BRAND NEW EVENT: PEASANTS' LIFE at AYDON CASTLE

9th April 2017, 10am - 5pm.

Discover what life for peasants living in Northumberland was like in medieval times at this brand new event!

Wander our living history camp within the walls of the castle, immerse yourself in the sights and smells of medieval life and enjoy our varied displays from weapons display to mummers play.

This event is brought to you by Iron Shepherds Living History with the support of English Heritage.




PEASANTS' LIFE at AYDON CASTLE, near Corbridge.
9th April 2017, 10am - 5pm.

The Timetable of a Monk | Life in the Past Festival

The lot of a medieval monk living in one of the many abbeys across Britain was not an easy one. Men did not become monks for an easy life, they became monks to worship the lord with their work, prayer and devotion. They often perceived themselves as soldiers engaged in a spiritual war against their imperfect, fallen nature. This made for a hard life with each day was a long one, packed full of worship and work.

What follows is the basic timetable for a Cistercian choir monk living in a medieval abbey during the summer months:

2.00am –         A choir monks day would start early with the first of 8 services, Matins. The monks would gather in the church and stand in the choir stalls. Here they would celebrate the night office with singing. Two monks, the precentor and succentor, lead the singing and keep their eyes on the other monks to make sure no one nods off.

2.45am –         Matins ends and the monks can rest in the cloister for a time. Sadly they aren’t allowed back to bed.

3.00am –         Monks return to church for Lauds, the second service of the day. This one is to celebrated daybreak.

3.15am –         Lauds ends and the monks can return to the cloister to read for 45 minutes.

4.00am –         At sunrise it’s time for Prime to mark the first hour of the day. Another short service lasting only 15 minutes.

4.15am –         It is now time for the chapter meeting. Monks would meet in the chapter house daily. They would sit on benches around the walls while they watch and listen to the Abbot as he says a prayer and reads a chapter of the Rule of St Benedict.

Following this all the monks must confess there faults and sins. They would then be punished accordingly often having to lie flat on the ground in front of the others, a practice known as prostration. In some cases some may have to fladulate, in other words whip, themselves.

Announcements follow this and the meeting ends with Psalm 129 and prayers before tasks are given out to all the monks.

4.45am –         The monks leave the chapter house to go about their daily tasks for around 2 and a half hours

7.30am –         Time for the monks to return to the cloister for half an hour of reading.

8.00am –         Terce, the third service of the day. The monks return to the church to take up position in the choir stalls. Mass is this time spoken for the monks to listen too and once a week wine and bread are taken to symbolize the body and blood of Christ.

9.00am –         Monks return to the cloister for further reading although priests stay in church for private mass.

11.00 am –      Church again for the forth service of the day, Sext. The name sext comes from latin for six and it is so called because it was originally celebrated on the sixth hour of the day.

11.30am –       Time for dinner. All the monks gather in the refectory, or frater, where the main meal of the day is served. They stand for blessings before sitting down to eat. Beans covered in vegetable juice is often popular at this time and each monk has a serving of bread for the day, their daily bread. Over the course of the meal a monk stands in a large pulpit and reads from scripture.

12.00pm –       Following dinner the monks join the procession of thanksgiving in the church before being allowed to take a nap in the dormitories or read.

2.00pm  -        Now comes the time for None which involves more singing in the church.

2.30pm –         Following None the monks return to their work, be that in the kitchen, out in the herb gardens or working the land with the lay brother. This last for around 3 and a half hours.

6.00pm –         A return to church for Vespers, the seventh service of the day.

6.30pm -         During the summer months monks are allowed two meals a day and now is the time for the second, although it isn’t as big as the first. They are given vegetables and fruit to eat with whatever is left of their daily bread.

7.15pm –         The collation reading. Monks gather in the north cloister walk and listen to a reading by the reader of the week.

7.30pm –         Back to church for Compline, the last service of the day. At the end of this services the abbot sprinkles the monks with Holy Water.

