Last year, I posted my first article on Medieval and early Tudor trade: a series of posts which uses images to illustrate the trades that were predominant and powerful in medieval England.  Today’s post continues that theme – although some of the images have very loose connections to the trade which they are illustrating – but I hope you enjoy viewing the pictures anyway!

Bowyers (longbow makers)

An archer sitting on a grotesque creature shooting a hapless rabbit (folio 143v) from The Macclesfield Psalter, (East Anglia, England, circa 1330), © The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge

Brewers

A sinful hermit sitting outside a tavern drinking ale; the alewife approaches him with a flagon from The Smithfield Decretals (France, Last quarter of the 13th century or 1st quarter of the 14th century) shelfmark Royal 10 E IV f. 114v.

Broderers (embroiders)

Plaque on the wall of Gutter Lane, London, EC2 – the original site of Broders Hall which was destroyed in 1940 during The Blitz. The Worshipful Company of Broderers are now located in East Moseley and are strongly associated with The Royal School of Needlework who are based at Hampton Court.

Butchers

Smithfield Meat Market – London’s traditional livestock market for 900 years. ‘Smithfield, or “Smoothfield”, a plain, grassy space just outside the City Walls, was well known in the Middle Ages for its horse Market. In 1173 William FitzStephen, clerk to Thomas Becket, describes the area as “a smoth field where every Friday there is a celebrated rendevous of fine horses to be sold.” There was also trading in sheep, pigs and cattle. In 1305 oxen were being sold for 5s 6d each. In 1400 the City of London was granted the tolls from the market by charter. Bartholomew Fair was held here from 1123 until its suppression for rowdiness and debauchery in 1855.’ (Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, ed, The London Encyclopaedia, (London, 1983) p.789.)

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All digital images from the Macclesfield Psalter appear by courtesy of The Fitzwilliam Museum and may not be reproduced (© The Fitzwilliam Museum).

All images are from the British Library’s collection of Medieval Manuscripts and are marked as being Public Domain Images and therefore free of all copyright restrictions in accordance with the British Library’s Reuse Guidance Notes for the Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts.

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This blog
If you want to read more from my blog, please do subscribe either by using the Subscribe via Email button top right of my blog, or the button at the very bottom.  If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, then please do Like it with the Facebook button and/or leave a comment below.

Thank you for reading this post.

You may also be interested in the following
– Image of Medieval and early Tudor trades – part 1
– My time at the Royal School of Needlework
– Images from the British Library’s online images from the early modern period
– Images from the medieval illuminated manuscripts
– The Macclesfield Psalter

© Essex Voices Past 2012-2013.

Yesterday and today I am publishing my most viewed 12 posts from the last year. My top 1 to 6 posts were described yesterday – so today I am sharing with you my top posts from 7 to 12.

7. The Medieval Spinsters – The medieval ladies from Raymund of Peñafort’s Decretals of Gregory IX with glossa ordinaria (the ‘Smithfield Decretals’)

8. Mappy Monday – My top 7 websites for medieval, early-modern & modern maps of London & Great Britain

9. Tudor tradesmen of Great Dunmow – John Parker, the Fletcher, of Great Dunmow: the richest man in the parish.

10. Primary sources – ‘Unwitting Testimony’ – Research techniques for a trainee historian.

11. Coronation and Diamond Jubilee Goldwork – My time at the Royal School of Needlework mastering the technique of goldwork embroidery.

12. The Dunmow Flitch – Can you prove that you’ve been happily married for a year and a day without a cross word passing between you? Read my account of the 2012 Dunmow Flitch.

Which were your favourite posts and why?
Please do leave your thoughts on my blog below.
Thank you!

© Essex Voices Past 2012-2013.

My post The Snail and the Knight showed some fearsome medieval snails in various poses. Here, for your delight, are some more snails jousting and fighting their way through history.

All images are from Decretals of Gregory IX with glossa ordinaria (the ‘Smithfield Decretals’) (France, S. (Toulouse?), Last quarter of the 13th century or 1st quarter of the 14th century).

A hybrid snail being ridden by hare, who is jousting a dog riding a hare,
shelfmark Royal 10 E IV f. 294

Man and snail, shelfmark Royal 10 E IV f.45

Man and snail, shelfmark Royal 10 E IV f.46v

Man & large snail, shelfmark Royal 10 E IV f.107

Two birds attacking a snail, shelfmark Royal 10 E IV f.112v

You may also be interested in the following posts with images from the British Library’s Medieval Manuscript collections:
– Images of Tudor people
– Wild Animals and Early modern England
– Images of the Devil in the Medieval/early-modern period
– Images of medieval cats
– Images of medieval cats – part 2
– Images of medieval dogs
– The Medieval Spinsters
– The sinful hermit
– The Snail and the Knight

Notes
All digital images from the British Library’s Online Images archive appear by courtesy of the British Library Board and may not be reproduced © British Library Board.

The British Library has in its care many delightful illuminated manuscripts.  One of my all time favourites in their collection is the Smithfield Decretals with its wonderful caricatures of medieval life.  Today’s selection are all about The Sinful Hermit.

 A hermit sitting outside a tavern drinking ale; the alewife approaches him with a flagon

The drunk hermit fornicates with the miller’s wife. The miller emerges carrying a mallet.

The hermit seizes the mallet from the miller

The hermit attacks and murders the miller

The hermit goes crazy with remorse

The hermit confesses to the bishop

The sinful hermit becomes a hairy wildman and goes to live in a cave

The sinful hermit, transformed into a naked wild man, lives with wild animals

The sinful hermit is redeemed by the monk

All pictures above are from Raymund of Peñafort’s Decretals of Gregory IX with glossa ordinaria (the ‘Smithfield Decretals’) (France, Last quarter of the 13th century or 1st quarter of the 14th century), © British Library Board.

You may also be interested in the following books

If you liked this post, you may also like this
– The Medieval Spinsters

It has often been said that women are hidden from history because it is, in the main, only men who figure prominently in historical narratives.  So my post today contains images of Medieval women at their daily work – spinning wool.   The modern term ‘spinster’ comes from this medieval  female occupation but it is now used when referring to an unmarried woman.

The pictures below are all from Raymund of Peñafort’s Decretals of Gregory IX with glossa ordinaria (the ‘Smithfield Decretals’) (France, Last quarter of the 13th century or 1st quarter of the 14th century), © British Library Board.

Royal 10 E IV f. 146 Woman at a spinning wheel

Royal 10 E IV f. 139 An amorous encounter – Woman spinning

Royal 10 E IV f. 142 Woman with spinning wheel

Royal 10 E IV f. 147 Woman at a spinning wheel

Royal 10 E IV f. 147v Man and woman by a spinning wheel

You may also be interested in the following books

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This blog
If you want to read more from my blog, please do subscribe either by using the Subscribe via Email button top right of my blog, or the button at the very bottom.  If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, then please do Like it with the Facebook button and/or leave a comment below.

Thank you for reading this post.

You may also be interested in the following
– Early-modern images
– Medieval Manuscripts

© Essex Voices Past 2012-2013.