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MEDIEVAL SCOTLAND ON DISC 2013

ISBN 978-1-909634-06-0

MEDIEVAL SCOTLAND

DURING THE TIME OF SIR WILLIAM WALLACE

and

KING ROBERT THE BRUCE

by

JESSIE SPITTAL

Edited by Sheila Pitcairn

Pitcairn Publications. The Genealogy Clinic, 18 Chalmers Street, Dunfermline KY12 8DF Tel: 01383 739344 Email enquiries @pitcairnresearh.com

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SETTING THE SCENE Looking back

Here in Dunfermline we are lucky. Why . . . because history is all around us. We can see it, touch it, feel it,

walk over it and imagine how it was. Buildings such as the Monastery, the Royal Palace and the Abbey are

real places. People lived in them, worked in them and worshipped in them. Kings were born in Dunfermline.

It was the capital of Scotland. It was a place of pilgrimage. It received visits from all the important players

of the Middle Ages. William Wallace came to Dunfermline. Wallace’s mother died here. Edward I of

England and his soldiers were unwelcome visitors here. King Robert the Bruce chose to be buried here.

Medieval is the word used to describe the Middle Ages. Historians tell us that this period lasted from AD

400 to AD 1450 but this project is concerned mainly with the later years. How did people live in those days?

Who were the important people? Why were the English and the Scots fighting?

People had lived in Scotland for centuries. At the top of a hill at a place called Cairnpapple near Bathgate in

West Lothian, we can see the graves of people who lived before Christ was born i.e. BC. They lived during

what was called the Bronze Age. The Bronze Age ws followed by a period we call the Iron Age. Then in AD

2 the Romans came north as far as Falkirk and built the Antonine Wall. Scotland in those days was a land of

many parts and different peoples. The scots ruled the west of the country having come from Ireland around

AD 500. The lands of the Picts stretched north from the Scotswater, now the River Forth. The kingdoms were

united under Kenneth macAlpine in AD 843 to become know first as Alba, and then as Scotland. Malcolm

Canmore became the King of Scotland in 1058. In 1069-70 Malcolm Canmore married Margaret, the

monastery was established here, and Dunfermline became a place of great importance.

In Abernethy, in the North of Fife, there is a Round Tower of an Irish Celtic design and Historic Scotland’s

information Board tells us that MALCOLM CANMORE AND WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR MET

AT ABERNETHY IN 1072 POSSIBLY HERE. We all know that William the Conqueror invaded Britain

in AD 1066 but did you know that he had visited Fife?

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THE FEUDAL SYSTEM

The Feudal System can be compared to a triangle. The further down the triangle you go, the more people there were at each level. At the top was the King or Queen. The monarch was the most important person in the land and there was only one. The clergy was a group of people associated with the church, and was made up of priests and ministers. They came next in the triangle and held a lot of power, land and riches. Following the clergy were the nobles: the greater and lesser barons. They too were powerful people and had land and money. They were the king’s vassals and held the title of Earl. Most of the population were free tenants or serfs. They are at the bottom level of the triangle and they had little money and no land.

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KING OR

QUEEN

CLERGY

GREATER AND LESSER BARONS

FREE TENANTS

SERFS

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THE LEVELS OF THE FEUDAL SYSTEM The king had to be a strong ruler or he could be overthrown. He gave part of his kingdom to those

people whom he felt he could trust and to those who had served him well in times of war. That was

when he needed their help most.

When war threatened, the king sent for these people. They were known as his vassals – the greater barons,

the lords and the earls - and they could not refuse to come. They, in turn, brought their men with them. This

meant that the king could gather an army at any time. All the men came fully armed and carried with them

the food they would need for the campaign. There was an agreement that they must serve the king for up to

forty days but, although the king couldn’t force them to stay longer, some undoubtedly did.

The clergy were a powerful group of people. Often they were the second sons of land owners. The first son

would be seen as the successor to his father’s title and lands. Second sons of such people are likely to have

received some education usually from members of the clergy. They may have had to live away from home

while they studied and so they formed friendships and alliances with other men like themselves. In the

accounts of the lives of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce, the clergy and bishops played an important

role.

Free tenants were said to be free because they were not slaves like the serfs. They could move about from

one place to another. They rented land from the barons and worked for them. The money to pay the rent came

from the produce of the land e.g. grain, cattle, sheep and poultry. A free tenant and the men he employed had

to work on their master’s farm at certain times of the year . . . such as seed-time and harvest .His grain was

ground at the baron’s mill but, in order to pay for this, the free tenant had to give some of his grain to his

master. When the baron went to war, the free tenant had to go too, taking with him his own weapons and his

own food. So he was not so free after all! When he was away from home it could be a hard and difficult time

for both the free tenant and his family.

Serfs were the lowest class and had the hardest lives. The lords and the clergy all had serfs. A serf and his

family were slaves and could be bought and sold like cattle. They were not allowed to leave the land on

which they had been born and they could not marry unless they had their lord’s permission. Serfs often tried

to run away but, by law, they had to be sent back to their master if they were found.

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THE FEUDAL SYSTEM

Cut out the groups of people and match them to their correct definitions.

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CLERGY

GREATER AND LESSER BARONS

SERFS

KING OR QUEEN

FREE TENANTS

The least important people in the triangle.

Religious people including priests and ministers.

The person at the top of the Feudal System.

