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Subject: [GM] LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CASTLE
Date: Thu, 3 Oct 2002 22:54:57 EDT

LIFE IN A MEDIEVAL CASTLE, (c) 1974 By Joseph & Frances Gies, 1979 issue.
Soft cover, 272 pages, index, photographs. Castles are crumbly & romantic and
hint at an age more colorful & gallant than our own, but are often debunked
by boring people who like to run on about drafts and grumble that the
latrines did not work. The authors rightly approach the castle as the center
of medieval life. Their story ranges well beyond the castle gate, but it
centers on Chepstow, a well-preserved fortress on the Welsh border. The 12th
century lord of Chepstow, William Marshall, turns up with a companion knight
on the tournament circuit in France. Touring the country they clean up
handsomely, accumulating scores and scores of horses & piles of armor in more
than 100 contests. Until the great castle halls fell into disuse, master and
servant ate congenially in common. At table, spread with fresh linen, two
people often shared a bowl, helping themselves with fingers. But a strict
etiquette governed the sharing, & hands & nails were expected to be
scrupulously clean. Every floor had a washing area--some with running water,
even baths. Latrines were often conveniently perched out over the castle
moat. Selections from past journals, songs, even account books, as medieval
man & woman speak for themselves. The Villagers, Making of a Knight,
Curtained beds, the Lord & Lady of the Castle, Hunting, Photos of many
different castles. Politics and War. $15 postpaid.

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