8.00pm –         Bed time. After a long and tiring day of work, reading and singing the monks are allowed to return to bed for six hours of sleep.  Then it’s time for Vigils again and the start of another day.

As you can see there is a lot for a monk to fit into his day and it certainly isn’t an easy life for them. The days were long with out much rest, meals were scarce and not the most delicious. Nearly every day was spent in the same way never leaving the precinct wall of their monastery. Is it a life you would want to lead?

www.lifeinthepast.co.uk

Making History Come to Life | VIDEO

We recently completed a short video promoting ourselves which has been put together with various shots taken throughout 2015. It gives a little taste of what we do and hopefully soon we will have more videos delving a little deeper into what we about.

In the meantime enjoy the video here:

How to have a Medieval Christmas

Christmas today is a time for giving, a time for sharing precious moments with our loved ones and a time for celebration. Back in Medieval times it was a little different, but not much!

The term 'Christmas' came about in England during the 11th century and was an amalgamation of an Old English expression for the Festival of Christ - 'Christes Maesse'.

Christmas at this time followed much older traditions and celebrations which predominantly celebrated the thought of longer days and the warmer, better weather of Spring approaching. They also were a time to think back and celebrate the past year while there was less agricultural work to be done and thus more time. Time for parties!

Festivals like the Scandinavian Yule and Roman Saturnalia had perviously been celebrated at this time of year and are where Christians borrowed the date for Christmas from.

The exact date for the birth of Jesus was never mentioned in the Bible so the Church used the dates of Pagan festivals as the time for their new celebration of Christ. This made sense as everyone was already celebrating at this time but it also could help Christianise the pagan winter festivals. Something desired at the time. The practice of gift giving at Christmas was even banned for a time by the Catholic Church as it was suspected it had pagan origins! Luckily this ban didn't last.

Christmas soon became a time for feasting, drinking, gift giving, singing, dancing and indulging. Similar to today!

So, if you want to inject a bit of Medieval Christmas into your modern celebrations here are a few suggestions that might help:

1. Get Rid of the Tree

People didn't bring trees inside to decorate their homes back then, although trees were important symbols. The Church would decorate outdoor trees with apples on Christmas Eve, a day known as 'Adam and Eve Day' at the time. Seasonal plant foliage was often used as inside decoration; holly, ivy and mistletoe were the most commonly used.

2. Don't Sing Carols in Church

Singing carols is a large part of Christmas in todays society but in Medieval England carols were banned in churches. Many took the word 'carol' too literally it meaning 'to sing and dance in a circle'. This kind of behaviour would ruin Christmas masses so the Church ruled to send carol singers outside the church walls.

3. Eat Rectangular Mince Pies

Mince pies were baked in a rectangular case in Medieval times to symbolise the crib which the baby Jesus lay in. Certain ingredients like nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves were meant to represent the gifts given by the three wise men. Originally these pies actually did include shredded meat alongside fruit and spices. It was also believed to be lucky to eat one a day over the 12 days of Christmas. You can find our more about Mince Pies in a great English Heritage article here. It even has a 1591 recipe for you to try.

4. Call it Xmas

Xmas is not a modern abbreviation, it in fact originates from Medieval times. The X stands for the Greek letter chi. This was the early abbreviation for Christ making Xmas Christmas. The X also symbolises the cross Jesus was crucified on.

5. Don't Eat Turkey

Turkey was not brought to this country until the 15th Century so never graced the tables of Medieval folk for Christmas feasts. Instead goose was the most popular option closely followed by venison. Of course the poor wouldn't get the best cuts of meat but may be lucky enough to be given the offal, or umbles as it was known, from their lords. They would cook this with other ingredients in a pie called 'umble pie'.  This later became 'humble pie' used widely in a common expression today.

6. Give to the Poor

Boxing day was seen as a reversal of fortune, a time where the rich would provide gifts, usually of money, to the poor. Money was gifted in hollow clay pots with a slit in the top called 'piggies', an early version of the piggy bank. These had to be smashed to get to the money.

There you have it, a few ideas to make your Christmas that little bit more Medieval this year.


