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| The Study Weekends (formerly known as the Research Weekends) | ||
| 4Introduction |
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| 42006 |
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| 42004 Medieval Women |
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| 42003 Vills, Villeins and Villainy |
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| 42001 Medieval Arts |
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| 42000 Life in a Medieval Town House |
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| 41998 Heraldry for Historians |
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| 41997 Voices of the Past |
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| 41995 Religion |
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| 41994 Medieval Wills |
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| 41992 Researching Medieval People |
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| 41991 Research for Beginners |
The
Society's first study weekend was held in York in 1991 to provide an
opportunity for members to get together in a small and informal group
to learn research techniques and study aspects of medieval history.
Each
weekend has included five or six lectures, usually illustrated with
slides, and previously a guided tour or visit to a building or institution
relevant to the topic of the weekend. However, having exhausted many
of York’s architectural delights there is now usually a period of free
time on the Saturday afternoon instead of a tour.
The
weekends have all been held in York, apart from one which was held at
at St Deiniol's Library at Hawarden in Flint in 1992. The first weekend
was on 'Research for Beginners', covering how to choose a research topic,
where to find information, how to record it and how to use it to write
an article or prepare an exhibition. The 1992 weekend concentrated on
'Researching Medieval People', using both printed sources and primary
material, such as wills. This led to a whole weekend studying every
aspect of wills in 1994, and to a weekend on religion as a quintessential
part of medieval life in 1995. The 1997 weekend investigated hearing
the voices of medieval people through their literature and letters,
through popular religion, through their books of etiquette and through
the case notes of a fifteenth-century surgeon. 'Heraldry for Historians'
was the subject of the 1998 weekend with sessions on how to understand
a coat of arms, and on how heraldry was organised and used in the middle
ages. The 2000 weekend was entitled 'Life in a Medieval Town House'
and covered the architecture of the house and its furnishing, the household
living there, how they were fed, and the everyday remedies they used
when they were sick. In 2001, the focus was on the arts, with sessions
on stained glass, music, illuminated manuscripts and the mystery plays.
In 2003 the subject was Vills, Villeins and Villainy, essentially looking
at the lives of peasants, crooks and the rural community. In 2004 the
lives of medieval women of different classes was examined.
It
is now becoming traditional to hold a medieval banquet in York's Barley
Hall on the Saturday evening of the study weekends when many of the
participants attend in full medieval costume.
Below
are the reviews of the weekends, written by participants, which provide
an insight into what has become a regular feature of the Ricardian calendar
<top>
| Of comfort no man
speak: Let’s talk of graves, of worms, and epitaphs; Make dust our paper, and with rainy eyes Write sorrow on the bosom of the earth. Let’s choose executors, and talk of wills. |
However, far from falling into a slough of despond, the 35 gathered together were regularly uplifted by the standard of presentation and content of the course
On Friday evening, Wendy Moorhen, our indefatigable Research Officer and superb organiser of the study weekend, introduced the programme. Is it really 15 years ago that I trekked north to the first congress? Since then, thanks to Wendy and the Hammonds, we have enjoyed memorable times. From the 1991’Research for Beginners’, through subjects such as ‘Medieval Religion’ (1995), ‘Voices from the Past’ (1997), ‘Heraldry’ (1998), ‘Life in a Medieval Townhouse’ (2000), ‘The Arts’ (2001), ‘Vills, Villeins and Villainy’ (2003), to ‘Medieval Women’ in 2004, these study weekends have more than held their own with the Triennial Conferences.Wendy rightly reminded us that the Logge Wills Project (named after John Logge the woodmonger whose will was the first entered into the Register) was a tremendous achievement for the Society – not only to have embarked upon but also to have seen it through to its present stage
Ann Rycraft from the Centre of Medieval Studies in York gave an interesting introduction to the whole subject of wills, arguing that they are one of the most important and most used of medieval archives. She listed those legally unable to make a will, including imbeciles, bondmen and outlaws, and reminded us that, up until the Married Woman’s Property Act of 1882, common law took all a wife’s real or personal property away and gave it to her husband. The usual testator was male, over 21 years of age and who felt death approaching. He was unlikely to write the will himself, although occasionally one finds the phrase ‘I, with my own hand….’ The majority were translated into Latin, which begs the question whether either the testator or witnesses actually understood what had been written down. Ann then explained the role of the executor(s) and the often long drawn out process of getting the will proved. The whole probate process could often, as nowadays, become expensive.
Lesley Boatwright, well known to all Ricardian Bulletin readers for her fascinating ‘Logge Notes and Queries’ gave us an update on the whole project. There was a mild outbreak of mental gymnastics and sparring amongst the audience over the pronunciation of the word ‘Logge’. As he was someone whose trade included delivering timber to London, many assumed an obvious ‘log’. However, some plumped for ‘lodge’ and yet others for ‘loggee’. It was agreed to differ.
Lesley explained that there were still four main targets ahead: to finalise the text – which is what she has been engaged upon for the last two years; to produce the main index and a glossary of unusual words; to write an Introduction; and to get it published. The Latin had to be checked and translations had to be assessed for accuracy and consistency (e.g. Beata Maria to be Blessed not Saint Mary; relict not widow). Thanks to the vital and continuing skills and support of Moira and Gerald Habberjam and Peter Hammond, the mills might be grinding slowly but they were exceedingly fine. Research to find out as much about the testator as possible, led to Harleian Ms. 433, Wedgwood’s History of Parliament, the Howard Household Books, the London Livery Companies’ publications as well as records of Oxford and Cambridge alumni. A few examples of testators followed, from Lord Hastings, whose writs of diem clausit extremum (see Logge Notes and Queries) were dated on 30 July ‘in the first year of King Edward the bastard’ to the B-list celebrities, such as Thomas Betson and Walter William, one of the October 1483 rebels from Southampton
All the while, the typescript of the whole project lay at the back of the room, a testament to the sheer enormity of the undertaking. Lesley explained that the margins were sprinkled with red dots – ‘more work needs to be done on this’; blue dots – ‘word for the Glossary’; and green dots – ‘interesting point’. There were also yellow dots – for us to use if we spotted an error. Naturally, everyone just wanted to peruse the green ones.
Saturday morning saw intellectual loins being girded for the first three of five talks on particular groups within the Logge Register. Wendy dealt with ‘Court & City: the Great and Good’, suggesting the picture was like a medieval Who’s Who. Aristocrats, worthies of the Yorkist court, rural gentry, members of the legal profession, city merchants all rubbed shoulders, or at least cadavers. There was the Duchess Anne Stafford, whose pride shone through her testament; John, Lord Mountjoy, J.P. of Derbyshire and present at Richard III’s coronation; Joan Fiennes (nee Dacre), whose testament was in Latin but will in English; Fulke Bourchier, Lord Fitzwaryn; William, Lord Hastings, whose will ran over 5,000 words and who got his wish to be buried next to his king at Windsor, but rather more quickly than he would have liked. What was particularly interesting was that all the above could be fitted on one family tree.
