Medieval Living

I spent the weekend building a Medievalish cart for my grandson – turns 7 next week. Lots of fun for him to push around the property, helping Grandma with her gardening chores. In the process, I became quite curious about how they would have built such a thing back-in-the-day. Of particular curiousity was the means of constructing the wheel. Now mine was simply assembling some 1 x 8s to make a solid wheel. However, a proper wheel would have been made with a hub, felloes (spokes) and a rim. How did they do that in Medieval days? I spent quite a bit of effort trying to find a website that give some insight into hand-made wheels – after several hours I had almost given up! But being the tenacious web hound that I am, I found an extremely interesting video from the 1930s that showed a craftsman constructing the hub, cutting the felloes, and attaching the rim pieces. While not Medieval, I would think that the craft of making a wooden wagon wheel was not much different. So, for those of you who have also wondered about the wheelwright’s profession, here you go! From SVT, here is the wheelwright at work. Oh – I have to forewarn you, its in Swedish, so if you are like me and don’t speak a word of Swedish, just enjoy the film. I found it a fascinating view!

After looking at yesterday’s post on Medieval tile, I thought it appropriate to locate a websource for making Medieval kilns. I found several sites that discuss the history Medieval kilns, especially in Japan. I did find a site that focuses on 13th and 14th century pottery of the UK and its construction. Among their many discussions is a nice little piece on making a Medieval-style kiln using contemporary materials. Campots Arcaeoceramics give some very nice instruction on the construction of a small scale, gas-fired, stacked brick, kiln. While not necessarily Medieval, it at least captures the spirit of the Medieval kilns that dotted the countryside in the 13th century. Might build one myself (after I finish the Medieval-ish wagon that I’m building with my grandson).

I’ve been looking for a good resource about Medieval tiles. I had previously visited the Company of Artisans site, which is an orgniazation based in the UK who make replicas of Medieval tiles as an educational activity for schools and such. However, I have been hoping to find an online resource that told more about the history of Medieval tiles, especially those from the UK. Well . . . Google has a preview of a book called “The Medieval Tiles of Wales“. A Census of the Medieval Tiles of Britain from the National Museums and Gallaries of Wales, this book provides a detailed description of the tiles found throughout Wales from the 13th Century.
The text includes discussions on the methods of manufacture, raw materials, and types of tile design. Also included are drawings of the various tiles found, some 109 drawings in all. A truly wonderful resource for anyone interested in studing this fascinating aspect of Medieval life. There is a viewing limit for the text online, so be mindful of the time you spend there. I have found it available through the National Museum of Wales in paperback for 29.99 Pounds – still looking for a US source for the text. I found one listing on Amazon.com for $303.00 plus shipping – yeah, right!

Medieval Living started as a way for me to share with others my love for the Medieval era. My family, for the most part, also has this interest. Over the past month, my daughter and son-in-law have begun putting together plans for a not-for-profit educational organization focusing on the history of Medieval England. I was invited to join in the effort – and somehow came out being listed as president on the incorporation papers – hmmm. Anyway – we are still in the organizational phase, but Medieval Living is moving from a hobbist’s blog to an actual nonprofit business. Our hope is to create a viable educational forum, which will include such things as classrooms and a living village. As I am an educator by profession, I intend to develop courses that will meet educational standards and fit into school curriculum. We envision supporting both local schools as well as those families who home school their children. When will this all come together? Good question! Our business plan will have to answer that question and many more. . . as I said, we are just in the formative stage, so much is to be determined. For now, the blog will remain much as it is, but the accompanying website will undergo some signicant changes as things develop. Wish us luck on this endeavor!!!

I like reading about recreation groups other than the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism). Not that there is anything wrong with the SCA – I’m a member and as a matter of fact will be going to “fighter practice” later this morning. My point is, I really enjoy the perspectives that these other groups have to offer. One group that I learned of recently is the Dark Ages Re-Creation Company (DARC). Out of Ontario, Canada, DARC is focused on Viking civilizations from around 800 to 1000 AD with an emphasis on Northern Europe.
A quote from their website reads: “DARC seeks to create an environment that stresses historic re-creation of the Viking Age through the use of strict interpretation at a ‘role playing’ level and authenticity guidelines regulated by peer review. The primary activity of our events is centered on the ‘camp’, and as such we stress reproducing lifestyle and artefact use. The Company intends to provide a resource of skilled and experienced historic interpreters and physical demonstrators to museums and educational programs.”

Actually, several of its founding members have a background in the SCA. Having some Viking friends in the SCA, I know they will be interested reading about this group, with its emphasis on historical accuracy in the development of their encampments. I borrowed this picture from their site – they are involved in a variety of educational activities, such as museum work and school visits. They are also doing some very interessting iron work, experimenting with a variety of “smelts”. They are also doing alot of research and experimentation on glass beads, which were apparently common Viking artifacts.

Here is a nice blog – Heroic Dreams: All Things Medieval - I especially enjoyed the articles on catapults and such! Blog discussions include such things as Renaissance faires to medieval swords and castles to mead making. I really enjoy the mead articles!!! The author of the site is also author of Storm The Castle and other related sites. Did I say that I liked the mead-making artlces? Well his website on mead making, The Joy of Mead, is quite extensive and informative. Makes me anxious to attend the next SCA event, as there is usually a very nice selection of meads to sample . . . and sample again . . .and again . . . and . . . well, you get the idea!

I appreciate the increase in the number of folks who are subscribing to my blog. I attribute that to Dr. Nokes of Unlocked Wordhoard and his wonderful group of followers! However, it’s sad to see only one person following me on NetworkedBlogs . . . oh wait, that’s me! Anyway – would love to have some others sign up.

Oh so very nice! Stumbled upon this very nice collection of Medieval documents at The John Rylands University Library of the University of Manchester. Apparently they have been working diligently to digitize their entire collection – some 5,500 images! Now it appears that you need to download a client viewer, and you need a user name and password to view; however, the page linked above includes these for visitors – thank you! I will spend more time reviewing this site – but dinner is served so best not to upset the cook!

Ok – some people are a little annoyed that I don’t put alot of academic type stuff on here . . . well this is one site I have visited before and found very informative. And it has some wonderful web references too! Unlocked Wordhoard is a blog by Dr. Richard Nokes of Troy University in Troy, Alabama. Dr. Nokes is professor of Medieval Literature and blogs regularly. He recently attended Dragon*Con in Atlanta, Georgia. One of the attendees was Adam Savage of Mythbusters fame (not very Medieval, but still a cool character). Looks like a fun event – maybe next year I can go too! Anyway, Dr. Nokes was kind enough to add my blog to his blogroll and I have done the same. Very chivalrous of us, eh?

Learning about Medieval weaving and embroidary made me curious about some of the types of fabrics that were available back then. Looking at modern-day woven fabric, I thought that perhaps we have some weaves that they didnt have back then. I don’t know alot about weaving – thank goodness for people like the folks at Medieval Textiles! A part of the Complex Weavers Guild, Medieval Textiles provides a variety of resources for anyone interested in researching weaving patterns. In addition to the typical twills and tabby weaves, this site also includes information on such patterns as kruzkoper, rosette twill, warp float patterned tabby, and samitum. Now someone who already knows alot about weaving may not be too excited, but for those who are just learning the art of weaving, such information may be invaluable. Also, the fact that these weave patterns are documented from Medieval sources would be very helpful to reenactors who are wanting to verify the authenticity of a specific textile. A nice site, with access to the Complex Weavers Guild.