We hope you've enjoyed this post and maybe learnt a little something new. What ever you get up to this holiday season we hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Making a Writing Quill

Quills were one of the dominant forms of writing throughout the Medieval period. Made from the feathers of common birds, like geese and ducks, quills were easy to make and worked brilliantly well.

Monks living in monasteries, like the Abbey of St Mary's in Furness, would use quills on a daily basis to write copies of scripture while sat in the Cloister Range. At our upcoming event, Life in the Past, during our Meet the Monks day (7th June, 11am - 5pm) you can have a go at writing with one of these wonderful writing implements.

This is how such a quill is made:

Step 1

Take a feather, the one I am using is a white duck feather. You then can cut away some of the feather's barbs (the main body of the feather). I leave some at the top, mostly for decoration.

Step 2

Now it's time to start shaping the nib of the quill, the bit that will do the writing and hold the ink. Feathers have a hollow shaft towards the bottom, this is perfect for creating an ink well which will hold the ink while writing.

It's time to cut the end. Take a sharp knife and take an angled cut down towards the end of the shaft. Following this cut again in a steeper angle nearer the end and shape the nib.

Step 3

Once the nib has been shaped cut a slit down the centre of the nib. This will allow the ink to flow down the shaft to the parchment. Once this has been done you have a new, working, quill. Ready for writing with.

Feather Quills are wonderful implements to write with. It really makes you appreciate the art of writing, that is of course if you can write. In our time not everyone was literate or able to write. Monks were well educated and wrote everyday but peasants would, mostly, never write or read.

800 years ago this year, in 1215, the Magna Carta was written with feather pens just like this!

Come see us on the 7th of June at Furness Abbey to have a go writing with one of these quills at our Meet the Monks display and discover what life was like for Monks in the 13th Century. You can also come and see us at our Meet the Peasants day on the 6th June to learn more about life in the 12th Century.

 

  

Making a Horn Spoon, by Bertram

Recently I got some horn. I had wanted four small cow horns to utilise but I ended up with three nice small horns and one huge horn! I did not expect this. As I had such a large horn and not much use for it I decided I would try out making a horn spoon. I've never done it before and am always willing to try new crafts once! So this is what I did:

Step 1

I took the large horn and cut it in half so I was left with two pieces. The top piece (the larger piece) I then cut in half length ways ready for boiling.

Step 2

I placed one half in a cauldron of boiling water over a fire. The heat from the water makes the horn become more flexible and able to be shaped, or in my case flattened out. Once it was hot enough I removed it from the water for flattening.

 Step 3

I put the horn on a flat piece of wood then popped half a log on top of it and applied pressure. This flattened the flexible horn which meant I could then use it for spoon making.

Step 4

Now the horn was flat I could start cutting a spoon shape. I did this using a hack saw and a coping saw to give me the rough shape.

Step 5

Once cut I could use an abrasive material, like sandstone, to smooth the rough edges of the horn and polish it slightly. Once this was done I could then boil it again and shape the bowl of the spoon making a functional and usable utensil!

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Bertram's Bio:

Born near Daltune (Dalton-in-Furness) in 1116 Bertram had a hard start to life working the farm lands with his parents and brother Ernolf. In his teenage years he developed a passion for woodwork and enhanced his skills on a pole lathe. Now, when he isn't working the land, he travels the county selling his wares where he can to earn a crust. Making all sorts of wooden objects from bowls to spoons and even toys Bertram has gained a reputation for quality goods in many parts of the county and just about manages to stay afloat. 

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The Use of Wood in the 12th Century, by Bertram

Wood. Where to start with wood?

Well, it is one of the most commonly used and grown resources in my time and, I'm sure, in yours! Here in Furness we have many woodlands near our towns and villages and these woodlands are used readily to collect timber for a huge variety of uses.