Wendy also referred to city folk, such as Sir Ralph Verney and Thomas Hill, both of whose wills were greatly disputed after their deaths. Nothing changes. Only the day before our study weekend started, a broadsheet headline read, “Strange deathbed decision shocks heir”, and detailed the aptly named Baroness Strange’s decision to summon friends from their beds at 4 a.m. (she died the following day) to witness a major alteration to her will, disinheriting the heir and four other children, to leave her £3 million estate to her youngest daughter. Who’d be an executor – in any century?
Anne Sutton concentrated on ‘Words and Wordsmiths: books found in Logge wills’. Her opening sentence, ‘never expect to find books in wills’ did not pre-empt her from delivering a thoroughly entertaining talk. Rarity did not mean there were no books or that the testator was not a reader; rather, that books were seldom mentioned. Romances in the fifteenth century were often written on paper and, undervalued, regularly disposed of. Wills, moreover, were usually concerned with an entire estate, especially with land and tenements, and less with moveables. Anne used her deep knowledge of mercers’ wills to inform more general comments on books in wills. Religious texts were passed from one generation to another, almost as keepsakes. Women tended to be given something religious, but they were also often interesting bequeathers of books. Twenty-three portable breviaries were mentioned in Logge wills; many testators left bibles, including a ‘great and sumptuous Bible’. At that point I glanced at the two ‘sumptuous and greate ringe-byndere bokes’ containing the typescripts of the Logge Wills – who would be left them one day? Anne concluded that wills were really one starting point for the study of books in the late fifteenth century.
Lesley then gave a talk on Richard Roos whose will was dated 8 March 1481/2 and whose Probate occurred on 1 April 1482. He wanted his ‘bodie to be buried in the feiraist wise that it canne be with the costes and expenses’ dealt with first of all. He was the fifth and youngest son of William, 6th Lord Roos, and a follower of Humphrey of Gloucester. He married Margaret Vernon, daughter of Sir Richard Vernon of Haddon Hall. Roos has been called the Lancastrian Poet, but he seems to have been a very laid-back Lancastrian and equally somnolent poet.
It is not remiss to misquote Samuel Johnson and opine, ‘when a man is tired of York, he is tired of life’. Saturday afternoon was given over to the pleasures of Richard’s favourite city. Each to his own; so a veil is drawn over the hedonistic pleasures of some and the erudite pilgrimages of others. Suffice it to say that soon after 6 o’clock, a motley collection of wimples and cauls, horned coiffures and roundlets, baldricks, gay chaplets, clothes full of gingles and belles (and someone in a burberry) were disported with wayward abandon on their way to Barley Hall – that reconstructed medieval town house in York, which the Society has so nobly supported since it became an independent Trust. Your scribe failed to attend, so ashamedly directs enquirers to others on the Research Committee.* I only hope those seekers after the earthy delights of this world remembered the warning of the Logge testator, Robert Ascoigh, archdeacon of Exeter, that ‘all flesh is dust and we do not know the hour of our death’ and behaved with circumspection and decorum.
Sunday saw Mary O’Regan deliver a talk on ‘Clerical, Medical and Lawyers: wills of those who cared for the soul, the body and the pocket’, with endearing touches of humour. She had counted c.44 of the 380 (or 378 or 381, depending on which Speaker you were listening to) as being ‘professional’ men. There was little to distinguish them from the other wills, the decisive difference usually being wealth rather than profession. Their wills were crowded with expressions of deep personal piety – for instance, a strong belief in Purgatory, the efficacy of good works and the value of chantries. Regular masses, both for their own and their friends’ and relatives’ souls, were specified and paid for. All levels of clergy were represented, from Richard Beauchamp, Bishop of Salisbury, and William Wayneflete, Bishop of Winchester, to the humbler clerks, vicars and chaplains. Of the lawyers, Sir Thomas Lytilton, Justice of the Common Pleas, left several named books, including a ‘boke of myne wherinne is conteigned Constitutions Provinciall, De Gestis Romanorum and other treties’. He also willed that ‘my grete English boke to be sold by myn executours and the money thereof to be disposed for my soule’. One prays, for his soul’s sake, it made a packet.
Peter Hammond gave a fascinating talk on ‘Silver and Sallets’, pointing out that the Logge wills gave us an incredible insight into medieval life, with the enormous range of objects mentioned in them. He dealt with arms and armour – 14 out of 378 wills made reference to this; silverware and gold – an overwhelming impression of wealth and conspicuous consumption was created by the lists of silver, brass and gold livery collars, gold chains and coins; and the ubiquitous spoons (56 wills mentioned them), including a ‘folding’ spoon which, one hoped, obeyed its owner’s instructions at table
And then it was
off for a final lunch and goodbyes until next April, when the 35 strongly
recommend the rest of the Society to join them for another compelling
journey into past times.
Details
of the 2006 weekend can be found in the Events
section
<top
Review by Lynda Pidgeon
The
first talk on Friday evening set the tone for the weekend. Dr Joanna
Laynesmith looked at women at the top end of the social scale 'Royal
and Noble Ladies', starting with historian's views of them throughout
the centuries. The Victorians saw these women as victims, basing their
opinion on the medieval romances such as 'Morte d'Arthur' and they celebrated
the ideals of womanhood as virtue and motherhood. There was also a misogynistic
view of women. Since then the view has changed and we can now see that
medieval women filled a wide variety of roles. How were these women
expected to behave? Generosity, decorum, beauty, modesty, obedience,
prudence and chastity were the virtues to aspire to. A nobleman also
expected his wife to produce a son, although daughters were valued for
their use in making alliances. It was important that daughters developed
a sense of loyalty to the family so that they would work for the family
interest. Peace-making was the duty of every wife and princess. Motherhood
was a major part of their lives. Children changed a woman's status and
gave her greater respect and in the case of queens greater access to
power.
On
Saturday morning Toni Mount looked at 'Housewives and Children'. Much
of this was based on the 'Goodman of Paris'. Guy de Montigny aged sixty
married a young orphan girl of fifteen. As an orphan she had had no
mother to explain the duties of a good housewife to her so Guy, who
had been married before, wrote her a book of instruction. He knew what
he expected from a good wife and the best way he could be cared for
by her. She was to take care of his person, keeping him in clean clothes
and making sure he was kept well fed and warm and looked after when
ill. After a hard day at work he expected to come home and have her
remove his shoes and hose, place him before a warm fire and bathe his
feet before giving him clean hose and shoes. Having seen to his meal
he was to have a bed with fresh linen and good furs and be 'assuaged
with other joys and desports, privities, loves and secrets'. The impression
that the middle ages were a time of dirt and grime and the great unwashed
is something of a misconception. The 'Goodman' expected clean clothes
and bedding and he also instructed his wife on how to remove fleas.
In case this is thought to be French faddishness John Russell in his
'Boke of Nurture' also gave clear instructions on how to care for clothes.
The
next speaker was Jeremy Goldberg, a senior lecturer in history at the
Centre of Medieval Studies, York University. Dr Goldberg's talk was
about women in the workplace and he began by stating the sources that
were available for historians to consult on this subject. These included
legal documents, poll tax returns, wills and the Statute of Labourers.
Dr Goldberg argued that wage-work was a minority activity for women
as most work was undertaken in a familial or household environment or
women were working for themselves as small traders. It was difficult
to draw the boundaries between household and economic tasks, as typical
women's jobs such as spinning, carding and weaving could be for the
benefit of the household or for trading. It was expected for a woman
to assist her husband in his trade or craft and on his death she could
inherit the business. Wives, however, could also follow a different
occupation from their spouses and an example was given from poll tax
records of a Nicholas Hammond who was a shoemaker while his wife was
listed as a mason.
One
of our members, Sue Taylor, had written a one-woman show on Margaret
Paston and performed it in Barley Hall on Saturday afternoon. It was
remarkable how it highlighted so many aspects of a medieval woman's
life that we had been hearing about over the weekend. Sue set the story
in 1469 during the siege of Caistor and she used the Paston Letters
to give life to Margaret Paston.
In
the evening we had our now traditional medieval meal in Barley Hall.
Again most people appeared in magnificent costumes.
On
Sunday Ken Hillier gave us a romp through the history of the church
before reaching the fifteenth century and 'Religious Women - or not'?
In the Saxon period women religious were granted a lot more respect
and equality than in the later period, Abbess Hilda of Whitby perhaps
being the highlight. By the twelfth century women were seen as the greatest
evil: woman was Eve and thus condemned. However the Virgin Mary and
the female martyrs transcended their sex. The view of women religious
has been coloured by the work of Eileen Power, who portrayed them as
poorly educated and paving the way for the decay of the original ideals.
Her work was based on visitations and contemporary attacks made on the
church by Wycliff, Langland, Chaucer and John Gower. Complaints of poorly
educated nuns abound: they have pet dogs wreaking havoc during the services,
and even have lovers, and go wandering out of the nunnery to visit friends
and family without supervision, they gossip and bring their order into
disrepute. However, as Dr Goldberg pointed out, you have to be cautious
when using these records. We are only given a picture of what went wrong,
not what worked. For the majority they probably did their best and were
virtuous. In recent years Power's view has been overturned by a spate
of 'feminist' historians, and this has done much to redress the balance.
Although
billed as The Oldest Profession, Peter Hammond's preferred title for
his talk was Ladies of Negotiable Affection, and his case studies concentrated
on the city of York. The 'trade' was active in certain areas of the
city, such as the Aldwerk, the corner of St Andrewgate, Swinegate and
Grape Lane (formerly known as Grope Lane) and it appeared that many
of the properties rented out were owned by the church. In some areas
of the kingdom prostitution was regulated, much the same as any other
service, and in 1475 the town of Sandwich established a municipal brothel.
Brothel keepers were regularly fined but as no other punishment was
imposed these fines could be almost regarded as licence fees.
The final talk of
the weekend was from theatrical costumier Suzi Clarke. Suzi presented
a series of slides on medieval dress and described how the garments
would have been made and how she uses the illustrations to re-create
costumes today. Of particular interest was her description of the bride's
dress in the van Eyck portrait of Giovanni Arnolfini and his wife. The
dress was made of wool and it would have been dyed after it was woven.
Suzi also provided some fascinating samples including a beautiful blue
silk tablet-woven girdle with brass buckle. It was a colourful and fascinating
close to the weekend.
<top>
2003 Vills, Villeins and Villainy
Review by Sally Empson
Four-thirty in the afternoon on a Friday in
spring, and time for teashops in York to ensure that stocks of food
and drink are in plentiful supply, and for residents to batten down
the hatches – yes, the Richard III Society have arrived for another
Research weekend!
The subject under scrutiny this year was the
medieval village, its residents and its law enforcement. After registration
and dinner, at which we all had a chance to catch up with old friends
and welcome new faces, we assembled to hear the first lecture of the
weekend. Wendy Moorhen (Research Officer, and organiser of the Study
Weekend) presented an illustrated overview of the medieval village,
starting with the twenty-first century ‘chocolate box’ image and then
taking us back to the (sometimes grim) reality of life in a medieval
vill. The community was not as isolated as one might imagine. It was
required to provide resources for war, both men and money, but they
also had to manage their own resources for the common good. It was subject
to three major ‘institutions’ – the manor (estate administration), the
parish (ecclesiastical administration), and the vill (civil administration).
Touching only briefly on the Courts and Justice
(the subject of a later presentation) Wendy explained about the four
different classes of legal courts and speculated on the imagined case
of a man who could further his criminal career by making mischief on
manor lands, progressing to seducing his neighbour’s wife, indulging
in some rape and pillage which ended in murder, and thus managing to
appear in all four courts.
Much laughter greeted the statement that the
most popular official job in the ‘leet’ or village court was that of
the ale taster who maintained the statutory price of ale.
Guilds were an important part of village life,
especially as anyone who could pay the fees could join – even women,
who seemed to be excluded from most other things. The highlight of the
year was the patronal feast that defined the guild as a specific group
in both the parish and the village. There was a procession and a mass,
both of which were serious business but it was doubtless the third event
of the day – the feast – to which everyone looked forward. Much like
us!
Wendy gave us a most interesting introduction
to the weekend’s studies, successfully linking and introducing the other
subjects and speakers.
To everyone’s horror it had been announced that
the college bar had already closed but a few quiet words between the
organiser and the catering supervisor resulted in complementary drinks
in the bar and an assurance that drinking privileges would be re-instated
forthwith.
Saturday morning saw us assembling for our second
lecture, ‘Peasants and the land’ given by Dr Sarah Rees Jones from the
Dept of Medieval Studies, York University. She began by defining the
word ‘peasant’ in its medieval context – an agricultural worker who
was not a freeholder, whose produce fed only himself and his family,
and who could not be tried at the King’s Court.
Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, there are
few personal written records from the villeins themselves and our information
comes from the written accounts of the manors which were kept to satisfy
the demands of the royals court. These records would consist of financial
reports, and surveys giving the extent and type of lands, crops etc,
and the various types of tenant.
The customary tenants would be full virgaters
(holding 30 acres), half virgaters (15 acres), or
cottagers who had a house and a tiny piece of land only. One man from
each manor would be chosen as a representative of each category and
a description would follow of what that man was expected to do, provide
or receive, together with a financial value for each task.
Dr Rees Jones ended her informative talk by
showing slides illustrating fields laid out in cultivated strips and
gores, explaining how each tenant would have strips in various sections
thus ensuring a wide variety of crop.
After a break for coffee and biscuits we settled
down for a fascinating talk by Lesley (Boatwright) Wynne-Davies entitled
‘To prove (or disprove) a villain’. Once more the original definition
of the key word needed to be explained. A ‘villain’ or ‘villein’ was
someone who lived in a vill. Villainy was expected of them, as they
did not know any better. There were no police – crimes were reported
and sometimes judged by the peasants themselves so it was important
to maintain one’s good reputation with the neighbours – just in case!
The Church was responsible for the proving of
wills. As it also dealt with morality, the salvation of one’s soul,
marriage and infidelity, their courts became known as ‘Bawdy Courts’.
A punishment dictated by a church court would be designed to humiliate
so that everyone in the parish would be talking about it.
Manor Courts dealt with villainy on a small
scale. The examples of questions asked at these courts were quite revealing
of the crimes that were indictable: putting dung in the lane, giving
short weight, theft of goods or wives, eavesdropping, or sleeping by
day and walking by night.
An Honour Court was formed of a group of manors
and the jury was comprised of people who knew all about the accused
and would speak for him. The king’s court dealt with the serious crimes
such as murder.
To illustrate the importance of having one's
peers on the jury Lesley told us of a boy who was accused of stealing
by, and from, his own father. The jury, however, found the boy not guilty
and instead sentenced the father for such maltreatment of his son that
the boy was forced to resort to theft.
The King’s Bench would take over from all
other courts whenever it arrived in the county ‘in eyre’ – the route
having been pre-determined by the king and council. Having provided
us with clear and concise explanatory handouts, Lesley finished her
presentation with the case of Alexander Syda, a cleric and vicar, who
took twenty people (malefactors) to some land that was being held in
right of the church by one Richard Carpenter, the tenant of a prior.
Richard was intending to plough the land but Alexander and his cronies,
claiming that the area was their traditional ‘pitch’, began by playing
football and finished off by vandalising the plough and hanging the
pieces on the surrounding trees. Who said football hooliganism was a
modern invention?
Saturday afternoon was bright and sunny and
ideal for exploring or shopping in York, or just for preparing for the
evening festivities. Our medieval banquet, once again held in the atmospheric
Barley Hall, was preceded this year by the introduction of an incongruous
modernity in the form of ‘official photographs’. Both the photographer
and our friends, old and new, put even those of us who hate having our
picture taken at ease.
Once the photographer had left, the candles
were lit and the fifteenth century was re-created for us. There was
an eclectic mix of modern and period costume, the latter including professionally
made, hired, and very skilfully homemade – one was hard-pressed to know
which was which. The adopted personae included Queen Elizabeth Woodville
and several of her sisters, Cecily Neville, the Duke and Duchess of
Burgundy, the Duchess of Exeter, a very obsequious retainer from the
Court of the King of Poland and, somewhat appropriately, several peasants
who kept threatening to revolt all evening. Of special note were Peter
and Diana Lee who attended as Sir Walter and Lady Elizabeth (Bessie)
Graunt – not only ancestors of Peter Lee’s but also closely associated
with King Richard III. Music was provided by Trouvére who, once again,
managed to sing and play throughout, and despite, our noisy revelry.
The medieval food was delicious and plentiful, including guinea fowl
with a spiced plum sauce, and apple and raisin tart with burnt honeyed
almonds.
Rain greeted our departure from the Hall but
it did not dampen anyone’s spirits after such a magical evening.
Delivering the first lecture of the Sunday morning
must be a formidable prospect following the revelries of the night before
and the depressing prospect of the weekend being over all too soon.
Needless to say Dr Tig Lang rose effortlessly to the challenge with
her talk on ‘Peasants and healing’.
Peasants themselves had no ‘voice’ so the information
we have about their health comes from what other people have written
from an outsider’s point of view. One would imagine that this social
class would be the most likely to suffer from ill health but it would
appear that contemporary sources thought them to be healthier because
they were ‘closer to nature’. Perhaps the best sources were the statements
of miracles left at healing shrines, as usually there were no written
records of cures unless a particular remedy impressed a learned person.
The common man just wanted a cure whereas the physician wanted to know
why a cure worked.
Peasants would usually only consult a physician
if they were really ill, even though it was generally considered
that the poor should not be required to pay for treatment. In fact it
was not unknown for the rich to dress themselves in poor clothes in
order to receive medical advice on the cheap. The pilgrimage season
began when labour on the land ceased to be so intensive, after the harvest
for example. Dust from a saint’s tomb or water from a holy well could
be used for protection or as an aid to healing. Those who could not
make a pilgrimage would pledge a coin to the saint, almost bargaining
for a cure. The coin would sometimes be bent to show that it was a pledged
coin.
It was revealing to learn that even in those
times it was recognised that occupation bore a direct link to ailments
with poor men having more accidents at work while the rich gained their
wounds from private arguments; and women suffering more crippling, blinding
and other disabling illness than men.
Rebecca Oakes, a recipient
of the Society Bursary, gave the next lecture. She began by thanking
the Society for the Bursary without which she would not have been able
to study for her MA. She is currently studying for her Masters degree
at York and her talk ‘“Pennies from Heaven”: Gifts given to the church
and their links to the political landscape’ was the first paper she
had presented in public.
Donations of money, personal jewellery or even
clothing were made to chantries and chapels to ease the passage of the
soul, to fund prayers for one’s ancestors, and to limit the time one
might spend in Purgatory. In fact the fascination with death framed
the church format. Names would be engraved on donated chalices so that
the name would literally be lifted to the heavens at Communion. Saints
were an important part of daily life. For example, seeing an image of
St Christopher would keep you safe from death on that day – this belief
surviving in a slightly changed form to present times. Rebecca outlined
the plan for her dissertation. She intends to examine the effect that
the civil war conflict, known as the Wars of the Roses, had on gifts
to the church. It was very satisfying to see and hear such positive
evidence of the difference our Bursary had made, and we all wished Rebecca
well for her future studies.
Our final lecturer was unavoidably delayed and
was replaced with a lively discussion about a certain Plantagenet king.
The theme for next year’s Study Weekend will
be ‘Medieval Women’ and will again be held at the College of York St
John. Don’t be daunted by the word ‘study’ – it’s an ideal opportunity
to meet fellow Ricardians and listen to interesting speakers in an informal
and pleasant setting.
Once again, our thanks go to Wendy Moorhen for
arranging and co-ordinating the entire weekend. No doubt, even as I
write, she is already searching for next year’s speakers!
<top>
2001 The Arts in Medieval England
Review by Doreen Leach
Here we were again assembled in anticipation
of another interesting couple of days in York. In his welcoming remarks
Peter Hammond pointed out that he and Carolyn had organised all the
research weekends since the first one in 1991 and asked how many of
those present had attended them all. About half had, which gives an
indication of their popularity. Mary O’Regan then gave a short introductory
talk about the arts (and crafts) of the period and the weekend had begun.
The
first speaker on Saturday was Dr Jeremy Goldberg with a lecture entitled
Crafts and Culture in relation to the Corpus
Christi plays. The plays contained a sophisticated theology although
they also had a lot of humour, which was designed to appeal to the not
well educated. They were in English so they would have been understood
by everyone. Of particular note was the fact that although scriptural
drama was a very common feature of urban medieval culture the play cycles
in York (and Chester) spanned the entire scriptural account from the
Creation to Domesday. Outside the northern region e.g. at Coventry the
play cycles did not follow this cycle. It was also interesting to learn
that the Corpus Christi cycle in York may have been related to the local
secret cult of Archbishop Richard Scrope (executed by Henry IV in 1405).
Our next speaker, Louise Hampson, talked about
Words and Pictures: the Creation and Use of
Illuminated Manuscripts in the North East of England. Illuminated
manuscripts were produced for both clerical and lay use, the latter
including wealthy merchants as well as aristocrats. Illustrations could
take the form of patterns, historiated initials, or pictures depicting
saints, everyday activities or biblical events and surprisingly the
choice of illustration did not necessarily relate to the content of
the book. For example, religious books often had secular images. Not
all manuscripts were produced by monks within a scriptorium: they were
also made outside monasteries and there is evidence that craftsmen lived
and worked in the Stonegate area of York in the fourteenth century copying
music and liturgical books.
