Home Sweet Castle - Page 3

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Nov 1, 2000

A DAY IN THE CASTLE Here is a hypothetical day in a medieval castle Daybreak:Servants are lighting fires in the kitchens and the great hall. The Lord and Lady are awake and dressing themselves for the day ahead. 7 to 11 a.m.: The family has mass in the castle chapel followed by a breakfast of bread and ale The Lord makes his rounds with steward and bailiffs The Lady busies herself with embroidery, entertaining guests or other household projects. Knights and squires practice fencing. Children are tutored by the chaplain or his clerks. Kitchen staff prepares dinner. 11 a.m.: Three course dinner is served with fruits, cheeses and wine. Musicians entertain dinner party. Afternoon: Recreation, hunting etc. for guests and family Household servants continue their duties such as cleaning, bookkeeping, cooking, forging of tools, etc.. 4 p.m.: Light Supper is served Sunset: Personal servants helps the lord and lady undress and get ready for bed.

This will not be my final article about the castle. A cursory glance at such a vital hub of the social and political life of Europe's influential landowners can hardly do justice to the subject. In the future I will review women as managers of estates, famous families fighting for their castle home and the impact castles had on shaping family fortunes and marriages. Obviously the castle was more than a simple home. It was an imposing structure in more than just architecture, it helped shaped families and history. For a wonderful fiction series about the royal families of England try Sharon Kay Penman's series. You will get a wonderful sense of castles use as homes as well as political prizes in Medieval history.

Gies, Joseph and Gies, Frances, Life in a Medieval Castle. New York, 1979. Gies, Joseph and Gies, Frances Women in the Middle Ages. New York, 1980.

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