People who have a certain amount of power and money.

Those people who are directly above serfs in the Feudal System.

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BARONS

The barons were the most important class in the Feudal System. When a baron received lands from

the king he went down on his knees in the king’s presence, look the king’s hands, and swore an oath

that he would be faithful to the king for the rest of his life.

If there was not already a castle on the baron’s land, he would build one. It had to be very strong so

that it could not be taken easily by an enemy. Often castles were built in a place which made it difficult

for an enemy to attack e.g. on top of a hill, in the middle of a lake or in a bog.

The baron lived in his castle with his family and his retainers. Retainers were the men who stayed

close to the baron to protect him and serve him. Near the castle were hamlets where the people who

worked on his land lived. It was from this land that the lord got food for himself and his household.

The baron had various duties to perform e.g. when the king needed him for advice or in times of war.

Then the baron had to put himself at the head of his retainers and march to wherever the king was.

Every baron had a court on his land where criminals were tried. He had the right of pit and gallow.

That means that the baron could drown women and hang men when they were found guilty of crimes

that deserved the death penalty. However it was usual for the baron to employ a bailie who tried the

people who were brought before the court.

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AMUSEMENTS FOR THE BARONS

The baron did not have much business to look after he filled up his time with amusements. A writer,

who lived in those times listed the amusements of a feudal baron as: hunting, fishing, fencing, jousting,

bear baiting, playing chess, receiving guests, talking with ladies, holding court, keeping himself warm

and watching the snow fall.

Hunting This was the main amusement of the baron.

It was exciting in those days because not only were

there foxes, hares and rabbits to be killed, there were

bigger, fiercer animals such as wolves and wild boar. Hawking Ladies took part in this sport too. They

would watch with great interest as a trained falcon was

released, soared upwards and then turned and

swooped down to kill other birds and small animals.

Tournaments A great amusement was the tournament or tourney. Because fighting was the chief

occupation of the barons their main ambition was to be a brave and skilful warrior. So their “play” was a kind

of war. The king or a great baron would send his heralds throughout the country, and even to other countries,

to say where and when the tournament was to be held. Many knights who wanted to show their skill would

come. Such tourneys could last for days.

Indoor Entertainment People played chess, draughts and different games with dice. Ladies spent

hours embroidering. There were a few books and these were expensive. Not every noble person could read.

Instead they told each other stories and listened to traveling minstrels who told their stories in song. There was

often dancing too.

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EDUCATING A YOUNG BARON

Jack’s father was a baron. He had been given lands by the king. When he was not fighting the king’s

battles he spent a lot of his time hunting and hawking. Jack liked when tournaments were held at the

castle where he lived, or at a neighbouring castle. He couldn’t wait to be old enough to take part. When Jack was about eight years old he was sent to the home of another

baron to be taught the skills he would one day require. Jack’s master was called Sir Edgar. One of Jack’s first duties was to serve at the table in the great hall of the castle. Later he was allowed to accompany Sir Edgar when

he went out hunting. He learned how a stag should be brought to ground and how a wild boar could be cornered and killed. He was taught how to tame falcons and how to use them in hawking. Jack was given a horse of his own and soon became a skilled horseman. He spent a lot of time practicing

fencing with a blunt sword and looked forward to the day when he would have his own sharp sword. A monk from a nearby monastery taught Jack how to read and write and Sir Edgar taught him how to play chess.

As Jack grew older he was given presents of weapons and armour and he learned how to use a lance - first on foot and then on horseback. He spent hours learning how to hold his lance steady while his horse charged forward. This was called tilting. Sometimes the wooden figure of a man, clad in a coat of mail and carrying a shield, was set up on a post. Jack was pleased when he could drive his lance through the shield and armour. The next step was to find another baron who was willing to tilt against him. Now Jack was ready to take part in tournaments and to fight for the king.

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TOURNAMENTS

Heralds were sent out by the king or a great baron to spread the news of where and when a tournament, or tourney, was to be held. Many people took part in the event and it could last for several days. It must have been a very colourful sight.

The fighting took place in the lists . . . a long, broad piece of level ground enclosed by barriers. All around were the tents and pavilions of the champions who were to take part in the tourney and of the people who had come to watch. The standards and the shields of the combatants were hung on the tents and on the trees to let everyone know who they were. Raised seats were provided where the more important people could sit and look on to the lists. Many ladies watched from these special seats. At one end of the lists were the challengers . . . . at the other end . . . were those who were going to fight them. The champions were covered from head to foot in chain mail. In their left hands they carried their shields and, in their right hands, long lances. A sword or a battle axe hung at their side. Normally the fighting took place on horseback. With their lances at rest, the combatants rode against each other and each tried to unseat the opponent. If the one who was knocked off got to his feet, his opponent jumped off his horse and they fought with their swords or battle axes. The loser, it is said, had to give up his horse and his armour to the winner. Uusally the swords and lances were blunted but, if the champions were real enemies; they fought with sharp swords and sharp lances. This meant that either or both of the combatants could be wounded or killed. When the tourney was over, the chosen “Lady of the Tournament” gave the prize to the champion – he was the one who was the bravest and most skilful fighter. At night there was a great feast for the combatants and for all the important people who had attended the event. Imagine that you were at a tournament. Write an account of what you saw and heard. Remember . . . you were just a spectator . . . but it was exciting. You will need to include details of all the people who were there and where and when the events took place.