Louise used a number of slides to illustrate
her talk including the York Gospels and the Bolton Hours. The latter
contains a very fine painting of a relatively early representation of
a white rose. After lunch most of us visited the Minster archives where
we were able to see a wide selection of manuscripts for ourselves. We
were then free to devote time to shopping and tea following which we
returned to the College to prepare ourselves for the evening’s medieval
banquet. It was fascinating to see people emerging from their rooms
transformed by medieval dress and to watch the faces of passers-by as
the party made its way through the streets of York to Barley Hall. Those
with the most splendid outfits were allowed to sit on the top table
and I feel a special commendation must go to Peter and Carolyn Hammond
who looked completely at home in their sumptuous medieval apparel.
As a vegetarian I was a bit apprehensive about
my meal but I need not have worried. The food was varied and delicious
although it did take rather a long time to reach us as each dish had
to be paraded around the room with musical accompaniment before it could
be carved or dished up. The music was provided by two members of the
York based group Trouvère and added greatly to the atmosphere.
Sunday morning began with Allan Barton (a recipient
of the Society’s York Bursary) giving a talk on Medieval
Stained Glass in England: Production, Destruction and Interpretation.
Allan pointed out that nearly one-third of churches still contain medieval
stained glass (often in isolated corners where it was difficult to destroy
deliberately) although much of it is not well preserved. He briefly
explained how glass was made and how the addition of elements to the
mixture created different colours. The oldest glass in Europe is that
at Jarrow, some of which came from the site of the church and some from
the refectory. Following the Norman Conquest the huge expansion in building
gave a massive outlet for glass.
Production
of stained glass underwent a continuous process of development reflecting
changes in architecture and other medium. The thirteenth century brought
the innovation of grisaille glass characterised by its austerity, use
of black lines and little colour but over time this became more elaborate
so that by the fourteenth century grisaille was often relieved by heraldry.
The early fourteenth century was noted for the introduction of yellow
stain, which allowed highlighting without the need for extensive use
of lead. By the middle of the fifteenth century the purity of design
was lost and a lavish display of technique had taken over. Very costly
methods were employed and holes were even drilled in glass so that coloured
‘jewels’ could be inserted. During the second half of the fifteenth
century a paring down took place and by the sixteenth century there
was a marked deterioration in quality. Shading on facial features was
rare, there was lack of colour, fewer architectural features, and heraldic
achievements were not depicted accurately.
Our last speaker Paul Leigh, who had played
at the banquet on the previous evening, gave a brief survey of Music of the Middle Ages. Using excerpts from recorded music and playing
short bursts on the many reproduction instruments he had brought with
him Paul gave an excellent introduction to this topic. Instruments demonstrated
included: a gittern, rebec, psaltery, recorder, flute, tabor pipe and
a crumhorn which once heard is never forgotten – it sounds like an angry
duck.
Hearing music was a treat so people would try
to remember a melody to sing it back to themselves and there was no
doubt that Paul’s talk was also a treat. Sadly it brought the weekend
to a close but there is always the next one to look forward to.
Postscript: many thanks to those who bought
tickets in the Barley Hall raffle – Peter and Carolyn Hammond are pleased
to report that many of the prizes were won by members.
<top>
2000
Life in a Medieval Town House
Review by Toni Mount
Wish
you were here? You should have been because if you weren't you missed
a really excellent weekend. Not only was the Study Weekend at the College
of Ripon and York St John innovative, enjoyable and an opportunity to
renew old acquaintances; it was a chance to meet new members too and
a very successful social event as well.
After
a good dinner on Friday evening, about forty Ricardians, new faces as
well as the not-so-new, began the weekend with a lecture by Jane Grenville
entitled City Des.Res. with Commercial Opportunities: a Look at Urban
Houses and Households in the Later Middle Ages. Jane proved a skilful
and enthusiastic lecturer, illustrating her subject with some colourful
slides. Her knowledge and experience of medieval timber-framed buildings
came across in such an enjoyable and light-hearted way, that even those
like myself, who could write all they knew on a post card still leaving
room for the address and stamp, found ourselves soaking up knowledge
on crown and queen posts. Did you know that medieval houses, like Barley
Hall, were prefabricated? Did you know that the 'good' flush faces of
the timber sections were always positioned facing the top end of the
hall which the lord would see as he sat on the dais? The lively discussion
of the subject continued with Jane in the bar afterwards and many of
us decided that a trip to 'Duttons for Buttons' shop in York, to view
their roof beams in the attic, was a must for the following afternoon.
Breakfast
on Saturday -'and did you sleep well ?' 'I slept like a log (or maybe
a roof beam), thank you' ~ then we trooped along to the Dance Studio
for Peter Hammond's lecture on Furnishing the Medieval House. He
too showed us some excellent slides, illustrating sumptuous hangings
and stout, ornamental chests as well as the more mundane trestle tables,
stools and kitchen equipment. Some equipment was familiar: pestle and
mortar, spits and griddles; other items were not so easily identifiable
- described as a tassel, it might have been a pouch for polishing -
who knows ?
Mary
O'Regan's talk on Food and Spices in the Medieval Household was
just what we needed to get us in the mood for an excellent lunch. It
was a shock to learn that a late fifteenth century £1.00 would buy goods
to the present day value of £400.00 ! Mary covered all the basics -bread,
meat, fish vegetables and fruit -but suckets, or sugar candy, were also
on the menu. We also learned that a complete meal could be cooked in
one big cauldron, and the heat left in a cooling oven was not wasted
but used to dry feathers for stuffing pillows, and herbs. Our forebears
were so economical, at least until it came to little luxuries, like
saffron. No wonder saffron has always been expensive: it takes four
or five thousand hand-picked crocus stamens to make a pound of the precious
spice. More useful knowledge, however, bearing in mind the medieval
banquet planned for the evening, were a few hints at basic table manners
for those unused to dining without forks.
After
a leisurely lunch, either hot or cold buffet, as you wished, some Ricardians
went on a guided tour of Barley Hall. Having had a tour already, I joined
those who went to look at the timber-framing at Duttons before embarking
on a trawl round the bookshops, both new and second hand. This activity
is, of course, compulsory for those of us who live hundreds of miles
from York and only visit once a year or so. Naturally, I spent too much
and bought too many, but I still find it an addictive and delightful
exercise and was only saved from yet further sinful indulgence by having
to rush back to College for a Wills Project Session at 16.45.
Since
the project is nearing completion, the main topic of discussion concerned
what we should tackle next. Almost certainly it seems Ricardians involved
in the project who do not already read the language would like to do
a basic course in medieval Latin so that more of us could tackle documents
in Latin in future. After a rather curtailed Friends of Barley Hall
AGM, everyone rushed off to Barley Hall itself for a banquet, although
arrangements had been made for anyone who didn't want to go to Barley
Hall to eat in the College - only four or five abstained.
The
banquet was the most unusual of the many highlights of this weekend.
About half those attending wore medieval costume and looked superb,
from dukes and duchesses to peasants - all were welcome, above the salt.
