![]() The shaft of the well could be extremely deep: the one at Beeston Castle in England measures 124 m. Of over 420 castles surveyed in the United Kingdom, 80% were provided with a well in their interiors and one quarter had two or more. Castles might be situated for the same reason and were provided with additional water from masonry-lined wells sunk into their interior courtyards, sometimes accessible from within the castle keep for extra security when under attack. ![]() Indeed, most settlements had developed where they had precisely because of the proximity of a reliable water source. Water was available in villages from nearby springs, rivers, lakes, wells and cisterns. (Codex Manesse, 14th century CE, Zurich, Switzerland) / Wikimedia Commons Water SupplyĪn illustration of a medieval noble taking his bath and being attended to by servants. Naturally, standards of hygiene varied over time and place, and even, of course, between individuals, just as today what follows examines the general habits and expectations regarding hygiene in medieval Europe. The better off had the possibility of more frequent baths and castles, manors, monasteries, and cities offered their residents better toilets with better drainage, and sometimes even had running water using the ancient combination of cisterns and gravity. However, despite the general lack of running water and other modern amenities, there were common expectations of personal hygiene such as regularly washing from a basin, especially the hands before and after eating which was regarded as good etiquette in a period when cutlery was still a rarity for most people. People in the Middle Ages have acquired something of a bad reputation when it comes to cleanliness, especially the peasantry. Urban centers especially had become centers of plague and disease outbreaks. From ‘The Golden Haggadah’ (c1320 CE), Spain / British Library, Creative Commons Lice, or ‘worms with feet’, were a common cause for concern in the Middle Ages.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |