SERVANTS IN A SCOTTISH CASTLE

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

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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.

 

Visit Anne’s new blog Plotters And Pantsers Write To Publish Workshop at www.annegreenewritingteacher.wordpress.com.

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 14^th day of every month.

LIFE INSIDE A SCOTTISH CASTLE

CASTLES IN SCOTLAND

               

Anne Greene here. A castle is a fortified structure built during the middle ages, usually a private residence of a lord or noble.

In Scotland, earlier fortifications included hill forts, brochs (as featured in my Scottish historical, Masquerade Marriage), and duns. Many castles were built on the site of these earlier buildings. From 1100 AD on, there have been over 2,000 castles built in Scotland.

Home to a thriving community, the stone rooms bustled with life, color and sound. Inside the kitchen a small army prepared food for the nobles. The lead cook, the undercook and the bakers composed the top tier of kitchen workers. Lardeners stocked the kitchen. Poulterers prepared the birds. Bakers baked fresh bread in giant ovens. Fruit and vegetables grew in the castle gardens and orchards. Meat came from the popular hunts in the deer parks. Spits in massive open fireplaces roasted boar.

The nobles enjoyed hunting and hawking. The ladies engaged in embroidery, music and weaving. During long evenings, musicians and singers entertained. With endless hours of service to the nobles, life for the peasants played out quite differently.

A castle had no standard size, shape or structure. Builders designed to suit the site, the noble’s budget and the military dangers of the area. High walls and solid towers provided the castle’s main defense against attacking soldiers. Some walls were eight feet thick. Builders built castles on the highest point of land available, so attacking warriors must struggle up a steep slope or scale a cliff to reach the stronghold, while facing a devastating shower of arrows from defenders on the parapets.

A water-filled moat often enclosed the castle. A drawbridge spanned the moat. In its down position the drawbridge closed a pit and allowed access to the castle. The pit also worked as a cell for prisoners. A strong oak grille called a portcullis further protected the castle gates. 

High walls enclosed a number of courtyards, each called a bailey. During attacks, animals and villagers sheltered inside a bailey. In peacetime, baileys housed workshops for carpenters, candle makers, weavers, and other workers at the castle. Wells, dug into the rock inside the baileys, provided water.

A nobleman and his family, together with his knights, men-at-arms, servants and friends lived in the heart of the castle - in the keep. The noble household often passed their time listening to the songs and poems of troubadours.  Sometimes a priest read to them the latest teachings on philosophy and science.  In a castle under siege, defenders retreated to the keep and fought to the death.

Castles protected nearby towns, and the nobleman had the responsibility of protecting the town folk. You will find this in my book, Marriage By Arrangement which debuts December 6, 2013. 

Domestic life in a medieval castle centered in the Great Hall. This large hall was the focus of hospitality, celebration and the pleasures of life - including dances, plays or even poetry recitals.

During the 1748, when my series, The Scottish Marriage Trilogy, occurred, Scottish castles were no longer fortresses but had evolved into luxurious living quarters for their noble owners. Except for the English soldiers searching for fugitive Highlanders, life was peaceful.

On August 14^th look for my blog about Servants’ Lives in a Scottish Castle.

A Scottish Lord and Lady had many privileges and responsibilities. My ancestors owned a castle in England. Did your ancestors originate in the United Kingdom? Would you have liked living inside a castle? Leave a comment and your email address (in case you win) for a chance to win one of my books.  

Visit Anne’s new blog Plotters And Pantsers Write To Publish Workshop at www.annegreenewritingteacher.wordpress.com.

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.

a Castle

 Food was seasoned with herbs and spices, and sweetened with honey. Sometimes wine was imported from France but usually everyone drank ale.
Boys brought wood from the stores to keep the cooking fires lit. Food was seasoned with herbs and spices, and sweetened with honey. Sometimes wine was imported from France but usually everyone drank ale.