Activity 6

A medieval castle at work

Step back in time to the year 1471 - the Battle of Barnet. The War of the Roses is intensifying and the earl of Warwick is on the side of the Lancastrians, whilst the exiled King Edward and his House of York are fighting to reclaim his throne.

Men and women are busy everywhere, all playing their part in these crucial preparations.

Richard Neville the 16th Earl of Warwick is fitted with his armour by his squire William who is 13 years old and wants one day to become a knight. Let’s see what other tasks are being carried out by skilled artisans of the time...

Your Task

Carefully examine the following images and answer the questions that follow below or in this Word Doc version to save your answers.

As you can already see, medieval castles employed a large number of people, sometimes as many as 50. As well as those specialised in preparing the lord for battle were staff who worked in administration, hunting, the kitchen and military activities.

Medieval Tasks

Match the following tasks to the persons employed to carry them out.

Steward

Chamberlain

Marshall

Master of the wardrobe

Constable

Master huntsman

Master falconer

Head cook

Butler

Larderer

Confectioner

Cellarer

Pantler

Knights

Esquires

Gate keepers

Nurse

Musician

Baker

Farrier

Timber cutters

Miller

Select a definition for (name)

Looked after the entire household
Looked after the lord’s finances
Was in charge of the army
Looked after all stored foodstuffs
Supervised the stables, grooms and horses
Trained the lord’s falcons
Supervised the hunt – the servants, dogs and horses required
Supervised all of the kitchen workers and the serving of meals
Took care of storage of drinks and their servings at meal times
Prepared the sweet delicacies
Looked after the clothes of the lord and prepared them each day

Select a definition for (name)

Counted and replenished supplies of wine
Tended the lady’s children
Fought for the lord in times of battle
Young boys who served as apprentices to the knights
Served as guardians at the entrances to the castle
Usually played a string instrument to entertain
Made the bread, an important staple
Shoed the horses
Person who looked after the pantry
Cut and prepared wood for building
Was in charge of the mill and kept a percentage of grain as his fee

Choose a definition for each place.

Now drag and drop these various roles under the following headings.

Tasks

Baker
Butler
Cellarer
Chamberlain
Confectioner
Constable
Esquires
Farrier
Gate keepers
Head cook
Knights
Larderer
Marshall
Master falconer
Master huntsman
Master of the wardrobe
Miller
Musician
Nurse
Pantler
Steward
Timber cutters

Administration /
Castle Duties

Hunting / Stable
Duties

Kitchen / Supplies
Duties

Military
Duties

What was the role of women in a medieval castle?

Now read the following account and answer the questions the follow.

A medieval castle was a defence fortification, a place for soldiers and associated tradespeople. Women played their part in the functioning of the castle as attendants and servants, cooks and laundresses.

The lady of the castle ran the everyday affairs – overseeing the servants, inspecting the estates, running the finances and standing in for the lord when he was away on battle.

There are records of women taking part in hawking and hunting and a very few actually owned castles.
A noble woman usually married at age 14. Her husband was chosen by her father usually for a large dowry or to forge some alliance. She was now the property of her husband and expected to obey his every command.

However there were some women at the time who bucked this trend.

Eleanor of Aquitaine
One of the most significant was Eleanor of Aquitaine, who grew up on a very large and influential province in France. At the age of 15 she was married to King Louis IV’s son who later inherited the crown from his father. Eleanor had two daughters but no sons and the marriage was an unhappy union that was annulled by the pope in 1152 and she returned to Aquitaine.

She married again – this time to the Duke of Normandy, Henry Plantagenet, who became the first of the Plantagenet kings to rule England after the civil war. Together they had eight children; but this marriage also collapsed and Eleanor once again sought refuge in Aquitaine away from her husband and his band of mistresses.

There was no love lost between the king and his wife.  When Eleanor supported her sons in a revolt against the King Henry she was imprisoned for many years until the death of Henry and the crowning of her son Richard.

Eleanor now returned to England where on occasions she ruled when Richard was away on crusades in the Holy Land.

Eleanor was unique in that during her life she was queen of both England and France, controlled and ruled large land holdings in her own right, led revolts against the crown, served many years in prison and spent her last years in a monastery in Fontevrault, France. She died aged 82.

Image Credit: https://www.timesargus.com/eleanor-of-aquitaine-medieval-womens-lib-in-words-and-song/article_e0d9de1b-30af-5ea6-a8da-8896483bc4a2.html

Image Credit: https://historycollection.com/10-things-prove-eleanor-aquitaine-not-messed/

Which of these images of Eleanor better portrays the person described in the above account? Why?

Eleanor’s timeline

 Match the events about Eleanor’s life on the timeline with their appropriate dates.

1137 - 1204

1137 - 1152

1152

Eleanor’s marriage to Louis VII of France is annulled.

May 1152

1154 - 1189

1155

8 Sep 1157

1158

Birth of Geoffrey, Count of Brittany, son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

24 Dec 1167

1168

c. 1170 - 1174

1174 - 1189

Eleanor is imprisoned by Henry II following the revolt of her sons which she may have encouraged.

1190 - 1194

1204

Select an event for (date)

Eleanor is Regent of England while Richard I is absent.
Eleanor is Duchess of Aquitaine all of her life.
The marriage of Eleanor to Louis and her term as Queen of France.
Fighting in western France, William Marshal is captured and ransomed by Guy de Lusignan. He is freed by Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Henry of Anjou (future Henry II of England) marries Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Eleanor of Aquitaine is Queen of England.
Birth of Richard I of England, son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Birth of Henry the Young King, son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Birth of King John of England, son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Eleanor separates from Henry II of England; holds court at Poitiers.
Eleanor dies aged 84.
Eleanor’s marriage to Louis VII of France is annulled.
Eleanor is imprisoned by Henry II following the revolt of her sons which she may have encouraged.
Birth of Geoffrey, Count of Brittany, son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Choose an event for each date.

Add any other information that you have learned to the timeline.

Write a short paragraph describing the lives of women living in a medieval castle.

Extension Activity

Here are two other medieval women you may wish to research.

Eleanor of Aquitaine Image Source: http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/plantagenet_19.htm