Religion may not be the obvious choice after a food post, but it is related. Bear with.
The Pope and The Church were in charge, their social status
being higher than even the monarch. And that church was Roman Catholic.
Although, their power was dwindling. The people were already viewing the popes
and clergy (ecclesiastics) as corrupt (*insert gasp*). Well, they did charge
for an awful lot of stuff and flaunted their power somewhat. And I shall but
merely mention the ninth crusade which took place 1271-2.
But the clergy were still part of the government; there were
bishops in the House of Lords.
Laymen with legal training were on the rise, holding high
positions too.
The Bible had been written entirely in Latin, but the
Lollards thought it would be a jolly good idea for it to be written in English
(heresy!!). But in 1380 (going back a bit, but it’s important), the first Bible
was indeed translated into English. John Wycliffe, credited with the translation
but clearly had assistance, forfeited his life for such a heretic act.
See, part of the reason for the Church’s rigorous grasp on
power was that they were the ones who could read and write. So, now other folk
were getting this mystical knowledge of Writing, they were under threat. Mwahaha
(*evil chuckle from this writer*).
Members of the clergy:
{
Pope
{
Cardinal (bishops)
{
Archbishops
{
Bishops
{
Chaplains
{
(Parish) Priests
{
Rectors
{
Friars
{ Monks
{ Nuns
·
The Pope – the head of the Church
Cardinals – under 30 cardinals served under the pope
in the 15th century. These are the chaps who wore the red hat and were
the only ones who could elect or become a new pope.
Archbishops – Oversaw several dioceses (an area
containing more than one congregation).
Bishops were ordained priests, responsible for a
diocese. They ruled the priests and monasteries in their jurisdiction, and
received the taxes of such. Like priests, they would conduct weddings, perform
last rites, settled disputes, heard/absolved confession.
Chaplains were part of the household (for noble families).
They would conduct daily Mass and recite prayers for the family (living and
dead). They generally came from more humble origins. Think of him as a private
priest.
Rectors and parish priests were involved in pastoral
care for the community and earned a good living. Priests conducted Mass for the
community and offered spiritual guidance. It’s worth noting that priests were
exempt from paying tax due to their noble profession.
Nuns and monks remained mostly in their cloisters and
monasteries where they would help look after the sick, provide travellers a
place to stay and sometimes looked after people’s financial matters.
NB Monasteries would often house libraries.
Friars worked in the community and were reliant on
alms. They would travel in pairs and spread gossip at the dinner tables they
were welcomed to. Although, a lot of men didn’t look kindly upon friars as they
thought they were taking money from the poor they were supposed to protect.
A visiting clergymen could have several purposes to
visiting: charitable, spiritual, social, commercial or administrative.
Orders of Friars:
{
Austin
{
Benedictines (aka The Black Monks)
{
Carmelite
{
Cistercian / Bernadines (aka The White Monks)
{
Crutched (Crossed)
{ Dominican
{ Franciscan
St Gilbert was the only Englishman to have founded an order (in the 12th Century) and was given his own sacred (feast) day.
Thanks to Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, most
people have at least heard of the pilgrimage to the shrine of Thomas Becket (in
Canterbury). His book covers the period 1387-1400 and was written in Middle
English – quite hard to read but is full of medieval life (even sex!).
Fun fact: the demise of Thomas Becket earned King Henry II
an actual whipping 😧
Anyway, that’s pilgrimage in Kent.
Other shrines one could travel to to seek penance from sin
or relief from illness were those of: Edward the Confessor in Westminster
Abbey, Richard of Chichester, Thomas Cantilupe of Hereford, St Osmund of
Salisbury or John of Bridlington.
Each shrine had a symbol (for the illiterate masses), such as:
{
a small bottle of oil (St Thomas Becket at
Canterbury)
{
a shell (St James of Compostela in Spain)
{ a palm leaf (Jerusalem)
{ cross keys (Rome)
(*coughs*) Many shrines were built on old pagan sites – just
saying.
As I make mention of the shrine of St. Thomas Cantelupe in my book, Love in the Roses, I should probably explain… This is housed in Hereford
Cathedral. He had many miracles attributed to him, mostly healing, and there
was mention of him aiding fertility.
To go on pilgrimage was no mean feat. It could take around a
year to complete. The roads were long and hard, and often plagued by bandits.
This is why they often travelled in groups – safety in numbers, and all that.
Flesh vs Fish Days
Piety was still important. And religion played a
large part in people’s lives. The rich would give alms (charity at church
services), Masses were attended and feast days / rituals were
observed.
Even meals were set by religious custom; flesh (meat) free days were:
{ Wednesday (because
that’s the day Judas betrayed Christ)
{ Friday (in penance for His suffering)
{ Saturday (for the Virgin Mary). Fish were OK as they weren’t on Noah’s ark
Funnily enough, the flesh days were more popular – you’d
expect more guests to dinner. Unless they were friars, who made a point of only
visiting on fish days due to their vows to never eat flesh. Sundays were
generally the busiest dinner days, when guests could include clergy, social
peers, estate workers and officials – women were more likely to appear on
Sundays too. Followed by Thursdays in popularity. Saturdays were least popular.
