Posted by Rachel Bellerby

The Skipton Medieval Yuletide Festival will take place on 7 and 14 December 2008. The event, one of the most popular in the North Yorkshire town’s calendar, will include a medieval Christmas market, military re-entactments, a lantern procession through the High Street and carol singing in the parish churchyard.

Details: SkiptonOnline

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Norwich’s historic Dragon Hall will be the setting of a medieval Christmas market to be held on 6 and 7 December 2008. The market will feature traders dressed in medieval costume, selling gifts and refreshments.

Entry is £2.50 per adult, £1 ages 5 – 16 and free entry to under 5s. For more information, telephone 0044 1603 663922 or visit the Dragon Hall website.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Staff have now begun to scan the pages of centuries-old documents and the public will be able to access the texts by the end of 2009.

Texts due to be digitalised include The Forme of Cury, a medieval cookbook by the personal chefs of King Richard II and two of John Lydgate’s poems.

More details are available at the library’s website.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

In reality, a forest could be a dangerous place and it was a place where doing the wrong thing could mean death. Because the hunt was so beloved to English monarchs and because hunt animals were so valuable, anyone who deliberately hunted down one of the royal beasts could receive the death penalty.

It must have been almost torturous to live beside a royal forest. You’d be able to see fine animals which you’d love to eat, beehives full of honey which you could use for food and even nuts and berries growing nearby, but all of these were forbidden to you, even though they might be within an arms reach of your house.

Little wonder then, that the moves to bring common land into use were so popular. Once people became used to having land to call their own, there would be no turning back. Never again would the royal forests be so exclusive.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

The stonemason was just one of dozens of different tradesmen who would work on an important medieval building. Various workers were needed at different points of the construction. Although stonework was heavy, most of the heaviest work was actually done by labourers before the stone even reached the site.

These quarrying labourers were amongst the lowest paid of building workers and their job was to hew the stone from the quarry and hack it into manageable blocks, ready for transport to the building site.

The stonemasons would work on the shaped blocks, using their skills to produce the size and shape of stone required. The master mason may never have touched a block of stone from one day to the next; his job was to oversee the building site and everyone working on it.

The work was seasonal and dependent on good weather. And with workers only paid for what they did, the job of stonemason was a precarious and uncertain one.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

But to medieval Christians, relics were a real sign of God’s power on earth.

Because these objects were viewed with such devotion, it was inevitable that unscrupulous people would create fake relics and attempt to sell them. This was such a potentially profitable trade that graves were robbed for bones to use as relics and even the remains of animals were passed off as the bones of saints.

Religious fakes were obviously a problem from early in this period, because as early as the sixth century, religious authorities deemed that the only way to tell if a relic was real or fake was to throw it into a fire. It the item perished, it was a fake and if it survived the flames, it was the genuine article.

It’s easy for us to imagine that the belief in relics was nothing but superstition and naivety. However, the medieval world was in many ways, much more uncertain than ours. Plague and illness could kill people within hours, seemingly without explanation. Is it any wonder people took comfort from whatever they could?

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

This is actually far from the truth. Although monks did spend much of their lives in prayer, the monastery itself could be as busy as a medieval town. A monastic community aimed to be as self-sufficient as possible, in accordance with the sixth century rule of St Benedict, which taught that monks should provide for themselves, by the labour of their own hands.

As the centuries passed, lay brothers rather than monks carried out manual labour, but even so, the work needed to feed and clothe dozens of monks as well as inhabitants of the guest house and infirmary meant a large number of buildings were needed on site.

Gradually, many monastic communities were so successful in their production of food, drink and textiles that they were able to sell on a surplus elsewhere and to employ ordinary people on the vast monastic estates. It was these practices which were to lead to accusations in the late medieval period that monastic communities were wealthy and self-indulgent. The monks had become victims of their own success.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Lanark Medieval Festival

The Lanark Medieval Festival is Scotland’s main annual reenactment event, which attracts visitors and participants from across Europe. Events will include battle reenactments, archery competitions, a medieval market, musicians, acrobats and living history displays.

The event takes place 16 – 17 August 2008 and tickets are £6 per adult, £1 per child. For further information, telephone (0044) 07963 128365

Bosworth Battlefield’s Summer Medieval Festival

The Bosworth Battlefield Summer Medieval Festival is two days of medieval entertainment organised by the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage centre at Sutton Cheney, Warwickshire.