Those without appropriate medieval apparel were, nevertheless, medieval
in spirit, after a couple of cups of wine, if not before. Eating chicken
with your fingers from a bread trencher, to the accompaniment of mortrewes
( dumplings) and minstrelsy, is good for the soul, we decided, both
socially and morally. The minstrels sang 'Pastimes in good company'
-a most apt song, if a bit too modern for us, being written, maybe,
by Henry VIII, but by then we had had enough wine to let that pass without
comment. A thoroughly excellent time was had by all.
This was a hard act to follow but young Isabel
Davis managed it with her Sunday morning talk on Family and Community
in the Medieval Urban House which
was most enjoyable and informative. The goings-on in the medieval household
made 'Coronation Street' seem quite mundane. Just what were John and
Margery up to in the hayloft ? And did Richard really beat Roger to
death just for dropping eel skins in the road outside his master's shop.
Read Chaucer's Cook's Tale if you want to know the worst of young apprentices
up to no good. And did you know that Lady Snawshill ['Mrs Barley Hall']
was had up on a charge of adultery? Tut, tut!
The weekend drew to a close with a bang, not
a whimper, with Dr Tig Lang's apothecary's brews and her talk A Look
for Everyday Remedies in the Fifteenth Century. We had our cough
cured with honey and garlic, or, if we were brave enough, a paste hotter
than any Mexican chilli. Our sore lips were treated with garlic-flavoured
salve and a very pleasant aniseed concoction has rendered us all immune
to plague. And if all these failed, we could always resort to pilgrimage.
Unfortunately, Tig's home-made medicaments brought
this year's most enjoyable pilgrimage to York to an end, but we all
eagerly await the next. Two Ricardians
commented on how very welcome they had been made to feel and that had
never once felt at a loss after the first few minutes -'What a very
friendly Society this is,' one said. So congratulations to all concerned
and very many thanks to Peter and Carolyn, Lynda Pidgeon and anyone
else who had a hand in organising such a great weekend; and thanks to
the excellent speakers whose very words we hung upon. See you next year?
Don't miss out in 2001.
<top>
1998 Heraldry at York
Review by Anne Mantle
Forty Society members went to York over Palm
Sunday weekend: six from Leeds, exclusively for the Saturday night session
on Wills; the remained on Heraldry bent, thirty-one resident and three
commuting by the day. The MI was clogged and the weather increasingly
Morton-ian but once arrived, from all directions and distances, we were
warmly housed and amply fed. No surprise: the Hammonds, after all, are
old hands at this game. The historical appetite likewise had been richly
provided for: we had only to open our intellectual beaks and try to
assimilate what was stuffed into them.
A
beginner in the ancient art of heraldry , I was, like other novices
I spoke to, relieved to be inducted gently into the rudiments by Mary
O'Regan's deceptively simple opening session, with fringe comment from
Peter Hammond. (Some of those present were more advanced but nobody
so far as I know complained of being underwhelmed as the weekend progressed).
We began with basic definitions illustrated item by item with Wendy
Moorhen's help at the projector, supplemented by a prepared mini- exhibition
on stands and backed up - humanely - by a double-sided handout: a well-structured
introduction. Next morning we moved on to analysing examples of relatively
plain coats of arms. Most of these belonged to familiar names (and if
you were attending you heard a very proper, if throwaway, murmour of
regret from Mary for having to include ‘all those Woodvilles’).
Then
Peter took the lead, on aspects of heraldry used in manuscripts, followed
by Mary again, describing the organisation and functions of the heralds
themselves before, and to some extent after, Richard's establishment
of the College. After this we were just about capable of benefiting
from our afternoon visit to the Minster. We were met by John Steel,
the Chairman-elect of the Yorkshire Heraldry Society, who steered us
deftly through the physical crowds and heraldically through some of
the numberless shields and stained-glass depictions. Also an expert
in the easy imparting of knowledge, he made our tour a spectacular success
- with the help, be it acknowledged, of the great building itself, still
capable of recalling the transcendental to worldling minds. Very happily,
his commentary dove-tailed well into some of the references in Mary’s
morning lecture.
In the evening, John Saunders and Wendy Moorhen
reported on their respective progress in The Great Wills Operation,
and some of the transcribers related odd or funny extracts from their
work; after which Wendy, protesting heraldic ignorance, described
some references to heraldic properties in actual wills. Ignorant or
no, hers was an exhaustively researched and lucidly delivered
presentation, backed up by her Thames Valley colleagues with an up-to-the-minute
visual aids package synchronised with the commentary. This talk too
contained cross references to some of the Minster tour content, so Saturday
closed for Heraldry people with a satisfactory feeling of consistent
treatment.
The Wills transcribers then gathered together
with John Saunders for serious conference, and we of lesser seriousness
bee-lined to the bar. On Sunday morning Mary surveyed some of the many
uses and applications of heraldry to medieval life in general. Her vast
background knowledge and relaxed control of complexities made her the
ideal tutor for a course of this kind but how many years does it take
to get to where she stands? Closing the course, just as we approached
Dangerous-Leamer Stage Two (‘Let go, I can manage’) Peter administered,
under the cunningly straightforward title of Royal Heraldry, a short
sharp shock to destroy complacency. The culmination of a brilliantly
visual weekend, it was also a bewildering gallimaufry of labels, inner
scutcheons and charges, badges, crests and miscellaneous zoological
supporters. Here was a real sharpener of genealogical wits, an appropriate
reminder that heraldry came out of the battlefield and if you weren't
quick, you were dead.
Final
impression, then: an ambitious project expertly launched amid general
enjoyment. Some at least will go on; those who had already started will
have had their sense of progress strengthened. All of us, at whatever
stage, must feel gratitude to the handful of brave souls who took it
on for our benefit.
POSTSCRIPT: Since returning home I have been
more aware of coats of arms and heraldic supporters in public places:
there are still a great many about. The other day I spotted a lady dressed
in a big woolly jumper in bold four-square pattern, a virtual tabard
(worn heraldwise). Quick! I thought, let's blazon that before she moves
away. Um. ..Quarterly, One: sable, a marguerite en soleil, argent. Two:
gules - oh dear ! -she's disappeared behind another group. Nothing left
in sight but a shoulder. Er, let's see: manche Raglane, sable ..? Well,
perhaps not.
<top>
1997
Voices from the Past
Review
by Heather Falvey
The Society's Wills project has highlighted
the fact that there is a great deal of information available in wills
about people's private lives, belongings, and, to a certain extent,
beliefs. The aim of this year's Research Weekend, held at the College
of Ripon and York St John, York, was to show that there are other
'personal' sources from the fifteenth century. The different speakers
introduced us to a wide variety of 'Voices from the Past'.
Professor Felicity Riddy, of York University's
Centre for Medieval Studies, began the weekend with a very instructive
lecture, advising caution when looking at seemingly personal writings,
as they may have been transcribed by, or dictated to, scribes. She described
various forms of writing, some of which give us insights into aspect
of medieval life which are not mentioned in any formal records. Commonplace
books, which are private collections of prose and poetry assembled by
individuals for their own use tell us much about the compiler's literary
preferences. She read some Middle English poetry in a 'medieval' accent,
which was very evocative. She queried whether wills were true voices
from the past as they may have been produced as a result of collaboration
between the testator, scribe, and relatives. Letters followed certain
conventions in the formal openings and closing, but, at the very least,
they tell us what the sender was doing on a particular day. In conclusion,
she suggested that when reading medieval texts we automatically adopt
the ‘I' position and are drawn to them because it seems as though WE
are then in the Middle Ages.