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FARMING (1)

In medieval times farmers worked along with neighbouring farmers. In spring they yoked their oxen together to form a team to pull the wooden plough. Sometimes eight or ten oxen were needed as the plough was so heavy. Four men were needed: one to steer the plough, one to guide the oxen, while the other two men walked on either side of the plough to steady it. Sometimes the plough would get stuck in the heavy soil. Where the ground was thin and stony a plough was useless and the men had to break up the soil with a hand plough or cas-chrom.

After the ploughing came the sowing. Sometimes sowing didn’t start until April because of snow. The farmers would walk up and down their rigs casting handfuls of seed from a box at their waist. After the seeds were sown the land was harrowed. The harrow broke up the ground, covered the seed, and pressed the seed into the ground. When it was time to harvest the crops, everyone helped to gather them in. Children, men, women, old and young all helped. They worked day and night reaping the corn with their sickle and setting it up in stooks. Then they threshed the stooks with flails to remove the grain. After this came the winnowing to separate the grain from the husks. This was done by throwing handfuls up into the air to let the wind blow away the chaff. Sometimes this was done on a hilltop on a windy day. Another way was to leave it in a barn that was open at both ends. The draught blowing through the barn blew the chaff away. The grain left on the ground was then scooped up to be made into meal . . . either at the laird’s mill or at home in a small mortar known as the knocking stane.

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FARMING (2)

THE RUNRIG SYSTEM

For centuries past people had lived off the land. To find, or grow food, was a basic necessity. Some

people got most of their food by hunting, others by gathering what nature had provided. Many people did both. It depended upon where you lived, what season of the year it was and what was most readily available. There are still some people in the world who live like this. We call them nomads. The dictionary defines nomads as rovers and wanderers. In this country, long before the 13th century people had begun to settle in towns. Some of the towns were burghs and some were not. Some of the land belonged to the church, some to the king. Over the years important people had been given gifts of land by the church or by the king Many of these people were barons or knights. Some would live in a castle others in a Baronial Hall. People who had settled on the land owned by these nobles had built their own homes and had become farmers. They devised what they thought was a good way of working together. It was known as the Runrig System. The land was divided into sections called rigs. Each piece of ground is said to have been Between 7 and 15 metres wide and sometimes farmers agreed to exchange rigs. In this way everyone got their turn at farming the better ground. These rigs were in what the farmers called the infield. They also had what they called the outfield. The outfield was where the farmers usually grazed their cattle. However after a few years of cultivating the infield, the farmers would take the decision that the ground needed a rest. They knew that a year or two without cultivation would allow the goodness to come back into the soil. At these times they had to plough up the poorer ground in the outfield. No doubt the cattle, including sheep and goats, would be allowed to scavenge what they could from the infield and the baulks. When nothing was being grown on a certain part of the land, that part was said to be lying fallow. Often the nobleman (the laird) had farmland that he himself managed. He would sometimes ask his tenant farmers to come and help him. The laird’s farm was usually known as The Mains. The use of the word mains continues to this day in place names. Some of the people who worked on the land were known as serfs. They didn’t have share of any of the land or any rights and could be moved from one master to another.

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CRITICISM OF THE RUNRIG SYSTEM

1. Under the Runrig System the land was wasted when it could have been put to good use. a) In the baulks nothing was grown except weeds. Crops could have been grown there instead. b) The outfields lay fallow for three years – crops could have been planted. c) The quality of the rigs was never improved since they rotated among the farmers. This meant that if a farmer started to improve his rig, the next person to get the rig would reap the benefit. This made the farmers reluctant to improve their land. 2. The way in which the crops were rotated took any goodness out of the land. By planting only oats and barley, the soil was quickly drained of its goodness 3. From the harvest of the sown seeds, a farmer had to give a third to the laird (the lord) for rent, a third was for food for the year for himself and his family and a third had to be kept for sowing the following year. This meant the farmers had to rely on raising a good crop. If the crop failed, would be no profit in it all – no profit for anyone. There is an old saying commenting on the return of every seed sown:

Ane to saw, ane tae gnaw An’ ane tae pay the Laird with a’!

The Runrig System could be described as subsistence farming – a self-sufficient system where, people provided for themselves, there was only enough to live on.

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CRITICISMS OF THE TOOLS

AND METHODS USED

IN RAISING CROPS

PLOUGHING Ploughing took up a great deal of time and effort. The plough used in those days was not very efficient and often someone had to follow the plough and dig over the soil that the plough couldn’t break through. Apart from the coulter (the blade) the plough was wooden. This meant it both broke and rotted easily. The coulter itself soon became blunt. SOWING This was a time-consuming task and a lot of seed was lost. Seeds escaped from the basket . . . some of them just disappeared, some landed where they were they weren’t supposed to land. Others fell in clumps and grew so closely together that they became choked. Then birds flew down and ate the seeds that were left on the surface. HARROWING Since the harrow was made of wood the pegs often broke. Like the plough, it might also rot. The harrow itself did not always rake the ground properly. REAPING Reaping was back-breaking work. It took many people many hours. THRESHING This was long, hard work. It was a slow process and required two people to remove the grain from each stook. WINNOWING This was not at all efficient. Grain would get lost or blown away. There was not always a wind to help the process. GRINDING This was a long process as only a little could be done at a time and it was very hard work.

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BURGHS

When approaching a burgh, the castle, abbey or monastery could be seen from some distance away. Sheep and cattle could be seen grazing on the town common i.e. the shared pasture-land that belonged to the town. It was also known as the burgh muir. The townsfolk grew their oats and barley nearby in the town’s acres. Burgh means fortified place and certainly could not be easily entered. It was surrounded by a deep ditch, on the other side of which was an earthen rampart with a stout wooden palisade. The only way into the burgh was through one of its gates or ports. Each gate had a name such as the West Port. At each of these ports was a gatekeeper. He stood watch and collected tolls from visitors bringing goods to sell in the burgh. At night he closed the gate. The towns in those days were small, more like what we would call a village today. There was one street in a burgh called the High Gate or High Street. Running from it were tiny lanes known as wynds. Only the High Street was laid with cobbles. The other streets were not paved and there were great ruts in them and often deep holes. People were in danger of falling if they wer not careful. Everyone tried to walk in the middle of the road to avoid the middens (piles of rubbish) heaped in front of the houses. Only occasionally were these cleared away, making the burgh a dirty place in which to walk. Pigsties were built beside the houses and pits and piglets ran about the streets in great numbers. They got among people’s feet and caused serious accidents. By law, pigs were only allowed in the streets if tied by a rope but this law was not always obeyed, and the pigs continued to be a nuisance. At night the towns were in almost total darkness. If any person went out after dark, he had to carry a bowet. (i.e. a hand lantern) If he didn’t have one, he was thrown into the town prison. Most people went to bed when darkness fell and stayed there until the sun rose, for only then could they see to begin their work. Indeed there was a law that forbade tradesmen to do work at night because they could not see well enough to do it properly.

Compare the main street where you live with the one described above. Think about road surfaces, side streets, houses, street lighting, shops and the rubbish that lies around today.

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LANDMARKS WITHIN A BURGH

Houses were built with their gable ends facing the High Street. They looked just like country cottages, although some houses had two storeys with outside stairs leading to the upper floor. Many of the houses jutted out into the street almost blocking the way. A few were decorated with carved corner posts and coloured with a white or coloured wash. Behind each house was a long, narrow piece of enclosed land, stretching to the edge of the burgh. This was the townsman’s toft where he had his byres, stables and sheds. He might grow peas, beans and kail on part of this land too. Shops were not shops as we know them today. They were made of wooden put-ups called booths. They faced forward into the street so that passers-by could see what was being offered for sale. The church was the largest building in the town. It was used for many things as well as religious services. The magistrates would meet in the church to conduct the business of the town. Around the church was the churchyard. Townspeople often threw rubbish into it and pigs, sheep and goats, as well as horses and cattle, were allowed to wander among the graves.

The town cross was in the middle of the town. Originally it was a symbol that the people of

the town were Christian. Later it marked the centre of the town. The weekly

market was held around the cross and from it the town crier proclaimed the law of the

kingdom. People also came to the cross to listen to traveling preachers and, sometimes,

to laugh and jeer at lawbreakers sitting in the stocks or in the ducking pool.

The Cross of 1620, with stone pillar And small house 12 ft in diameter. It stood opposite, “Cross Wynde”

Dunfermline. The Stocks as they once

Were In Dunfermline

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PEOPLE IN THE TOWNS (1)

The people who lived in towns were divided into two classes called

freemen and unfreemen. The freemen were also called burgesses and

were the only people to have all the privileges which the king gave to his Royal Burghs.

Before a man could become a burgess, he had to pay a sum of money to the king. One source states

that: “The masters of certain crafts enjoyed greater privileges than others, and those who were able to

buy a toft (two roods* of land) in the burgh, and who thereby became burgesses, would acquire a higher

status still.” (From the Hammermen of Dunfermline by ‘Daniel Thomson who lived in Dunfermline about

a hundred years ago.) Burgesses also had to have their own weapons and armour, so that they could fight

for the king if asked to do so, and each had to take his turn at watching and guarding the burgh.

(*A rood was equal to a quarter of an acre so two roods would be equal to half an acre.)

The burgesses were much better off than the unfreemen who had a very hard time of it. The

Unfreemen did not like the burgesses and so the two classes were always quarreling. Unfreemen

could not keep a shop or a booth. They could not follow a trade and could not become craftsmen.

They had to do all the work in the town and were paid very little for their effort. On market days they

had to stand on the other side of the street from the freemen–just to show that they were unfreemen.

However, they were not slaves. They could leave the town whenever they wanted to but they would have been

no better off wherever they had gone.

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PEOPLE IN THE TOWNS (2)

Imagine that you have traveled through time and have arrived in this medieval town. The people cannot see or hear you, so you will be able to walk around the town unnoticed.

