Turnspit dogs: the original rotisserie machines

The Spitjacks

Hundreds of dog breeds exist throughout the world, many bred for a specific purpose. Historically, Jack Russels hunted rats, Border Collies herded sheep, Greyhounds hunted hares and Alsatians were typically used as guard dogs. However, there a great many jobs that, for whatever reasons, humans no longer need to be performed and the breeds associated with those jobs go extinct as a result. The most famous example of this — the Turnspit dog.

For much of human history, roasting meat over an open fire was seen as the only proper way to cook. Unlike modern ovens though, spit roasting, or rotisserie, requires the meat to be constantly turning over the flames to ensure even cooking. While this creates a beautifully cooked piece of meat, it’s incredibly labour intensive. Initially, young children, mostly boys, operated the turnspit. These ‘spitjacks’ would sit by the huge fire, turning a lever that would in turn rotate the piece of meat, which would often be a whole hog or bird. If they were lucky, they might have a wet bale of hay to crouch behind during this time, but most simply endured the heat. Your average roasting hog weights about 150lb, with a cook time of 1hr and 15 mins per 10lbs according to contemporary sources. It could take between 12 and 18 hrs of cooking, subjected to the roaring heat of an open fire, that these children would be working for. Many of these children would work in nude in a desperate attempt to not faint from the heat. There are even reports of them urinating in the fireplaces in Hampton Court, home of King Henry VIII, which, while a hilarious mental image, hints at a more insidious culture. Their sole purpose was to turn the meat and they mustn’t stop for any reason.

Granted it was only inns, taverns, manor houses and castles that could afford such luxuries as a spit turn, but by the 1500s in England, a truly medieval form of outsourcing was taking place, likely as a response to the sorry state of the spitjacks, who would frequently faint from the heat and exertion, as well as forming horrendous blisters on their hands. Enter the turnspit dog.

The Turnspit Dog

Similar to the modern welsh corgi, the Turnspit dog was short, long and energetic dog, breed specifically for the purpose of turning meat. They would be placed in a large wheel, which was mounted on a wall away from the fire, where they would run much like a hamster. Their forward motion would…