The event, which takes place on 16 – 17 August, offers various attractions including a medieval fashion show, weapons demonstration, jousting tournament and a ‘medieval mayhem’ childrens area.

Tickets are £10 per adult, £7 per child. For further information, telephone (0044) 01455 290429

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

It may seem a contradiction that the first loaves of harvest were taken into church at Lammas, but later in the feast, corn dollies were created for burial in the ground. But perhaps the harvest was so vital to medieval society that people would take no chances and were willing to try whatever they felt would bring good fortune.

Plague and diseases struck seemingly by chance and could decimate a community within a matter of weeks. Pagan practices and charms against ill fortune were passed down the years and if they had seemed to work for distant ancestors, people were still willing to give them a chance.

Festivals such as May Day and even Easter, one of the most important Christian festivals, included pagan elements, which had been gradually Christianised. Worship of the May goddess was replaced with veneration of the Virgin Mary and the pagan goddess Eostre was transplanted by celebrations for the risen Christ. The characters may have changed, but the meaning behind the festivals remained constant.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

This is a rare chance to see how modern-day craftspeople use specialist techniques to restore the medieval Minster at York. Visitors will be able to speak to masons, carvers and carpenters who regularly work on the building.

As part of the event, visitors will be invited to take a trip up to the scaffolding of the Minster’s East Front, to see repair work first hand and understand more about how the cathedral was built. This area of the building is six hundred years old and has suffered heavy weather damage.

Trips to the scaffolding are on a first-come, first-served basis and visitors will be requested to make a donation to the Minster.

For more information, telephone York Minster 0044 1904 557200

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

The riot happened during a time of great social change and, for many, financial hardship.

The Black Death had a serious effect on those who survived it. Not only did they have to deal with the grief of losing many family and friends, many who did survive the plague were left physically weakened.

Three successive poll taxes had been announced, to raise money for a war with France. How many ordinary people would have cared about battles in a country which seemed so far away? Surely they would rather the money had been put towards improving life in England.

The cause of the revolt, an attack on a poll tax collector, may seem trivial, but it was a symbol of the divisions between rich and poor and others were quick to join the cause against the authorities.

The population of London following the Black Death is estimated at around 50,000 people. The sudden arrival of a further 20,000 rebels must have been terrifying for Londoners. The city’s narrow streets and wooden houses would have made the large crowds seem frightening and overwhelming and the looting and burning placed the whole city at risk; a fire could engulf the city in minutes.

The riot lasted three days at most and achieved little. The same social structures remained in place and the rebel leaders were executed. England’s people must have wondered what was in store next.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

In medieval times, if more than one person wanted a document, it had to be copied by hand onto parchment. Mistakes could easily be made in transferring the information from one document to another and that mistake could then continue to be copied for years.

Only the privileged had their own books; a prayer book or book of stories was one of the most precious and expensive gifts a person could receive. Looking at an original highly illustrated medieval manuscript, with elaborate drawings, touched with gold or silver leaf is to realise just how special these documents were. Their beauty is something which the most advanced printing press could never replicate.

Few would argue the benefits of the invention of the printing press and the subsequent wide access to works of literature. The medieval manuscript, with its smooth parchment and chunky wax seal has a unique charm and speaks of an age when owning a manuscript was akin to buying a precious jewel.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

National Archaeology Week aims to put the spotlight on British archaeology and involve the public in discovering the past. There are more than 400 events planned, including workshops, exhibitions, lectures and family fun days.

The event is run by the Council for British Archaeology and will cover the full spectrum of UK history. The CBA website features a programme of events for the week with a search facility to highlight events by region.

Activities of interests to medievalists include fieldwork at a medieval settlement in the Mendip Hills, an opportunity to create medieval gargoyles from clay in Brighton and a talk on the early Anglo-Saxons in Loughborough.

Most events need to be pre-booked and there is free entry to many of the activities.

Details: The Council for British Archaeology, tel 01904 671417

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

The process was very informal in the mid-twelfth century and anyone could in theory draw up and display a coat of arms.

But, as the use of heraldry became more widespread, most authorities felt it necessary to put some restrictions on who was entitled to hold a coat of arms and what colours and symbols could be used.

Certain designs became very popular and there were instances of almost identical coats of arms existing at the same time. Some animals and symbols were more popular than others; anything which seemed regal, such as a lion or a fleur de llys was widely used.

A coat of arms could be used extensively; sometimes featuring in a family’s home, for example over the fireplace or on a flag and could even feature in a pane of stained glass or on a tomb.