On Saturday
morning Mary O'Regan spoke about 'popular religion', concentrating on
the practice of religion rather than beliefs. She based her talk on
J. Scarisbrick's The Reformation and the English People (1982),
which outlines the way in which society altered as a result of the changes
imposed on it. Scarisbrick's research has led him to conclude that there
was not much enthusiasm for the Reformation: there was room for
criticism in the medieval church but it was basically vibrant. Using
evidence in wills, Scarisbrick argues that the sheer volume of religious
bequests implies an active interest in religious matters. Mary suggested
that we can hear the testator's voice in his will because of
the detailed nature of many of the bequests. She then went on to describe
one of the main practical expressions of religion in the Middle Ages,
the parish gild, which had both religious and social purposes. The question
and answer session high-lighted the religious prejudices inherent in
society today: the attitude that 'the Reformation happened and therefore
what preceded it must have needed reforming' completely ignores all
of the recent scholarship on medieval religion.
Next Tig Lang spoke on 'Case notes of a London
Surgeon in the 15th century'. For her PhD Tig has been working on a
Book of Surgerie compiled between 1403-1412 by John Bradmore,
a royal surgeon with a varied clientele. Most of the text is collected
from earlier medical authorities but, unusually, some pages are drawn
directly from his own experience, giving details of six of his cases,
their treatments and outcomes. She outlined four: an attempted suicide
at the court of Henry IV by the Master Pavilioner of the King's Household;
the treatment of Henry, Price of Wales (the future Henry V), for an
arrow wound sustained during the battle of Shrewsbury; a London carpenter
who was careless with a chisel; and a man bitten by another human (treatment
was unsuccessful in this case). It appears that Bradmore included the
five successful treatments in his text because they show that his own
particular techniques worked, whereas those mentioned by the authorities
did not, and he wished to pass on information that might be useful to
people in the future. This talk was absolutely fascinating and as the
text that Tig is studying was actually written by Bradmore, his voice
speaks clearly as he recounts the treatments that he performed.
On Saturday afternoon
we visited a lovely old church by the River Ouse, All Saints, North
Street, with Dr Sarah Rees-Jones, one of Professor Riddy's colleagues,
as our guide. Unfortunately the church had been damaged by an arson
attack in February, and the fire and the resultant smoke damage made
it difficult to see much of the painted ceilings; however the magnificent
fifteenth-century stained glass windows were mainly untouched. Dr Rees-Jones
related the history of the parish and its church. Two of the main benefactors
were Nicholas Blackburn senior and junior and the windows which they
commissioned spoke volumes about their wealth and aspirations. Interestingly,
early in the twentieth century the Anglo-Catholic congregation of All
Saints installed a rood and a rood screen, thus restoring the chancel
to its medieval appearance.
The
Saturday evening session, taken by John Saunders and Wendy Moorhen,
was a progress report on the Wills Project. Approximately two hundred
wills have been transcribed, of which eighty have been transcribed twice
and are now ready to be checked by a third person. The index of printed
wills has reached the computerisation stage. Several problems relating
to standardising the date of each will and its probate and testators'
names have come to light, but Wendy has managed to solve them.
On Sunday morning, Peter Harnmond spoke on 'Life
and Manners'. He felt that anything written in the fifteenth century
is a voice from the past, even if it does not belong to the alleged
speaker or writer. He described various manuals of instruction on acceptable
behaviour; these books indirectly show how people actually behaved as
well as how they ought to. The Menagier de Paris (The Goodman of
Paris} written by, or on behalf of, a wealthy Parisian householder
for his second wife, tells her how to behave in order to make life comfortable.
Books of Courtesy provided a code of good manners. Books of
Urbanity were designed to be used in great households and included
how a squire should behave towards his lord, how to arrange a meal,
etc. (Peter used them in his book Food and Feast) In Books
of Precedence emphasis was placed on the importance of social rank.
In The Babees Book, amongst other things, young men were instructed:
'Don't pick your nose or teeth at table'; 'Blow not your nose on the
napkin'. The School of Virtue, written for sons of yeomen, depicts
a way of life well outside that of great lords' households for the young
men were to dress themselves, make their own beds, and they were advised
to take a pen and ink to school. There appears to have been only one
book in which a goodwife taught her daughter. All of these books reflect
what life was like in the Middle Ages.
The final session, taken by Ken Hillier, ably
assisted by Diana Brass, was on 'Lives and letters in the Fifteenth
Century'. Ken outlined the various collections of letters from the fifteenth
century that are in print and then used examples, mainly from the Paston
Letters, to show what life was like. He pointed out that the Pastons
were not a particularly remarkable family and that the volume of their
correspondence was not necessarily extraordinary; the family's importance,
and fame, lies in the fact that their letters have survived, with the
result that we have been able to learn a great deal about medieval life
from them. Ken and Diana read out several letters from various members
of the family relating to the vexed question of marriage.
The weekend was enjoyed
by all and once again thanks must go to Peter and Carolyn Hammond for
organising such an interesting selection of talks. It is a tribute to
the depth of scholarship within the Society itself that they were able
to invite so many speakers from amongst the membership itself.
<top>
1995
Religion
Review
by Cris Reay
The
(now) annual Research Weekend had as its theme Medieval Religion and
began earnestly with Mary O'Regan painstakingly going through the different
forms of services (very useful for those of us who have never taken
part in any sort of Catholic ceremony). It cannot be stressed too much
that religious observance was looked on very differently by medieval
man than his twentieth century counterpart. This initial session of
emphasis was just right, no matter how much fifteenth century man may
have believed or otherwise, it was the very fibre of their existence.
Every sphere of life was regulated, touched or ordered by religion.
Livia
Visser-Fuchs’ talk about Richard lIl’s Book of Hours and other liturgical
books was fascinating and enlightening, with a daunting list of possible
books that the mediaeval person could, and often did, collect. However
once again it assisted in focusing the mind upon the real stress on
religion in everyday life. Medieval society needed and relied upon the
books, small and large, rich or meanly produced, as a constant reminder
of the order of things. The extant books are a mirror through which
we are able, in the twentieth century, to glimpse the ideas which the
fifteenth century had to grapple with. They cannot however tell us what
medieval man or woman thought of them.
The
wills project had a discussion session which proved interesting, innovative
and riveting with Toni Mount's account of searching for information
on the subjects of her first and subsequent wills. It was inspiring
and witty and I only wish that 'my' testator lived rather nearer the
Scottish borders than he did. A very useful discussion ensued with problems
of indexing and layout (almost) organised. I was also relieved to discover
that I was not the only participant who had not completed and sent off
my first will. The guest speaker was Ann Rycraft who gave a short but
fascinating talk on the Wills project she is conducting in York, covering
the period 1483-85, with her last proven will in 1510. All her wills
are in Latin. Some of the objects left by the testators were a revelation.
The White Beds left by women to other female members of the family were
thought to have been special childbirth beds, for instance.