So, flexitarianism isn't a new thing!
NB The word 'meat' just meant food at this time. 'Flesh' was used to describe land animal dishes.
Even the serfs and peasants would attend Mass each Sunday –
all the household had the day off. Being in Latin, they may not understand the
Mass but felt the spiritual importance all the same.
And of course, the church would conduct baptisms, marriages,
confessions and last rites.
Fast days (old and sick exempt) - when no land animals or dairy were to be consumed
·
Ember Days - the Wednesday, Friday and Saturday
immediately after the first Sunday after; (the start of Lent), the Feast of the
Exaltation of the Cross (14 Sep) and St Lucy’s Day (13 Dec)
·
Lent – 46 days of fasting on the run up to
Easter (all were ‘fish days’ except the hard fast Ember Days)
·
Weekly Friday evening fasting was optional
{
06 January - Epiphany
{
02 Feb – Candlemas (day dedicated to The
Purification of the Virgin Mary)
{
25 Mar – Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
{
01 May – May Day
{
Corpus Christi – (late May/early June) - The
Thursday after Trinity Sunday (60 days after Easter)
{
24 June – Festival of St. John the Baptist
{
01 Aug – Lammas (harvest festival)
{
11 Oct – Michaelmas (on Julian calendar – 29 Sep
on Gregorian)
{
01 Nov - All Saints (aka All Hallows Day /
Hallowmas)
{
11 Nov – Martinmas (start of agricultural winter)
{
25 Dec – Christmas Day
{ 26 Dec – St Stephen
{ 28 Dec – Childermas / Holy Innocents
Other Saint’s Days would be celebrated on a regional custom
or even household basis. The manor house inhabitants may have preferred saints
they paid their respects to, even representing them in stained glass windows or
the rood screens they paid for in the church.
Many would flock to the manor house for a good nosh and
knees up (medieval style) to celebrate (by invitation).
Females were also celebrated. Obviously, the Blessed Virgin Mary had her own celebrations and was often depicted. But so was Mary Magdalene.
There were also female saints, such as the three virgin
martyrs:
~ Aplollonia ~
Barbara ~ Dorothy
They were popular in entertaining stories as defiant saints,
defending chastity.
St Apollina (feast day 09 Feb), protected her devotees from
toothache.
St Barbara (04 Dec) was/is the patroness of miners, fire-work makers,
artillerymen, stone-makers & fortifications. She protects against sudden
death, lightning, subsiding mines, cannon-balls & impenitence. Basically, a
warfare saint (and now engineers!). Original Rapunzel!
St Dorothy was venerated on 06 Feb, when trees are blessed.
She is the patron saint of gardeners, brewers, brides, florists, midwives and
newlyweds.
On 18 Aug, St Helena was celebrated. Mother of Constantine
The Great, she was an inspirational figurehead to women.
Incidentally, from the late 15th to the early 16th Century, St George’s dragon was portrayed as female! Just as Protestantism was taking over. Women were being made more obedient at this time. Worth noting.
  |
| My photos of St Clements Church, Old Romney |
The church itself was a central hub for the community. The
nave and tower belonged to people of the parish. They would pay a tithe (tax) of a
tenth of their income to Church, which was spent on the parish priest, bishop,
maintenance and the poor.
Manor courts were often held in the nave. And in the
churchyard, they’d hold parties, plays, pageants and games (including
football). Fortunately, priests brewed ale, so this would be part of the
festivals.
But it was also a place of education. About one in ten
peasants may become low level clergy.
Afterlife
One wished to minimise time spent in purgatory – the place
where souls were purged of their sins before entering heaven (presuming they
weren’t sent to Hell).
This is why people went on pilgrimage.
The local gentry would be bestow patronage to the local church,
and would be responsible for the chantry (& altar). This is where dedicated
priests and singing clerks would chant/pray for their departed souls.
Performing good deeds and acts of charity were perceived as
the best way to earn your place in heaven. This could include giving alms, but
also giving paupers left-over food. And of course, donations of
money/food/building maintenance to Church didn’t go amiss.
The Seven Corporal Acts of Mercy:
1)
Feed the poor
2)
Give drink to the thirsty
3)
House the stranger
4)
Clothe the naked
5)
Visit the sick
6) Relieve the prisoner
7) Bury the dead (like that’s optional!?)
One would observe the anniversary of the passing of a loved
one – out of respect but also, y’know, reducing purgatory time.
That would be a really sad note to end on. So, instead, I'll offer further info on some of those feast days.
TL
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My book, Love in the Roses is available for pre-order (click here).
To protect her family, she must marry
the enemy!
The fictitious tale of a knight’s
daughter, living life as it very well may have been in 1484.
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