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MERCHANTS The burgesses soon divided into two classes. One was made up of merchants . . . who sold goods. The other class was made up of craftsmen. They were the people who made the goods to be sold. The merchants were the important people of the town and wanted to have all the power. To keep themselves apart from the craftsmen they formed a guild or society to which only merchants could belong. If any merchant took up a craft he had to leave the guild and was looked down upon by all the other merchants. The burgesses also ran the burgh council. They were elected each year at the end of September. By the end of the 13th century, some burghs were run by the council and not by the king. The council, made up of twelve men, passed laws for the burgh. The chief man was the provost. He was helped by bailies. They acted as judges in the burgh court. The bailies could sentence a criminal to death. They could also impose fines and they collected the money that had to be paid to the sheriff. The men who sat on the council were also members of the Merchant Guild. This very important group of people controlled all the trade in the burgh. The members of the guild made the rules about the buying and selling that took place in the market and only they could buy hides, wool skins or wool to sell on again. Members who broke the rules of the guild were fined. Members of guilds from other burghs were allowed to trade in the burgh, but only with merchants, not with the public. Guild members were supposed to treat each other like brothers. If they argued with each other they could be fined. They had to help each other to supply a fellow member with goods if he had run short. They had to support those members who had fallen sick and take care of the widows and orphans of members. If a member was captured by pirates at sea, they were even expected to pay the ransom. The Merchant’s wife, shown here is wearing a natural linen under-tunic, with a crimson and black super-tunic and a grey cloak and cream head-cloth. She cradles a baby in her arms. This costume is part of the Abbot House costume collection for schools.

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CRAFTSMEN Only merchants could be members fo the Merchant Guild. A craftsman could only join if he gave up working with his hands and employed others to do his work for him. Recognising that there were benefits to be had from belonging to such a group, it wasn’t long before the craftsmen decided to form their own guilds – one for each craft. Membership of a guild protected them from the richer and more powerful merchants. It also served to keep up the standards of good workmanship.

There were many different craftsmen. Some were involve in the making of clothes e.g. the dyers and the tailors. Others worked in leather e.g. the This is a mason’s mark. Skinners, tanners and saddlers. There were also armourers, shoemakers, Each mason had his own mark which he carved on the work copper smiths, lock smiths, sword smiths, masons, potters, millers, bakers, that he had done. This mason’s mark is one of several that can butchers, bonnet makers, glover, weavers and many more. be found in Abbot House. Each craft had a distinguishing dress which no-one else could wear. Each craft had its own area in the town. This led to streets being called Candlemaker Row, Baker Street and so on. Each craft had its own banner and a patron saint to whom offerings were made. A painted sign above the workshop would tell what went on below e.g. a baker might have a loaf of bread and a tailor might have a pair of scissors. Passers-by could see into the workshop through a window that had no glass. The space was covered by shutters at night. To ensure that members of each craft did their work properly an officer called a deacon was chosen to oversee them. He could punish anyone who broke the rules. To get into a craft you were apprenticed to a master and served him for a number of years. The apprentice lived in his master’s house. He could be beaten if he misbehaved. When the apprentice’s time of service ws over, he had to make an article of his craft by himself. It was examined by a deacon of that trade. If it was well made, the apprentice became a journeyman, if not, he had to serve for a further period of time. The journeyman lived with his master until he could afford to get married and set up in his own house. Would a baker live beside a butcher? Would a stranger to the town know, which shop was which?

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HOMES (1)

People made their home from materials that were easily found close to where they planned to build their house. If people lived near a wood then they would use tree trunks, or branches from the trees, to form the basic shape of the house and then make the walls from stones and turf. If they lived near the seashore then they might use the driftwood that came in with the tide.

For the sides and for the roof, thin branches called wattle could be laid side by side or woven together to form a network. Willow was often chosen when the branches were to be woven because it was pliable. (I.e. it would bend easily.) If wattling was used to form the roof, then the thatch was placed on top, in England you can still see very old houses made from wattle and daub. This was wattlework plastered with mud.

Here is a modern day thatcher at work securing the bundles of reeds to the straps of wood that form the roof. Reeds for this work used to be grown at the edge of the River Tay near Lindores Abbey in north Fife. If need be, heavy stones were tied to ropes of straw and strung over the roof to stop it blowing away. Houses often didn’t have windows and if there was no wood to form a door then a piece of leather might be hung over the gap to try and keep the cold out.

Do you know what your house is made of?

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HOMES (2)

The house was divided into two parts by a low stone wall. The first part was a living room and the second a byre for keeping animals in. The floor was either of hard earth or flat stones. The fireplace was in the middle of the room and the smoke rose and escaped through a hole in the roof.

There were few pieces of furniture in the house. Box beds were built into the wall and mattresses were filled with straw, dried ferns or heather. There may have been a rough trestle table made of wood and a few three-legged-stools. Over the fireplace, suspended from the rafters, would hang a big iron cauldron. Next to the fire was a flat stone for baking bannocks. Near at hand would be a quern for grinding the corn into meal. Lying around would be a water bucket, a milk pail and a cheese press. People ate out of bowls made from wood or earthenware and spoons made of horn. People’s homes in those days were certainly different from those we live in now. Think about your house . . . the number of rooms it has . . . what the rooms are used for . . . . . . the furniture in the house . . . the beds you sleep in . . . the way your food is cooked . . . . . . the floor coverings . . . how your house is heated . . . where the water comes from . . . Think about the animals mentioned in the text . . . what kind of animals would they have been?

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23

FOOD

In years when the harvest was good the people did not starve. They had two meals a day – dinner about midday and supper in the evening after all the work had been done. They ate porridge, and bannocks made from oatmeal. They also ate cheese and drank ale which was made from barley. A thick soup, called brose, was made from stock to which had been added kail, peas and beans. Chickens and eggs were plentiful and so were fish such as salmon, trout and herring. Beef and mutton were not so plentiful. The meat that was available tended to be stringy and tasteless. Spices could be added to give flavour but they were expensive to buy. Leeks and onions were often added instead. Sugar was also good for making. Food more palatable. There is a model of a beehive on a window ledge at the back of Abbot House.