Bertram's wooden creations

Here are just a few example of how we use wood:

• To build our houses. Wood is used to create the base frames for our homes and buildings. We also use willow and hazel branches to weave in our walls before covering them in daub (horse dung, clay and straw).
• To create our furniture. Wood is used to make any furniture we can afford, such as tables, chairs or stools. Being a peasant I can't afford much of this!
• To make utensils. Wood is used to make a large selection of utensils from spoons to bowls.
• To make tools. As utensils wood is used to make many different tools from mallets to textile weaving and net making tools.
• To make toys. Wood is used to make many different toys for children to play with including toy dolls.
• To build boxes and chests for storage. We all need storage solutions and for us boxes and chests are some of the best and wood is used to build them.

As you can see we do use wood, a lot! It is one of the most durable as well as cheapest resources to be found. Metal is a fantastic resource but it is very expensive. To create usable metal objects takes a massive amount of work; taking rocks, smelting them to get iron then blacksmithing it to create objects. It is not an easy process! But wood is easily accessible for all and easier to manipulate, although it is still a skill to work it well.

Tools for Working Wood

Woodworking tools

You can use many different tools to work wood but there is one tool that is a must; an axe! Axes are not only used to chop down trees but to also split and shape wood. There are many varieties of axe for various jobs, you can see a T-axe pictured here along with a selection of other tools. This is a small hand axe, perfect for shaping wood before further work. I use this to shape my bowl blanks ready to go on my lathe. The other tools seen here are a draw knife- a flat blade with two outer handles, this can be used by pulling the blade towards yourself to shave wood. A chisel- another staple for wood workers, chisels are used to remove wood and cut into wood. A twist auger- a small hand drill which can be used in a turning motion while applying pressure to drill a small hole. Two gouges- both used to gouge into wood, great for creating the bowls in spoons.

Bertram on his lathe

Woodturning, something I specialise in, is often undertaken in my time and is a way of creating usable objects, like bowls, by turning the raw material to shape it. The pole lathe is used to do this. A pole lathe is a piece of machinery, or a tool if you prefer, which uses a pole or two of green, flexible wood with rope attached to both the pole and a pedal. Pushing the pedal pulls the rope which in turn pulls the pole to create energy which can turn a piece of wood.

You can see here (left) myself turning a bowl. Attached to the wood being turned is another piece called a mandrel, of which the rope is wrapped around. This means that when the rope is pulled it turns the wood rapidly back and forth, with this motion you can then cut into the raw material, on the down turn, using a metal tool called a hook chisel. This is a long metal shaft with a hook on its end, this hook is sharp  and is what cuts the wood. Eventually, with a lot of work, patience and sweat you can end up with a bowl or another lathed item. I have used the lathe to create bowls, spoons, toy dolls and even other tools.

The pole lathe is a remarkable piece of machinery which has been around for many centuries. It's a simply constructed bit of kit which can do a powerful job and it is almost completely made from wood itself!

A basic stool

Some Examples of Wood Use

Furniture Making:

You can make many different types and variations of furniture with wood. From high end tables and chairs for the lords and ladies of the land to much more humble and basic furniture, like stools, for the common folk like my good self. Seen here (right) is a simple stool made from just four pieces of wood in a short amount of time. The top, or seat, is a piece of split log and the legs are three small branches. The branches are shaved at the top and slotted into holes drilled in the split log. Simple but effective! You may note that it is three legged, this is because three legs can sit better on rough ground and trust me, we have a lot of that around here! Of course using these same principles you can make tables, something often needed.

Wooden spoons

The making of spoons:

Spoons are commonly used across the country and are mostly made from wood. Only the wealthy can afford metal spoons and personally I think wooden ones are much better! They are easy enough to make, take a log, split it a few times to get some nice planks then either cut or shave it into shape. Finally carve out the bowl of the spoon and there you have it. Of course you can even turn spoons making lovely handles and deep bowls.

Wooden Children's Toys

Toys:

Ah, toys. Something we all have in some form when young. In our time toys are not only used for play but also for learning. Things like dolls can be used for young girls to play with but also make clothes for, thus learning the skill of sewing, something vital for later life. Toys like horses and spinning tops are also commonly made for play. Spinning tops often made from the discarded centers from bowls.