Many people today claim a coat of arms as belonging to their family. However, a coat of arms strictly only belongs to the person it was created for. Having the same surname as that person isn’t enough to claim ownership. Nevertheless, the coat of arms remains to many a coveted symbol of status and importance.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

However, it is clear that the plague wiped out around forty percent of the population of Europe, with higher death rates in many areas.

What made the Black Death so frightening for medieval people is the fact that there was no cure and no one fully understood how the disease spread. A sense of helplessness must have been acute. News travelled fast, even in the Middle Ages and most communities were very aware of what was heading their way.

Travellers who visited areas affected by the plague were questioned by people hoping to find some clue as to how the disease might be avoided. Once the plague was close, visitors were not welcome. Some settlements banned strangers , others went through cleansing rituals, shunning anything which an outsider might have handled.

As usual in any disaster, there were those who were quick to profit from the misfortunes of others. Pedlars of ‘cures’ and religious relics were able to feed off the fears of the population and sell their wares at high prices. Even some clergy members demanded higher prices for hearing confessions and giving Masses during a time of desperation.

The disease usually left an area in a matter of months, but its effect on those who survived could be dramatic. Although most people who caught the plague died of it, some did survive, but often in a weakened state. There were also the mental effects on those who had seen dozens of their friends and family perish in a matter of days. They might have inherited huge tracts of land but would struggle to farm their estate with few left to work for them. Ordinary people gained more property and better working conditions, but at a huge physical and mental cost. The Black Death left the landscape changed forever.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Medical practitioners were often mistrusted and people instead created their own medicines using the materials around them. Recipes for coughs and cold medicines, painkillers and potions to relieve stomach disorders were passed down through the generations and adapted as necessary.

The services of a doctor were out of the price range of ordinary people, but most communities had healers and midwives who would offer their skills to the local population. These people who usually be self-taught and would often take goods rather than money as payment for their services.

There was a fear of hospitals in the middle ages, spread through tales of people who had gone in to be cured and didn’t come out alive. It would seem that sometimes a person was safer to treat themselves at home, but this was due to issues of hygiene and cleanliness in hospitals rather than any fault in the work of physicians and surgeons.

People in the middle ages didn’t understand how diseases were spread and so little attempt was made to ensure cleanliness in hospitals. An ill person would be more prone to infection and would be surrounded by other infected people, meaning they would be likely to contract extra illnesses whilst in the hospital.

To our modern eyes, many of the medical theories of the middle ages seem primitive and superstitious. But most of the basic functions of the human body were already understood and ambitious surgical procedures could be carried out, sometimes with success. In the medieval world, when life could seem so dangerous and unpredictable, prayer and plant remedies must have seemed to have been some form of control and comfort for those affected by illnesses they didn’t understand.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

The idea of a king riding into battle at the head of his troops is very characteristic of the Middles Ages. Edward I was a ruler who spent the whole of his reign trying to prove his power over his subjects.

The regions of Wales and Scotland were the places that Edward found the most troublesome. These were areas far from the king’s seat of power in London and they were mostly made up of untamed countryside where rebels could plot undisturbed.

Edward was a determined monarch, with a fierce belief that all his subjects should accept his rule. The ring of castles he built across North Wales, as part of his defense system must have seemed hated symbols of English dominance to those who lived in the area. Just one castle cost more to build than a person would earn in a lifetime of hard work. The castles dominated the district, placed at points of high visibility, towering over the humbler dwellings around them.

But despite their massive bulk and their superior defenses, the castles were still very vulnerable, a point which was brought home to Edward I when he became trapped at Conwy during flooding. A monarch and his soldiers could only do so much. The forces of nature and the determination of local rebels were often more than a match for them.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Hilda of Whitby is a sixth century abbess who left her position as the niece of one of England’s kings, to live her life as a nun. The contrast between life at the royal court, with every comfort provided, and living a religious life of prayer and sacrifice must have been marked.

Yet, in entering a monastery, Hilda wasn’t giving up her privileged position, she was actually further extending the influence of her family. From the start, she was given a position of leadership and within a few years of entering monastic life, she was running a double monastery of monks and nuns.

Hilda’s advice was sought by important people from around the country and her influence was far-reaching. She certainly wasn’t locked away from real life; her monastery at Whitby employed dozens of lay-workers and owned large tracts of land in the surrounding countryside. She was a major employer and a figure of influence.