Think . . . Is this a baker’s cart would have looked like

in those days? Could this be a kind of oven on wheels? The

lady is holding a long handled wooden peel. You can see that

she is lifting rolls, or maybe bannocks, from inside the cart.

They are still hot.

There is a baker’s peel like this in Abbot House. It is on a wall in the Café. Look out for it.

Where did people get their food from in medieval times? How healthy a diet did people have in those days?

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24

COOKING

Where might this man have been cooking? I don’t think it would be outside, do you? I don’t think it was in a

small house either. Could it have been in the house of a baron or a rich merchant? I wonder? Maybe even in

the King’s Palace? He seems to have a lot of pots and pans and dishes. Could that be a box of spices behind

him? If so, it is likely that the spices came from abroad. The onions though, could easily have been grown

nearby. The three-legged pots with their lids are interesting. Could they be made of iron? I wonder why they

needed legs. Our pans today don’t have them. Look at the size of the spoon. Have you ever seen one that

size? It is probably made of wood. What do you think might be in these jars behind him?

Perhaps this man owns an inn where people come to stay and, when he is busy, he needs to prepare a lot of

food. People in those days didn’t have very good table manners. They often ate with their fingers. Their food

came on pieces of wood called trenchers. They drank wine from flagons. There was often entertainment while

they ate. Someone might play musical instrument or there might be a jester who told stories and made people

laugh.

The earliest known record of hourglasses dates from the 14th century.

Hourglasses are among a number of ingenious timekeeping devices used before the

development of clocks in the Middle Ages. Hourglasses, also called sandglasses,

sand timers, sand clocks.

In the kitchen a three minute egg timer was used to let the cook know when a soft boiled egg was

done. A ten minute egg timer was used for a hard boiled egg. The person cooking had to keep an

eye on the hourglass to be able to know when the cooking task was completed unlike listening for a

bell or buzzer to sound as we do today.

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25

CLOTHES

Everyone, rich or poor wore the same items of clothing: A linen undergarment, called a tunic, for men, and a kirtle for

Women – a super tunic and girdle – a cloak – some form of headgear – and breeches for men. The super tunic was worn hitched up over the girdle to show the under tunic. Men wore their pouch slung from the front of the girdle like a sporran. Aprons were tucked into the girdle, not on apron strings or knotted.

Men wore their cloaks knotted or pinned on one shoulder like a plaid, while

women put theirs on over the head, reaching modestly to the waist in front, with the rest of the garment hanging behind. Women’s headdress covered their hair completely for modesty.

Men at work often wore a coif, or square of linen cloth, tied under the chin to keep their hair out of their eyes, or else a Phrygian cap.

Fashionable men went bare-headed at this time and were clean shaven.

The monks wore their hoods forward over the face when in public for the sake of privacy and the Benedictines wore no girdle at this time.

Kings, Queens and their courtiers wore super linen with sleeves with embroidery.

Leather pouches and girdles with velvet cloaks with jewels, circular silver and enameled brooches. Ladies wore wimples sometimes diamond brooches and an alms purse. The Merchants also wore linen tunic with super linen tunics and fine cloaks. The townspeople wore tunic with often woollen tunics with grey or black cloaks. Note: - Abbot House has costumes for groups of children to wear for, King, Queen, Princes and

Princesses, Merchants, and Townspeople and even the Poor.

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26

MONASTERIES

Monasteries, and the monks who lived in them, were very much part of life at this time

And the church was of great importance to the people who lived in the medieval burghs.

The monastery ws often built on land gifted by the king. It as after her marriage to

Malcolm Canmore that Queen Margaret sent to Canterbury and requested that three

Monks should be dispatched north to establish a church and monastery in Dunfermline.

Queen Margaret was a very religious person and had been preparing to become a nun before she arrived in

Scotland. Hr son, David I, who became King in 1124, gave money for the building of many monasteries and it

was said at that time that he was a sair saint for the crown. There were different orders of monks. Those that

Margaret summoned north were of the Benedictine Order i.e. they followd the Rule of St. Benedict. They

were known as the black monks because of the black habits they wore.

In charge of each monastery was an abbot and under him a prior. These men may have lived

outwith the monastery itself – the abbot in the abbot’s house and the prior in the prior’s house.

The monasteries were important places and many guests, including royalty, would come to

stay. Sometimes the abbot would leave the monastery and travel to other parts of the country

on business. When he was in the monastery, he was in absolute charge. When he entered a

room, everyone stood up. If he passed a monk in the abbey, the monk would bow his head.

The monks who came north to Scotland were given permission by the Pope to wear caps

under their hoods because they found the weather much colder here.

Many monasteries had high, strong walls around them because not every religious buildings were safe in times

of war. They covered quite a sizeable area that included several monastic buildings. The church was the most

important building. Often it was connected by a passage to the monks’ living quarters. The cloisters were the

areas where the monks might walk or sit at little table and write. The refectory was their dining room. The

monks were not allowed to speak during meals. Instead one monk stood a little apart from the others and read

aloud from the Bible. There would also be cellars, a kitchen, a bakehouse and possibly a mill. One special

building was the infirmary where the monks and local people would be tended when they were ill or dying.