There are so many uses for wood it is hard to fit them all in here but hopefully these few examples will give you an idea of its importance in my time.

Wood is a durable, beautiful resource which I adore. Its uses are endless and without it where would we be?

Until next time,

Bertram

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Bertram's Bio:

Born near Daltune (Dalton-in-Furness) in 1116 Bertram had a hard start to life working the farm lands with his parents and brother Ernolf. In his teenage years he developed a passion for woodwork and enhanced his skills on a pole lathe. Now, when he isn't working the land, he travels the county selling his wares where he can to earn a crust. Making all sorts of wooden objects from bowls to spoons and even toys Bertram has gained a reputation for quality goods in many parts of the county and just about manages to stay afloat. 

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A Day in a Norman Camp (a time-lapse video) | VIDEO

Another fun time-lapse video this time taken throughout the entire day while we were at Furness Abbey for the Medieval Fair! Watch as hundreds of people visited our camp and enjoyed what we had on display and what we had to say. It was a brilliant, busy day!

How to Build a Norman Camp (in 10 seconds) | VIDEO

A short time-lapse video created as we set our camp up at Muncaster Living History Week.
Enjoy and look out for more videos to come in the future.

Toadflax on Spears | VIDEO

A short video of Iron Shepherd Toadflax talking about spears and their use in

the 1100s. Enjoy and look out for similar videos coming soon!

Iron Shepherds Living History Turns One!

It was a year ago this month that Iron Shepherds Living History was established and started as a group!

The establishment of the group brought together old friends with new to reach out further into the world of living history. Many of the members had been part of a youth heritage group that ran out of the Custodian's Cottage, next to Furness Abbey, for many years until it closed in 2006. It was at this project that a passion for history and heritage was born and nourished. It was as sad day in 2006 when the project, after 6 successful years, ended. A lot of us carried on meeting up on Sunday afternoons to socialise and, of course, engage in sword fighting! A further 6 years later, in 2012, many of us were missing the living history and craft side of the project we once attended. It was then that the idea of setting up a group arouse and the rest, as they say, is history. By November we were all in agreement and the Iron Shepherds Living History group was born!

The following year was set to be a successful one for us and a great start for the group:

December 2012

Medieval Fair at Abbey Mill Cafe | 02.12.2012

Our first event as the Iron Shepherds was a small affair in a bit of land next to Abbey Mill Cafe (formally the Custodian's Cottage). There was a sense of nostalgia at this event, many of us started at the Cottage and here we were doing our first living history fair since the project ended at the same site we knew so well. Jackie at the cafe was very helpful and allowed us to put on our fair. We set up the big tent and a couple of tables and displayed a some crafts and weapons. It was a very cold and frosty December day but we all had a great time and were pleased to see people coming along to see what we were doing. A humble start that paved the way for our future.

Following this first event we took the Winter to work on our weapons display, our crafts and built on our camp ready for some bigger events come the Summer.

June 2013

Heritage Hobble | 09.06.2013

Furness Abbey Fellowship held a Heritage Hobble, where members of the public went on a sponsored walk to raise money for the groups work, and some Iron Shepherds were in attendance to see off the walkers and greet them as they returned. We didn't do any living history on this day but it was great to ease us back into things before the Summer. It also made for a nice photo opportunity with the returning walkers! 

August 2013

Wray Castle Victorian Fair | 16 - 18.08.2013

Then came something a bit different from our usual Medieval re-enactment, we were invited to take part in the Victorian fair at Wray Castle next to Windermere. Even though we mainly do Medieval we are always open to other periods of history and as many of us have Victorian costumes we jumped at the chance to be involved. Some of us went up to the Castle for three days to wander around in Costume and speak to the public.