The fact that Hilda was mentioned by Bede in his Ecclesiastical History of the English People means that she was seen as an important figure in medieval life. Aside from queens and princesses, we know so little about the lives of medieval women. Hilda’s life may not have been typical of the lot of ordinary women in the Middle Ages, but she does demonstrate that it was possible for women to hold power and influence during medieval times.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Yet, somehow, the marriage worked. The ten year old girl and the fifteen year old boy were kept apart after their wedding, as was the custom in arranged marriages where pre-teens were involved. As the daughter of Ferdinand III, King of Castile, Eleanor understood only too well what royal life involved.

There are so many opinions about the character of Edward I and he has been vilified as a man intent on proving his superiority over the Welsh and Scots during his reign. Yet, whatever his attitude to the people he considered his enemies, Edward was devoted to Eleanor.

Queen Eleanor followed her husband devotedly, throughout his reign. She accompanied him on journeys which would not have been considered safe for a medieval woman. Edward and Eleanor were actually on crusade when they heard that Edward’s father Henry III was dead and Edward was king. The couple’s first surviving son was born in a makeshift dwelling outside the building site where Caernarfon castle was under construction.

The circumstances of Eleanor’s death followed the pattern which her married life had taken. King Edward had been called to Scotland following the death of Margaret, heiress of Scotland. Eleanor followed at a slower pace, perhaps indicating that she was already in the grip of the illness which was to claim her life.

Following Eleanor’s death, the king appears to have been a man consumed by grief. A replica of one of the Eleanor crosses stands today in one of London’s busiest streets. A world so different to the one Edward and Eleanor knew, but their memory still lives on in the city.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Nowadays, we’re used to having access to a variety of foods all year round. Most people in the western world have access to fresh and frozen food from around the world that our medieval ancestors could only dream of. Starvation and malnutrition were real possibilities for many ordinary people in medieval society.

A bad harvest didn’t just mean the crops had failed, it meant facing months of existing on whatever food could be foraged from the fields and forests. It was difficult to preserve food in an age before refrigeration and so stock-piling food in case of bad times was almost impossible. And whatever the economic situation, a family still had to pay its rents and tithes or face eviction.

Medieval people were very much ruled by the weather and the changing seasons and temperatures. The long summer days must have seemed such a blessing, after months of evenings lit only by candles or rushlights. The joy of a good harvest would have been intense; not only was there plenty for everyone to eat for the coming year, there was also the chance of extra money from selling on surplus goods at market or to a travelling merchant. Medieval records show that a good harvest, where yields were up at least 15% to a normal year, came only once every two decades. A person would be lucky to see a record-breaking harvest three times in their life.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Archery had mixed fortunes during the medieval period with laws sometimes banning the use of bows and arrows and at other times, dictating that it should be practised. From one point of view, a bow and arrows was seen as a dangerous weapon, which in the wrong hands, could cause death and injury, either by accident or design.

At other times, medieval authorities valued the potential of an army of skilled archers who could be drawn from the ranks of ordinary men. Many castles and villages had their own butts, where anyone could practise their aim and compete against others. This was usually just a fun sport, but had the serious purpose of developing the archery skills which may some day be needed in battle. A man who had practised archery from childhood could be a formidable enemy on the battlefield.

As with the Viking warriors, most archers would use whatever armor and weapons they possessed when fighting. Armed and uniformed forces did exist, but many soldiers had to pay for and provide their own equipment.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Working only from official records, it would seem that women played no part in medieval trade. But here, as in so many other aspects of medieval life, women played a part in the trade of their family or husband but usually received no recognition.

Business records for the middle ages record women buying and selling, producing goods and carrying out business transactions alongside men. However, it was rare for a woman to be permitted to register as a guild member. There are occasions where a widow is recorded as a ‘femme sole’, or female trader, normally a guild was male only.

However, many businesses could not have operated without a woman helping in the background. A medieval trader would depend on his wife’s help in order to run his business and children were also involved in the work of a family’s trade. An unmarried teenage girl would be expected to work as hard as the rest of the family.

A young girl did not usually follow an official apprenticeship, but would learn the family’s trade as she grew up in a working household. Even in the countryside, women and children were involved in farm work, such as helping with the harvest and planting crops.

It could be hard to earn a living in medieval Europe and every hand was needed. Women may not have been officially recognised in a guild, but their contribution to medieval trade was invaluable.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

The medieval calendar seems to have an abundance of feast days and festivals, with a celebration occurring every few weeks. But medieval life, for the majority, was tough, mundane and often short.

