Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775Reilly, S. A.
History
Our Legal Heritage, King AEthelbert, 596 to King George III, 1775
Reilly, S. A.
Law -- England -- History
Feasts were stately occasions with costly tables and
splendid apparel. There were practical jokes, innocent frolics, and
witty verbal debating with repartee. They played chess, checkers, and
various games with cards and dice. Most people could sing and some could
play the lute.
Lighting of the hall at night was by oil lamps or candles on
stands or on wall fixtures. For outside activities, a lantern [a
candle shielded by a metal cage with panels of finely shaved horn:
lant horn] was used. The residence of the lord's family and guests
was at a screened off area at the extreme end of the hall or on a
higher floor. Chests stored garments and jewels. Iron keys and
locks were used for chests and doors. The great bed had a wooden
frame and springs made of interlaced rope or strips of leather. It
was covered with a feather mattress, sheets, quilts, fur covers,
and pillows. Drapery around the bed kept out cold drafts and
provided privacy. There was a water bowl for washing in the
morning. A chamber pot was kept under the bed for nighttime use.
Hay was used as toilet paper. The lord's personal servants slept
nearby on benches or trundle beds. Most of the gentlemen servants
slept communally in a "knight's chamber". The floor of the hall
was strewn with straw, on which common folk could sleep at night.
There were stools on which to sit. Cup boards (boards on which to
store cups) and chests stored spices and plate. One-piece iron
shears were available to cut cloth. Handheld spindles were used
for weaving; one hand held the spindle [a small stick weighted at
one end] while the other hand alternately formed the thread and
wound it around the spindle. On the roofs there were rampart walks
for sentry patrols and parapets from which to shoot arrows or
throw things at besiegers. Each tenant of the demesne of the king
where he had a castle had to perform a certain amount of castle
guard duty for its continuing defense. These knights performing
castle-guard duty slept at their posts. Bathing was done in a
wooden tub located in the garden in the summer and indoors near
the fire in winter. The great bed and tub for bathing were taken
on trips with the lord. The entire household was of men, except
for the lord's lady with a few lady companions; otherwise the
entire household was of men. The ladies rode pillion [on a cushion
behind the saddle] or in litters suspended between two horses.
Markets grew up outside castle walls. Any trade on a lord's land
was subject to "passage", a payment on goods passing through,
"stallage", a payment for setting up a stall or booth in a market,
and "pontage", a payment for taking goods across a bridge.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account