What Life Was Really Like Inside a Medieval Castle

Sleepy History

This episode takes listeners on a 24-hour journey through a fictionalized 13th-century Welsh castle to explore the rhythms of medieval life.

Key takeaways

• Marriage among the nobility was often a strategic alliance between families rather than a love match.
• The word 'curfew' originates from the French term 'couvre-fous,' which refers to covers used to protect fireplaces overnight.
• Medieval hygiene was more advanced than popular myths suggest, with many people practicing regular washing and using herbal toothpastes.
• Social status at banquets could be judged by a diner's proximity to the expensive salt cellar on the high table.
• Gong farmers performed the unpleasant but well-paid task of cleaning cesspits under the cover of night.

Main topics

• 13th-century Welsh castle life
• Medieval social hierarchy
• Sanitation and hygiene practices

Notable quotes

It's the sun, rather than a clock, that wakes up the castle.

Conclusion

The episode provides a vivid, immersive look at how structured and com

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) This is Sleepy History. Sleepy History is a production of Slumber Studios. To listen ad-free and support the show, check out our premium feed. Across Europe, there are thousands of medieval castles still standing. Perhaps you've been lucky enough to visit one or two. Speaker 1 (0:35) At some point, you've probably wondered, what was life like in these castles? What did people eat? How did they spend their free time? And what about sleeping arrangements? Tonight, we'll find out, as we spend 24 hours inside the walls of a medieval castle in Wales. From the Lord and Lady, to the servants in the kitchen, we'll discover what daily life was like for all the people who lived there. Speaker 1 (1:07) So just relax and let your mind drift as we spend a day and night inside an evil castle. Imagine a castle somewhere in the Welsh countryside, an imposing stone building with towers and turrets encircled by a moat. Beyond the castle walls are fields, forests and villages. Speaker 1 (1:51) Despite being relatively small, the country of Wales in the United Kingdom is home to more than 400 castles. Many of them were built. You've heard of some of them, such as Anchepstow. The castle we're visiting today is fictional. But of course, all the details are based on real places. Imagine the sun rising over the castle, bathing the landscape in gold. Speaker 1 (2:33) It's autumn, so the sun rises at around six o'clock. It's the sun, rather than a clock, that wakes up the castle. It's the 13th century, and mechanical clocks are not yet commonplace. People organize their days by the sun or the ringing of church bells. In the castle attic and cellar, the servants are the first to awake. They rise from their straw mattresses, get dressed, and then get to work. Speaker 1 (3:12) The castle is chilly and fires must be lit in the kitchen and the great hall. Outside, the night watch comes to an end. The men who have kept guard on the castle walls throughout the long cold night can now go to their quarters as others come to take their place. Right now, there are no ongoing wars, but even during peacetime, the castle is always guarded and soldiers. Speaker 1 (3:50) the lookout for thieves' means of trouble. Inside the castle, up the stairs, is the great chamber. This is where the lord and lady of the castle sleep, beneath wool blankets and a fur coverlet. The wooden frame of their bed elevates them above the cold stone floor and is enclosed by thick curtains, been stoked by the servants, who are about to rouse their lord and lady. Speaker 1 (4:35) inherited this from his father. He also owns the surrounding land and several other houses in Wales. The Lord and his lady don't live in the castle year round. They divide their time between properties, traveling from one to the other with a procession of wagons. Members of their household travel with them, along with valuable items, their tapestries and silverware. and even the bathtub. The lady of the castle is in her 20s. She got married at 14, having been betrothed to her husband since she was a young child. The marriage was arranged by their parents, a strategic alliance between two families, rather than a love match. And yet, the couple have grown fond of each other over the years. Speaker 1 (5:46) They have six children who sleep in chambers on the same floor. The children's nurses are always nearby. They have a quick wash with a basin of cold water, just the face, armpits and nether regions. They sometimes clean their teeth too, using a linen cloth and a paste made from ground herbs. Speaker 1 (6:24) Nowadays, there's a common belief that people in medieval times were dirty and unhygienic. It's true that some people washed infrequently or wore filthy clothes. A famous example is Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who lived in the 12th century. After his death, it was discovered that his clothes were swarming with lice and other vermin. However, Speaker 1 (7:01) wasn't typical. It's thought that Beckett, who was devoutly religious, chose to put up with discomfort as a form of penance. Certainly, a proper bath wasn't a daily event, but it's believed that most people had a basic wash at least once a day. They weren't indifferent to matters of height, and they would change clothes regularly. Speaker 1 (7:30) People of a higher social status would have likely been cleaner, washing more frequently and owning multiple pairs of clothes and undergarments. Back to our lord and lady. Linen drawers, a long-sleeved woolen tunic, a second fur-lined tunic on top, and then a mantle fastened at the neck with an ornate brooch. On his head, he wears a linen coif. a close-fitting cap, and on his feet, a comfortable pair of slippers. He puts on a long chemise made of linen and woolen tunics similar to those worn by her husband. Their tunics are usually bright colors, blue, green, yellow, or red. Today, the lady wears a vibrant shade of crimson. Her hair is carefully combed, but these elaborate braids are rarely on show. Speaker 1 (8:52) Her face is framed by a white linen wimple, which covers her hair and neck. As she's married, it's considered more modest to be stressed and adorned in her jewelry. The lady checks her appearance in a small mirror of polished metal. She applies some makeup, animal fat, rouge, and whitening paste. Some people disapprove of Cosmopolitan. viewing them as deceptive or even sinful. Nonetheless, makeup remains popular, as ladies want to appear pale and beautiful. Before the lord and lady go about their day, they make use of the latrine, also known as the guard rope. This tiny room is located nearby. The toilet seat is a wooden bench with a hole in the middle. As toilet paper won't become common for a few more centuries, a scrap of cloth is used instead, or sometimes grass or hay. Waste drops down a shaft directly into the castle moat below. The servants of the castle make use of another communal toilet. The waste ends up in a cesspit below. Speaker 1 (10:34) Once in a while, it has to be cleaned by