Muncaster Castle Medieval Week | 21 + 22.08.2013

Here we were at our first major event as an established group and boy was it a good one! We had been working hard all Winter and Spring to get ready for this event and when the time came we were more than ready, if a little apprehensive. Friday the 20th and most of us headed up to Muncaster to set up our camp. We laid out our tents, set up our tables and displays then roped out the path running through the camp and we were ready for the next two days. That night we camped out in our tents and, as is always the case in England, it rained. Thankfully all our tents kept out the rain, well mostly, and soon it was morning. We got the fire going, set out the final bits of our displays and we were ready for the public. 10am and the doors opened and soon we had large numbers of people walking though camp looking at our displays and talking away to us. The following day we had even more people come along and see us in action and by the end of the two days we had seen and spoken to some where in the region of 1000+ people! This was a great event for our first big event and we all had a wonderful yet tiring two days and we will be back again next year for more of the same!

Furness Abbey Medieval Fair | 31.08.2013

7am, 31st August 2013 and we were down at Furness Abbey with all our kit ready to set up for what was to become our biggest event yet! The rush was on to get fully set up and ready for opening at 10am. We pushed on and managed to be ready just in time. Furness Abbey Fellowship had organised the event with Iron Shepherds being a pivotal part of the fair set up right at the entrance of the Abbey. As soon as the doors opened people flocked into the site and everyone was filtered through our camp. The flow of people was constant throughout the entire day with no time for a break. We spoke to so many people and we hope we taught something to those who came and provided some entertainment. We ran our weapons display a few times throughout the day to large crowds of people, luckily any of us killed during the display came back to life to carry on for the day! The sun was blazing all day long, which was great but bad at the same time. Great because sun is always better than rain but bad because we were so hot! Luckily we kept well hydrated! We had so much positive feedback though out the day, and after the fact too, that we will be back again next year. By the time the day had drawn to an end we had, had over 1500 people through the camp! It was a fantastic day that worked us to the bone but we wouldn't change it for the world! It really solidified what we wanted to do and that what we were doing was good, wanted and enjoyed. Everyone went home with a sense of pride and joy at the end of the day looking forward to what was next!

After this we took a bit of a break to rest up and start looking to the future.

October 2013

Furness Hidden Heritage Blog Launched | 01.10.2013

This day saw the launch of the Furness Hidden Heritage blog, a blog dedicated to showcasing the hidden and lesser known heritage sites of Furness. The blog utilises text and pictures to show and tell others the history of a variety of historic sites. It also brings to light hidden areas of Furness including lesser known areas next to well known sites. The blog launched to positive feedback and to date has reached nearly 2000 people and counting! If you want to read the blog then you can find it here - furnesshiddenheritage.blogspot.co.uk

We then were invited back to Wray Castle for something completely different!

Halloween Week at Wray Castle | 26.10.2013 - 03.11.2013

Wray Castle kindly invited us to help out at their Halloween celebrations over October half term being spooky and creepy around the Castle. Many of the group were interested and were quick to confirm their involvement. We went up on both the weekends as well as Halloween itself and spent our days wandering around the Castle being as ghostly as we could be. It was certainly an interesting week and was of course great fun!

November 2013

Dickensian Festival | 24 + 25.11.2013

The annual Dickensian Festival in Ulverston is an event we have enjoyed for many years and this year some of us decided to go along in costume to enjoy it once again. We donned our finest Victorian costume and headed out into the crowds to look at the stalls and enjoy the entertainment. It was a great event as always and we had a lot of fun wandering around in our costumes having our pictures taken every now and then! Non of us won the best costume competition but you can't have everything can you!? Nice to see Queen Victoria out and about too!


That brings us to the start of our second year as a group and what does the next year hold for us? Well this weekend, 1st December, we will be setting up a small camp at the Furness Abbey Fellowship Christmas Fair at the Abbey Mill Cafe. This will be a small little event for us to show our faces and spend some more time in our Medieval get up. Feel free to come along and say hello as we will be happy for a chat. Other than that, well, wait and see! We have some great and interesting ideas for the coming year including returning to Muncaster and Furness Abbey!

If you want to keep up to date with what we are doing and what we have coming up then follow us on Facebook here or check out our website here. We are looking forward to see what the future holds and hope we can provide some new and exciting things for you to enjoy!