In the 18th century, left-handed people were often stated as being caudge-pawed, which was a variation of caw-pawed, meaning clumsy or awkward. They are most commonly referred to now as Southpaws, and I’m proud to be one of them.
We lefties make up about 12 percent of the world’s population. Just 12 percent! And it was just a few short decades ago most children were discouraged from using their left hands and forced to use their right. This practice was common in the 18th century, so the population of left-handed people in the world was definitely lower. In The Art of Nursing: or, the Method of Bringing Up Young Children According to the Rules of Physick for the Preservation of Health, and Prolonging Life, caregivers are told to make children use their right hands. “When he is grown a little, that is to say, about the second or third Month, he may be allow’d the use of his Hands, but so that his Left-Hand may always be less at Liberty than his Right; for fear, left by using it too often, it should grow stronger, and more easy for him to use than his Right, and so he should become Left-handed.”
Another statistic shows about 30 percent of the world’s population is mixed-handed, meaning they can do different things with different hands. This is different from ambidextrous, which means they can do everything equally with both hands. Do you fit in with that? Personally, I do the majority of things with my left hand, but I do bat, play golf, and use a field hockey stick with my right hand (I throw and play tennis left-handed). It’s like a right-handed baseball player who bats left-handed, just reversed for me. I don’t think that makes me mixed-handed, because I have to use both hands in order to bat or golf.
Some of you will remember when I went through Militia training and how hard it was for me to get the drills right in the beginning. I wanted to do everything with my left hand and backwards, and it made for awkward and admittedly sometimes frustrating moments. I know this was the case for my fellow Southpaws in the 18th century. My sergeant Seth told me there were several men on the awkward squad for some time. Guns were nearly always made for right-handed people. Gunsmith Eric von Aschwege told me left-handed guns were rare, but they do show up from time to time. He said they were more common in Europe, where if you had enough money, you could have one specially made for you. He even restored a German left-handed pistol! “Yes, in military drill they make everyone fire right-handed so you can line up and fire a volley efficiently, Eric added. “That said, a left handed individual can still fire a right handed gun. Just because the lock is on the right side doesn’t mean you can’t shoot it. The flash goes up and to the side, not back; that’s no different from shooting a double barrel flintlock shotgun.” Ah-ha! So it’s doable.
Fun fact from Eric: “Even more difficult is to be a right-handed shooter who is left-eye dominant, or vise versa. You occasionally see European guns with an offset stock to accommodate someone shooting with their dominant eye.”
Centuries ago, slave owners would take out ads in the Virginia Gazette right here in Williamsburg in hopes of capturing a runaway slave. These advertisements would contain information about the man or woman, such as his or her height and stature, and items they were believed to have taken with them. If they favored their left hand, that was also mentioned. I imagine that would be such an abnormality in the 18th century that it would be necessary to list among the person’s attributes, as if they had a limp or a missing finger. One of those slave owners was Thomas Jefferson, whose ad in September of 1769 said:
“RUN away from the subscriber in Albemarle, a Mulatto slave called Sandy, about 35 years of age, his stature is rather low, inclining to corpulence, and his complexion light; he is a shoemaker by trade, in which he uses his left hand principally, can do coarse carpenters work, and is something of a horse jockey; he is greatly addicted to drink, and when drunk is insolent and disorderly, in his conversation he swears much, and in his behaviour is artful and knavish. He took with him a white horse, much scarred with traces, of which it is expected he will endeavour to dispose; he also carried his shoemakers tools, and will probably endeavour to get employment that way. Whoever conveys the said slave to me, in Albemarle, shall have 40 s. reward, if taken up within the county, 4 l. if elsewhere within the colony, and 10 l. if in any other colony, from THOMAS JEFFERSON.”
Robert Hunnicutt, Jr. also printed an ad in May of 1772 in search of a man named Derby:
“RUN away from the Subscriber, a Negro Man named DERBY, about twenty five Years of Age, near six Feet high, a slim black Fellow, and plays on the Fiddle with his left Hand, which he took with him; he had on, when he went away, a Virginia Cloth Jacket, an Osnabrug Shirt, and a Pair of blue Broadcloth Breeches. I have some Reason to think he will make for Pittsylvania as his Wife has been lately sent there to one of Mr. John Baird’s Quarters. Whoever brings him to me, or secures him so that I may get him again, shall have THREE POUNDS Reward if he is taken within fifty Miles, and EIGHT POUNDS if above that Distance. ROBERT HUNNICUTT, Junior.”
Slaveowners ran these types of ads throughout the entire colony of Virginia.
I’ll leave you with one more printed piece, this time by Benjamin Franklin. It’s aptly titled “A Petition of the Left Hand” and I think it’s a champion for us southpaws.
A Petition of the Left Hand
by Benjamin Franklin
To Those Who Have the Superintendency of Education
I address myself to all the friends of youth, and conjure them to direct their compassionate regards to my unhappy fate, in order to remove the prejudices of which I am the victim. There are twin sisters of us; and the two eyes of man do not more resemble, nor are capable of being upon better terms with each other, than my sister and myself, were it not for the partiality of our parents, who make the most injurious distinctions between us. From my infancy, I have been led to consider my sister as a being of a more elevated rank. I was suffered to grow up without the least instruction, while nothing was spared in her education. She had masters to teach her writing, drawing, music, and other accomplishments; but if by chance I touched a pencil, a pen, or a needle, I was bitterly rebuked; and more than once I have been beaten for being awkward, and wanting a graceful manner. It is true, my sister associated me with her upon some occasions; but she always made a point of taking the lead, calling upon me only from necessity, or to figure by her side.