Before electricity, quality of life was largely determined by the weather and the changing seasons. Cold winter days made outdoor work difficult and winter evenings were lit only by candles, for those who could afford them. Food was scarce and harvest must have seemed a long time off.

Little wonder then, that communities took every chance to celebrate. Feast days and festivals were a way of cementing local loyalties and remembering what was good about life. Local rivalries, such as who could bring in the biggest maypole, or who had the largest bonfire, made people work together for a common cause. And they might certainly need each other in the case of attacks or famine.

Most of the major medieval festivals are still celebrated today. Easter, Christmas, May Day, Midsummer’s Night can all be seen on the modern calendar. But I wonder if we enjoy them as much as our medieval predecessors did? Most of us take for granted a good supply of food and a warm house. And treats can mean so much more when something has been in short supply, as many things were in medieval times.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Viking tales, like other sagas and legends, were told around the fireside and legendary warriors gained a cult status.

But the Vikings weren’t an official, recruited fighting force. They were paid to fight as and when needed and for the rest of the year, carried out their normal occupations. They used whatever clothing and weapons they could afford and often believed that the characters and symbols on their weapons offered them magical protection.

Vikings used fear to make their raids easier and to create less resistance from those they were attacking. For example, when approaching a harbour, they would line all their shields along the side of their longboat, to appear as well armed as possible.

Viking raids often took place during the summer months, perhaps so that they could use anything that they snatched to see them through the long winter season. Often, they wouldn’t even need to fight for what they intended to snatch. There are medieval records showing payments made to Viking forces to bribe them not to make any further raids on a particular region. But the raids did continue, with the Viking forces gaining in confidence and moving from small raids, based on little more than good fortune, to the seizure of huge tracts of land and the colonization of large foreign territories.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

Programmes devoted entirely to medieval times are rare, so this is a real treat for UK viewers. The season includes hour-long shows by Professor Robert Bartlett, a leading medievalist. His four programmes are titled knowledge, sex, belief and power and will aim to understand the medieval mind and how people in the Middle Ages interacted with each other and viewed the world around them

There will also be a drama based on villains stealing a king’s treasure, a show about the oldest surviving road map in Britain and a documentary on the world’s first commercial printing press, an invention which changed the world.

The season begins on Thursday 10 April at 7.30pm on BBC Four with ‘A Journey Through Britain in the Middle Ages with Dr Alixe Bovey. For more information see TV listings on the BBC's website.

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

We all have our own image of a medieval knight, perhaps a courageous fighter, mysteriously hidden behind the metal visor of his helmet. Or maybe a professional soldier, who traveled the country fighting for pay. A knight is probably one of the first things people think of when asked to describe the Middle Ages.

In some ways, it must have been a lonely life, being cheered on by hundreds, and fighting for the honor of a lady way above you on the social scale. She’d go home to her castle and you were left to go back to your lodgings. No one might even recognise you as the hero of the tournament as you’d been covered by your armor during the joust.

Yes, it was probably exciting to prepare for and take part in a medieval joust, but at what cost? If you lost, you might have to give up your expensive horse and even if you won, your injuries could be bad enough to keep you away from tournaments for months. And how would you feel, preparing to ride out, knowing you could be in the last few minutes of your life? If you did survive, when you were too old to fight, how would you feel to see younger, stronger men getting all the glory?

Being a knight has been a dream for boys down the centuries. But I wonder how many of us would actually have liked the life of a knight?

Posted by Rachel Bellerby

All of us are familiar with turning on the news bulletins and hearing constant references to terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, civil war, the list goes on. This gets me thinking, is it more dangerous to live nowadays or would life have been more perilous in medieval times?

News gets to us very quickly in the 21st century. If there’s a disaster we get to hear of it sometimes just moments after it happens. Information is fed to us on a minute-by-minute basis and so perhaps sometimes the threats to us individually seem magnified.

Medieval life had its own dangers and just as today, life could be very uncertain. Life spans were short; a person who got to the age of 40 could consider themselves to have lived to a good age. Many women died in childbirth and only around half of children born lived beyond the age of five. Medicines were primitive and often, to our modern eyes, dangerous.

Medieval people could face great personal dangers, settlements could be torched by enemies, or invaders arrive and take over an area. Add to this the fact that men who worked for a master could be expected to fight in that master’s wars whenever and wherever these were.

It’s a fascinating question and one that everyone will have their own view on. For me, medieval life was more dangerous on an individual level and life nowadays is more dangerous on a global level. Human nature hasn’t changed very much over the centuries.