Heather
Falvey rounded off the weekend with an interesting discussion on the
the book by Eamon Duffy 'The Stripping of the Altars: Traditional
Religion in England 1400-1580', (Yale, 1992). A daunting read but
Heather made it sound interesting enough to buy a copy and attempt it.
The
venue of York for anything will
always make me apply, the city is rather Iike a bird of paradise with
its wonderful selection of all things historical. An embarrassment of
riches? – well, even the downpour of Saturday could not spoil my pleasure
in the city and the tour of York Minster Treasury and Visitors Exhibition
was enjoyed by all, and Canon Toy's guidance and information about the
silver and vestments were invaluable. Thanks are due to Peter and Carolyn
Hammond for organising another successful weekend.
<top>
1994 Medieval Wills
Review
by Lynda Pidgeon
This
was the third in a series of research weekend, and the second to be
held in York. Despite the daffodils which speckled the banks of the
city walls signalling that this was spring, the weather was wet and
cold. Undeterred, several early arrivals booked in their bags and hurried
off to see something of York. Many familiar faces could be spotted during
the afternoon, having a late lunch or rushing off to another book shop.
The
theme of this weekend was Medieval Wills. Peter Hammond eased us gently
into the weekend with a brief introduction to the subject. Wills can
be a useful source of information on individuals and their families.
Some definitions of the terms used are helpful in understanding a will.
Trying not to pre-empt Mary O'Regan's talk on Saturday entitled 'Wills
and the Law', Peter explained that originally a will and a testament
were separate legal documents which gradually merged. A will was a written
statement by which a person regulated the disposition of land and property.
A testament disposed of personal goods and dealt with debts. The testator
was the person making the will or testament, while the executor carried
out the provisions made in the will/testament.
A
will had to be proved by the probate court as being the genuine last
wishes of the testator, before the executor could carry out the provisions
of the will. If someone died without a will a letter of administration
had to be obtained. Once the will was proved the original copy was filed
and a probate copy given to the executors which noted where and when
probate was approved and to whom probate was given. It has been estimated
that some 36,000 wills exist for the period 1383- 1528 in the Prerogative
Court of Canterbury; there are more elsewhere. Wills follow a standard
format, opening with the testator committing his soul to God and affirming
he is of sound mind; various saints would then be invoked and the body
bequeathed for burial. Provision would then be made to pay any debts
and lastly he would dispose of his worldly goods.
I use 'he', and Mary's talk on Saturday provides
the reason. Married women could only make a will with their husand's
permission, otherwise it was void: a wife's property belonging to her
husband. Widows and spinsters could make wills but the majority of existing
wills are made by men. It was generally only the wealthy who made wills,
though a few do exist for those of lesser means.
Property was differentiated between real and
personal. Personal property consisted of moveable goods and chattels
both animate and inanimate, also the remaining years on a leasehold.
Real/realty consisted of freehold land. Strict rules governed the inheritance
of land. The heir at law received all the land except a small portion
which belonged to the deceased's wife by dower right. This often meant
a daughter might get nothing if the heir was a male cousin. Various
means were therefore found to get around the law. This was usually achieved
by enfeoffment, i.e. the testator enfeoffed his land to feoffees, who
were entrusted to use the lands as the testator wished. Common law regarded
the feoffees as the beneficial owners but they were unable to use the
land for their own purposes.
Wills were governed by church law; all the personal
estate had to be divided into three, one third for the widow, one third
for the children, and the remaining third would be disposed of as the
testator wished. If there were no children then the split was fifty-fifty
.If the testator made no provision for the disposition of the remaining
part then it went automatically to the church. Wills had to be proved
in the church court and were looked at very closely to ensure that the
church got its full entitlement, and, also, probate had to be paid for.
Anne Sutton completed the morning session with
a talk on 'Piety as shown in wills'. One important point made was that
we cannot be sure from a person's will if they really were as pious
during their lifetime as the will may suggest, for a will was after
all made in the contemplation of death and the life hereafter. Also
it is difficult to know if the will was carried out by the executors
exactly as the testator wished. It is therefore necessary to look for other supporting
evidence where possible. For example, there may be visible evidence
in the testator's parish church, benefactions to a religious community
, almshouses, etc.
For
me, the highlight of the weekend was the tour round Barley Hall with
Dr Charles Kightly. It is intended to bring the Hall back to life much
as it would have been in the 1480s. Dr Kightly had done an enormous
amount of research to get everything within the Hall as accurate as
possible, from the rush mats to the linen windows and the tableware.
In the evening he followed up his tour with a talk on how the use of
wills had helped him. The Hall belonged to Nostell Priory and had originally
been built as the priors' town house in the 14th century. During the
latter half of the 15th century they had rented it out to William Snawshill,
goldsmith, member of the City Council and one time mayor of York. William
had been among the members of the council who had ridden over to Middleham
to present gifts to Edward, Prince of Wales. Later he witnessed Richard's
entry into York on his royal progress.
Dr.
Kightly had found most of the wills of the Snawshill family except William’s.
These helped build not only a family picture, but gave an indication
of some of the household items, the best example being a red Flanders
chest left to William by his mother. This has now been reproduced and
graces William's parlour. By using the wills of the other residents
in Stonegate and of family friends an idea of the local community and
their relationships with the Snawshill family can also be obtained.
Most bequests seem to have been to Lady Snawshill.
On
Sunday morning Anne Sutton and Livia Visser-Fuchs took us through a
medieval Latin will. This was where we were required to do some work
as well. It was a good demonstration of how medieval abbreviations can
be interpreted in several ways. The medieval cleric knew exactly what
was meant; unfortunately it is not always so obvious today. A great
deal of patience and perseverance is needed.
Many
thanks to Carolyn and Peter for once again organising a wonderful weekend.
I am sure I am not the only one looking forward to the next one!
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1992
Researching Medieval People
Review by Doreen Leach
The second Ricardian Research Weekend was held
at St Deiniol's Library from 18th-20th September. It was attended by
21 people including speakers and focussed largely on how to find out
information about 15th-century people. St Deiniol's Library was founded
by WE Gladstone with the aim of providing access to a large library
in a peaceful residential setting. Situated at Hawarden, Clwyd, a few
miles west of Chester it may possibly be the only residential library
in the world.
I was lucky because travelling from London by
car meant I was able to stop on the way at Chirk Castle in the Welsh
borders. This castle was given to Richard, Duke of Gloucester, by Edward
IV but he did not hold it for long because he swapped it for land elsewhere.
The new owner was William Stanley. There are few traces of the medieval
period inside the castle, but the outside gives a clear impression of
the formidable fortress which was originally built to intimidate the
Welsh.
On
to Hawarden and after greeting old friends and meeting some new ones
the highlight of the first evening was the introduction to the library
which has a strong history collection including some items which I had
long wanted to look at such as the Calendars of Close and Patent Rolls.
The next morning we listened to a talk from
Carolyn Hammond and John Saunders on 'Using Printed Sources'. and from
Peter Hammond on ‘Genealogical Sources'. This was followed by an enthralling
talk by Anne Sutton entitled 'Where there's a will there's a way’, whlch
introduced us to the pleasures and a few frustrations of using wills
and testaments to gain insight into people who lived in the fifteenth
century.