SERVANTS IN A SCOTTISH CASTLE
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Anne
Greene here. On July 14th I blogged about
nobles living inside a Scottish Castle. If you missed my blog and are
interested, go to the archives.
The nobles living in the castle had a luxurious and responsible
lifestyle. Life for the servants was drastically different. As nobility had a
hierarchy level, so did the servants.
The
Steward held complete
charge of the entire household. He gave orders to the cooks, the musicians and
storytellers, as well as to the servants of the lord and the ladies in waiting.
Under the Steward, these upper level
servants were then in charge of other servants, like bakers, gardeners,
tailors, washerwomen, carpenters and undercooks. If the lord were away, then
the Steward took charge of the
castle. He also recorded the rent that people living on castle land paid. The Steward was often a member of the noble
family. Can you imagine how much the Laird of the Castle trusted him?
The
Marshal organized the groomsman who looked after the horses, the
blacksmiths and the farriers who shoed the horses. The Marshal also ordered the carters who made and drove the carts, the
boatmen and the stable boys. The Marshal
organized sending messages to other people, maybe even to the King. If the
lord wanted to go hunting, the Marshal
organized the hunt.
The
Constable, also known as the Keeper,
controlled castle security, weapons and the gunners, the archers and the
men-at-arms who defended the castle. He organized the porters who guarded every
door and the bodyguards, who guarded important members of the family. Most
castles had a prison and the Constable oversaw the jailers.
The
Chaplain was a priest who conducted services in the castle chapel and
advised the lord about religious matters. The Chaplain oversaw choirboys and other people involved in church
services. Churchmen were among the few people who could read and write at this time,
so the Chaplain wrote any letters
that the lord needed. The church had great power in those days.r
k Helpers
The Steward, the Keeper, the Chaplain
and the Marshal had their own rooms in the castle. All the other servants
found space where they could, many sleeping on the floor of the hall or in the
kitchen for warmth. There might be a separate dining area for the servants;
otherwise they ate where they worked.
Most of the servants in the
castle were men. The lady of the castle had her personal servants, high-born
women who were known as her ladies-in-waiting. Women also worked as washerwomen,
alewives who brewed beer, and nurses who looked after any of the lord’s young
children.
Children also worked in a castle.
In the kitchen the cook always needed water carrying from the well. A small boy,
known as the turnbrochie, sat by the
fire to turn the metal spits of roasting meat. Children carried messages from one
noble to another.
The Laird of the Castle spent much
time travelling, meeting with other members of the nobility, attending
parliament, and meeting with the king or queen. When he travelled, many of his
servants went with him. Only a few remained in the castle with the lady to
attend to any local business.
Read about the children in Castle Drummond in my book Marriage
By Arrangement to be available December 6, 2013. Would you have liked to
have grown up living in or near a Scottish castle? Would you have liked for
your children to be subject to the whims of a noble?
Leave your answer and your email
for a chance to win an autographed copy of one of my Scottish Trilogy Books.
ANNE GREENE delights in writing about wounded heroes
and gutsy heroines. Her second novel, a Scottish historical, Masquerade
Marriage, won the New England Reader Choice award, the Laurel Wreath
Award, and the Heart of Excellence Award. The sequel Marriage By Arrangement releases in December, 2013. A Texas Christmas Mystery also won
several awards. She makes her home in McKinney, Texas. Tim LaHaye led her to
the Lord when she was twenty-one and Chuck Swindoll is her Pastor. View Anne’s
travel pictures and art work at http://www.AnneGreeneAuthor.com.
Anne’s highest hope is that her stories transport the reader to an awesome new
world and touch hearts to seek a deeper spiritual relationship with the Lord
Jesus. Buy Anne’s books at http://www.PelicanBookGroup.com.
Or at http://www.Amazon.com.
Visit here with Anne the 14th day of
every month.
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Very interesting post! I had no idea there were so many people that worked in a castle. I don't think I would have liked living in one, or had my children subject to the whims of a noble. Doesn't sound like fun. I would love to win a copy of your book!
ReplyDeletetscmshupe [at] pemtel [dot] net
Thanks for your comment, Sally. You're in the running!
DeleteWhile I wouldn't like castle living for me or my children, I do find it fascinating to read about! Thank you for sharing such interesting information and beautiful pictures. Would love to win!
ReplyDeletetexaggs2000 at gmail dot com
I'd still love to live inside a castle. Be the daughter of the Lord, of course! Thanks for your comment, Britney!
DeleteIt's hard to imagine growing up in a castle, or with a lot of servants. It's so foreign from our modern day world. Today people might have someone come in and clean once a week or something like that. The very wealthy might have a cook and a driver but the whole servant class is a bit foreign.
ReplyDeletepattymh2000(at)yahoo(dot)com
If I had a choice, I'd have a cook!!! Thanks for your comment, Patty. You're name is in the hat!
DeleteI would not want to live in a castle or have my children work there. I never thought that any of the servants would sleep on the floor. It is interesting history and I love to read about it.
ReplyDeleteBarbara Thompson
barbmaci61(at)yahoo(dot)com
Thanks for your comments, Barbara. It's nice to see you here. You're name is in the hat!
DeleteVary interesting post. I enjoyed learning some new information. Living in or growing up in a castle sounds so romantic and wonderful, but in reality, I don't think that was the case. I don't think life was very fair for women or children. I think God's timing was best for me to live in the modern age in which we live. I love to live vicariously through the wonderful characters that authors bring to life in historical novels.
ReplyDeletemay_dayzee (at) yahoo (dot) com
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Kay. Even though life wasn't fair for women living inside the castle, the daughter of the Lord found ways to make life interesting. Nice to hear from you.
DeleteNo way! I would especially not like it if I had a young, pretty daughter to worry over... tamara_wilkins@ymail.com
ReplyDeleteYep, pretty daughters were a worry. Always have been. Always will be. Maybe even more so today than back then! We love our children and want the best for them. Nice to see you here, Tamara!
DeleteLiving in a castle sounds wonderful but I know the grass isn't greener so I'll stick to my little home here. =) I think life back then was much harder for women and to have everything we have now is wonderful. truckredford(at)gmail(Dot)Com
ReplyDeleteHi Eliza, Good to see you again! I would love to time travel and go back ... just for a little while I'm sure. Unless I fell in love while back there. Then I just might stay!!!
DeleteNo, I don't think I would want to have my family subjected to that. I don't like the thought of your importance depending on to whom you were born to. Great post, it proves that there were many people needed to run a castle!
ReplyDeletelattebooks at hotmail dot com
Thanks, Susan, and I have to agree. It's so much better these days when a person can make their own mark on the world. But living in the castle really was a boon for those early people. Good to see you here!
DeleteI can't imagine sleeping on the cold, hard floor of a castle. Life in one must have been hard for most of the people. Interesting post.
ReplyDeleteHI Vickie! Even though they slept on the floor, life could have had some great moments! They still fell in love. Thanks for coming by!
DeleteI think for all the 'romance' of a castle, the harsh realities of life would be a detriment to me wanting to live there--especially having children! Thanks for the opportunity to win a book--yours sounds intriguing!
ReplyDeleteKaren
karen@fallotfam.com
Thanks, Karen. I think harsh reality back then was just normal day to day living. I think even with the conditions of their lives, people still have time to fall in love and had some joy in life. You name is in the hat.
DeleteCONGRATULATIONS BRITNEY ADAMS, your name was drawn out of the hat, and you won a copy of Masquerade Marriage. I know you will enjoy it!
ReplyDelete