The infirmarian was in charge of that area.

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27

THE ROYAL FAMILY TREE

KING Malcolm III and Queen Margaret |

______________________________________________________________ | | | | | | I | Edward EDMUND Ethelred EDGAR ALEXANDER I DAVID I = Matilda Matilda Mary

_____________________| | |

Henry = Ada |

____________________________|____________ | | |

MALCOLM IV WILLIAM I = ERMENGRADE David = Maud I I | | ALEXANDER II = JOAN | __________________| _________________ | | | ALEXANDER III = MARGARET Margaret = Alan Isabella = Robert Bruce ___________________| _________________| __________| | | | Margaret = Eric Magnusson Devorguilla = John Balliol Robert Bruce = Isabella de Clare (King of Norway) ___| ________|_____ ___________| | | | | MARGARET JOHN BALLIOL | Robert Bruce = Marjory (The Maid of Norway) _____________| | | | Alionora = John Comyn ROBERT BRUCE

John Comyn (KING ROBERT THE BRUCE)

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Kings and Queens

of Scotland are written

in

CAPITAL LETTERS

28

BACKGROUND TO ROYAL FAMILY TREE

Malcolm Canmore ruled Scotland from his home in Dunfermline from 1058 until his death in 1093. His wife,

Margaret, is remembered too, as both Queen and Saint. When King Malcolm died, he was succeeded as king

by his brother and then by a son from his first marriage – then by four of his sons from his marriage to

Margaret. His youngest son, David, is probably the best remembered. He was a good king, fair and wise, and

was responsible for the building of Dunfermline Abbey in memory of his mother. King David’s son died the

year before his father and so it ws King David’s grandson who became King. He was called Malcolm and, as

king, he was known as Malcolm IV. (His great-grandfather, Malcolm Canmore, was King Malcolm III.)

When Malcolm IV died his brother, William, succeeded him and, when William died in 1214, his son,

Alexander, succeeded him. He was known as King Alexander II. He was a great-great grandson of Malcolm

and Margaret. On the death of King Alexander II his son, also Alexander was crowned king. He reigned as

King Alexander III. (He was a great-great-great grandson of Malcolm and Margaret.)

King Alexander III married Margaret, daughter of Henry III, King of England. They had a daughter called

Margaret who married the King of Norway, Eric Magnusson. When they had a daughter she too was called

Margaret. When King Alexander III died so tragically, it was his granddaughter, Margaret, who was next in

line to rule the country. She was still a little girl living in Norway with her father. Her mother Margaret,

daughter of King Alexander III having already died.

Guardians were chosen to rule Scotland. Little Margaret, known as the Maid of Norway, was to be brought

to Scotland to become queen. Sadly she died before reaching mainland Scotland. There was now no one left

in this line of succession. Who would become King or Queen of Scotland?

Little Margaret’s grandmother, wife of King Alexander III, daughter of Henry III, was also a sister of Edward

I, the King of England, and he thought he had the right to control the choice of the future King of Scotland.

The Scottish people did not want this to happen. They looked again at the descendants of King Malcolm

Canmore and Queen Margaret and at the family of one of their great-grandson, yet another David, brother of

King Malcolm IV and King William and uncle of King Alexander II. This David and his wife, Matilda, had

two daughters and it was to their families that the people looked to see who would be King of Scotland . . . the

family surnames were Balliol, Comyn and Bruce.

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29

LOCAL REFERENCES

SAINT MARGARET

It is thought that a disagreement between Margaret’s brother, Edgar, and

William the Conqueror, forced Margaret’s family to flee from England. It is

said that their ship got into difficulties and they were forced to seek shelter in

the River Forth.

Legend tells us that Margaret and her family walked to

Dunfermline. On the way they stopped to rest and it is

said that Margaret sat on a very large stone. To this

day the stone if known as St. Margaret’s Stone.

Margaret married Malcolm Canmore, King Malcolm III of Scotland and became a much loved Queen. She is

remembered for her kindness to children, especially orphans, and to the poor. Malcolm and Margaret had eight

children – four of whom became Kings of Scotland. Margaret invited monks to come from Canterbury in

England and they introduced the Catholic religion to Scotland. A church was built on the site of the present

Abbey and the building of the Monastery began. The Queen’s youngest son, David, built a bigger church in

Dunfermline to the memory of his mother. Queen Margaret died in 1093 just a few days after the death of

King Malcolm. In 1250 Queen Margaret was canonized. She became Saint Margaret and her remains were

moved along with those of Malcolm to a specially built shrine behind the altar at the east end of the Abbey.

King Alexander III, newly King and only ten years old, was at this special service accompanied by his mother.

From then on many pilgrims came to Dunfermline to visit the shrine of

Saint Margaret. In 1302, William Wallace brought his mother to Saint

Margaret’s Shrine hoping that she could be cured of an illness. Sadly she

Died. Her grave in the Abbey Churchyard is marked by a thorn tree.

Robert the Bruce prayed to Saint Margaret before the Battle of Bannockburn. After the victory he ordered a

candle to be placed in front of her shrine. It was to be kept burning day and night.

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30

LOCAL REFEENCES

ALEXANDER III

On the night of his death, Alexander III was returning from Edinburgh. He had

crossed the River Forth by boat and set out to ride to his manor in Kinghorn. He

fell, or was thrown, from his horse and killed. His memorial stands by the roadside

between Kinghorn and Burntisland about 15 kilometers from Dunfermline.

