Medieval Life: Part two

I had mentioned some of the professions or trades in my previous blog. I wanted to bring up one point of the medieval era; we have to think of it more than a period of time, we have to remember location. We have a tendency to think that the medieval world as one place and time. The time frame we think of as the medieval time or Middle Ages is dealing with Europe, but, there was a world outside of Europe too. Every country and society was experiencing something at that period, Asia, Middle East and the Americas all have a wonderful historical past that we should not overlook. Also in terms of specific location, Europe itself is not one big country; parts of Europe encountered different experiences during this same time frame, one country may have been suffering from decease and poverty while another flourished.


I thought I would give a list professions and specific tools and devices which are listed in my novel. Hopefully these will show you that technology was more advanced in the middle ages then what you first thought and that people were not as medieval (sorry for the pun).

Term Used Definitions

Atilliator   Maker of crossbows

Barber   A person trained in cutting hair, dentistry and surgery.

Blacksmith   A worker of “black” metal such as iron. A very important profession during the middle ages.

Bouncer   A hired guard for inns and taverns. Ensured currency brought into the establishment was real.

Bottlery   Where the wine was served or placed in wooden casks.

Buttery   Place where fine ale is bottled.

Carpenter   A diverse trade. Skilled in woodworking to build furniture to siege weapons.

Cauteries   Iron Surgical tools that were heated so they could seal off skin.

Cheapjack   Merchant, or peddler.

Cordwainer   Maker of leather products usually shoes.

Crier   An official of the court, who makes public pronouncements.

Curry Combe   One of the most important possessions in medieval times was the horse. This combe was made of metal and used to groom the horse.

Ewerer   Someone who is responsible for the heating of water. A ewer was a type of pitcher used by nobles to wash.

Fuller Hammer   Used by the large blacksmith to form grooves in the metal.

Gimet   A medieval wood working tool, a smaller version of an auger

Haberdasher   A seller of men’s clothing.

Herald   Someone who would make announcements, but also was an expert advisor.

Innkeeper   Owner or operator of an Inn. One of the more lucrative professions during the time.

Joiner   A craftsman who did fine woodwork, particularly shaping wood to fit together to form joints.

Mandragora   Mandrake root used in medicine.

Marshall   Officer in charge of a specific location or items, such as being in charge of horse’s or carts and wagons.

Order of Hospitallers   A religious and military order dedicated to take care of the injured and sick

Plane   A woodworking tool.

Ropewalk   Usually a large long building (or outside) where twines are interlaced until a rope is made.

Sculluion (Scullery Maid)   Individual responsible for the cleaning of pots and pans and was considered one of the lower positions of the castle staff.

Soporific Sponge   A sponge soaked in medieval anesthesia.

Thirteen Knot Rope   A rope or cord, with 13 evenly spaced knots. Can be used as a simple calculator or be used to form geometric shapes

Villein   Worked the land and paid the lord for this privilege. He was attached to the land by contract.

Trapper   A person who traps or hunts game. In some locations the trapper had to be given permission to trap by local authorities.



NEXT TIME: SOME MEDIEVAL FUN, YEA