, The Ropers, and his film roles in Ocean's 11 (1960), The...
tied tightly, can damage the breasts. Using conventional rope for breast bondage can result in rope burns. Ropes designed for BDSM use are typically made...
against the weave of the ropes, rendering it virtually waterproof Wire rope, a type of rope that consists of several strands of metal wire laid into a helix...
meaning 'rope'. In a funicular, both cars are permanently connected to the opposite ends of the same cable, known as a haul rope; this haul rope runs through...
Global Information
Medieval-reconstruction rope beds (circa 1465); note loops of rope protruding from side boards
A rope bedframe thought to have belonged to William Shakespeare
Bedclothes pulled back to show the bedcords of the 1590s Great Bed of Ware![Touchable museum samples illustrating the layers of the Great Bed of Ware: the bedcords, a plaited-rush[8] bedmat, a flockbed and then a featherbed in dun ticking, a downbed in striped ticking, and the bedlinen.[4] Flock is unspun fibers, in this case probably wool. The bedticks stuffed with the softest fillings are laid topmost.](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Wikimania_2014_-_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum_-_The_Great_Bed_of_Ware221398.jpg/337px-Wikimania_2014_-_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum_-_The_Great_Bed_of_Ware221398.jpg)
Touchable museum samples illustrating the layers of the Great Bed of Ware: the bedcords, a plaited-rush[8] bedmat, a flockbed and then a featherbed in dun ticking, a downbed in striped ticking, and the bedlinen.[4] Flock is unspun fibers, in this case probably wool. The bedticks stuffed with the softest fillings are laid topmost.
![Touchable museum samples illustrating the layers of the Great Bed of Ware: the bedcords, a plaited-rush[8] bedmat, a flockbed and then a featherbed in dun ticking, a downbed in striped ticking, and the bedlinen.[4] Flock is unspun fibers, in this case probably wool. The bedticks stuffed with the softest fillings are laid topmost.](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/51/Wikimania_2014_-_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum_-_The_Great_Bed_of_Ware221398.jpg/337px-Wikimania_2014_-_Victoria_and_Albert_Museum_-_The_Great_Bed_of_Ware221398.jpg)