Alexander III was buried beside his wife, Margaret, in Dunfermline Abbey.

The Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens . . .

This well known poem which begins: “The King sits in Dunfermline Toun” tells the tale

Of the homeward journey of the Maid of Norway. Some sources suggest it was penned in

Dunfermline by Lady Elizabeth Wardlaw, second daughter of Sir Charles Halkett of

Pitfirrane. The opening line is engraved on the lintel of the fireplace in the café in

Abbot House. There is also a stained glass panel in the house.

In the Carnegie Dunfermline Library, beside the door leading to the Reference Room, there is a beautiful

Tapestry called The Dream of Sir Patrick Spens by Mrs. Betty Cumming. All the imagery of the

poem had been skillfully woven into the picture. . . from the town of Dunfermline “a city set upon a

hill” to Sir Patrick Spens himself trying to rescue the Maid.

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QUHEN ALYSANDYR OURE KYNG WES DEDE

THAT SCOTLAND LED IN LUIVE AND LE

AWAY WES SONCE OF ALE AND BREDE

OF WYNE AND WAX, OF GAMYN AND GLE

OURE GOLD WES CHANGED INTO LEDE

CRYST! BORNE INTO VIRGYNYTE

SUCCOUR SCOTLAND AND REMEDE

THAT STAD IS IN PERPLEXYTE

To The Illustrious Alexander 111

The last of the Scottish Celtic

Kings who was accidentally killed Near this spot March XIX

MCCLXXXVI

These words appear by the side of the monument They are taken from the Original Chronicle of Scotland By Andrew Wyntoun which was published about 1400

31

LOCAL REFEREMCES

WILLIAM WALLACE

This wall plaque in th garden of Abbot

House shows William Wallace as a baby,

as a boy and as a warrior riding his horse.

Could it be . . . that William Wallace was buried beside his

Mother? Legend tells us that after Wallace had been hung In the Abbey Churchyard you will find

drawn and quartered, a monk from Dunfermline called John a very special tree. It is called the

Blair, along with some friends, collected Wallace’s body parts Wallace Thorn. William Wallace’s

which had been displayed in London, Newcastle, Berwick, mother is said to have been buried at

Stirling and Perth. It is said that they brought the parts back this spot. A plaque marks the grave

to Dunfermline and buried them in the churchyard. and beside it you will often find a little

vase of fresh flowers. As one tree has

grown old and died, another young tree

has always been found growing in its

place.

Wallace Street - is in the Brucefield area of Dunfermline.

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Did William Wallace hide in the forest of Dunfermline?

Could it have been in what we call the Glen? It’s correct

name is Pittencrieff Park and Pittencrieff comes from the

Gaelic Pit-an-croib. In the Gaelic language Pit means a

hollow and craoibh (pronounced creiv) means a tree.

Pittencrieff = the hollow of the wood.

Wallace’s Well In Pittencrieff Park there is a spring known as Wallace’s well. Did William Wallace drink water from this spring? Did he meet Townspeople here? The well is not far from Saint Margaret’s Cave and it is thought that Wallace used the cave as a hiding place. Some sources say that because the water had special qualities it was call Well o ’Spa which sounds alike Wallace Spa and that’s how it got its name. What do you think?

32

LOCAL REFERENCES

BURGHS People tended to live together in settlements called burghs to be safe from their enemies. Burgh means

A fortified place. Burghs grew around the castles of kings or barons, or near some monastery or great church.

These settlements were usually near the sea, or beside a river that flowed into the sea, so that traded could be

carried out with foreign countries.

Royal Burghs were built on the king’s land. The people paid rent to the king and in return they were given

certain privileges e.g. they were allowed to trade throughout the whole country and also with foreign countries.

Other burghs were not allowed to do this.

Burghs of Regality and Burghs of Barony had a baron, abbot or bishop over them and were not as important

as the king’s burgh.

This is a copy of the Coquet Seal

Of the Regality Court of Dunfermline.

It shows Queen Margaret holding a sceptre in her right hand and a

Book in her left. To Margaret’s right is a shield bearing the arms of

Scotland and to her left is another with her arms i.e. those passed

down to her by her father from Edward the Confessor.

The seal was engraved in the year 1322 by sanction of King Robert the Bruce. Whenever the seal was

Produced it granted authority to the bearer to collect customs (i.e. taxes) due to the Abbey of

Dunfermline – including . . . customs paid at Burges in Flanders . . .

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On all the main roads leading to Dunfermline you can see signs proclaiming:

The City and Royal Burgh of Dunfermline

33

SCOTTISH SURNAMES FROM OCCUPATIONS

Baxter - a baker

Brewster - a brewer

Collier & Coleman - a miner

Ferrier - a farrier or man who shoes horses

Lister - a lister or dyer

Maltman - a man who makes malt for whisky

Punler - a watchman

Milne - a miller

Soutar - a shoemaker

Scoular - a scholar or teacher

Sneddon - a forester who prunes trees

Stalker - a man who hunts deer on the hill

Sheriff - a lawyer who presides in court

Stewart - master of the household

Scriven - a writer or clerk (not everyone could write)

Webster - a weaver

Walker - a cloth-maker who waulks or tramps cloth

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