But conceive not, sirs, that my complaints are instigated merely by vanity. No; my uneasiness is occasioned by an object much more serious. It is the practice in our family, that the whole business of providing for its subsistence falls upon my sister and myself. If any indisposition should attack my sister-and I mention it in confidence upon this occasion, that she is subject to the gout, the rheumatism, and cramp, without making mention of other accidents-what would be the fate of our poor family? Must not the regret of our parents be excessive, at having placed so great a difference between sisters who are so perfectly equal? Alas! we must perish from distress; for it would not be in my power even to scrawl a suppliant petition for relief, having been obliged to employ the hand of another in transcribing the request which I have now the honor to prefer to you.
Condescend, sirs, to make my parents sensible of the injustice of an exclusive tenderness, and of the necessity of distributing their care and affection among all their children equally.
I am, with a profound respect, Sirs, your most obedient servant,
The Left Hand
Who’s your favorite lefty?
A huge thank you to Colonial Williamsburg Historian Cathy Hellier for her help!
Did you know that last Satuday was National Left Handed Day? In an age when there is a day in recognition of practically anything, some things so odd we have to look it up, perhaps we needn’t get too excited about having our own oddies day!
As most things are made for right handers, many of us lefties become ambidetrous by necessity. Nearly seven decades ago I experienced no pressure to use my right hand, so I write left handed, As a professional artist I use either hand but slightly favor the left. As a woodworker and craftsman I use tools with either hand, whichever is most convenient to the activity. I play sports right handed. Use the computer mouse right handed.
One interesting event: in kindergarten the teacher stood at the board and used her right hand from left to right. It made perfect sense to me to write a mirror of that - I wrote right to left with my left hand and formed my letters backward. The teacher made it clear this was unacceptable and I must conform. I had no problem doing it like everyone else once I was informed. I am not dyslexic. But I can read print images both backward and upside down with relative ease.
Love your story, Richard! We have had to adapt to a right handed world, that’s for sure. When I was in elementary school there would only ever be one pair of left-handed scissors and they were awful. I used the right-handed scissors and still do to this day, I just lean my head a little further to see what I’m doing!
The idea of changing students is still around or it was 10 years ago. My daughter used both hands equally and I always held something in front of her in the middle so she could pick which hand to use. Well her kindergarten teacher who was not that old taught her to write right handed. But it is interesting in sports and other areas she uses varying hands. I believe she would have been left handed because she was choosing it more often before that teacher. We have since learned she is dyslexic and the tendency to be ambidextrous is common in dyslexic people.
Interesting, Joan! I have a hard time teaching anyone how to crochet because I use my left hand and I hold the crochet needle at an odd angle. Maybe the teacher was unsure how to do the same with a pencil? I think being ambidextrous is great, because you’re able to adapt to whatever your surroundings throw at you!
As a lefty writing with a quill is near impossible because you tend to push the quill rather than pull it along as a right-handler would. This causes the quill to skip along making horrible lines and blotches, especially when writing on laid paper.
I need to test this out for myself! I do have a quill on my desk, just no ink. It’s all in the name of research, right?
I was born in 1953 and one of those kids who wanted to write left handed and had the experience of the attempts to make me switch. My father and mother told them to leave me alone and that is how I write to this day.
I can’t recall anything being an issue, but I am somewhat ambidextrous. I can use carpentry and other tools with either hand equally well. I write, eat, and throw left handed. Basketball I use both hands the same. I bat left and right. If I am writing on a chalk board I can use either hand, which is nice. I play guitar right handed. I think I tended to choose or to feel natural with different hands for different chores as I was growing up and in the cases where it was a real advantage to have equal facility with both hands developed that skill.
It is interesting though how cultures all over the world have often had an aversion to left handedness. Probably because of the simple fact that it is a trait of a minority of people and stands out as being “odd”.
Absolutely, Jeff! There are some books on raising children in the 18th century that state it’s abnormal for anyone to be left handed and they must be forced to use their right.
Another excellent article, Rachel
Thank you, Donn!
I thought that people were made to write right-handed because when writing was done with quill and ink, the writing would be smudged by the left hand as it moved along, whereas in writing from left to right, the right hand is always conveniently out of the way. Is this true? I suppose it might help answer the question if we looked at a culture that reads from right to left and researched whether they made their children write with the left hand….. In any case, interesting article. Let me know if you find the answer to my question! 🙂
I write like many lefties with my hand above the line of writing, curved over to avoid smudging the ink. It looks strange to most people but it is a natural adaptation it seems.
Richard is correct, lefties have found ways to contort their hand and hold their writing utensil in order to avoid smudging the ink or lead! I used to smudge pretty badly, but now I tend to rest my hand much lower than the line on which I’m writing. Thankfully I’ve always been blessed with good handwriting, which is unfortunately the biggest issue with writing for lefties-chicken scratch!
I too was given good marks for legible and elegant handwriting in spite of how I managed it, which was more than could be said for a few of my family members who were right handed. Who knows what factors contribute to good handwriting in an age when schools give short shrift to penmanship training. These days, with keyboards providing the main source of written communication, I wonder if anyone will write a readable document if forced to do it without a keyboard. Certainly we do know what has happened to any concerns about grammar and spelling!