What life was like in a medieval castle

Medieval castles are the stuff of which fairy tales are made, but if you've ever visited one, you know how inhospitable they can be. Have you ever wondered what life was really like in there during the Middle Ages? Was it really that dark and miserable? How did people eat and sleep? What did castles smell of? The answer to these and many other questions are here. 

Castle

The castle is synonymous with the Middle Ages. These fortresses were mostly owned by nobility.

Common features

Although castles vary in how they were built, there are some common characteristics that most do share. Being built on high ground and having access to water nearby are some of them.

They weren’t as dark and cold as you might think

While castles might have a cold and dark appearance, many had large wall fireplaces, walls covered with tapestries, and beds with curtains.

Castles didn’t smell that bad

They found a way to get rid of the damp and musty smell in castles. Herbs and plants were often used to give the castle a pleasant smell.

The floors would be covered with fragrant plants such as rushes. Lavender, thyme, meadowsweet, marjoram, and hyssop were also popular.

And then there were the baths, scented with various fragrances, and people would wash their hands with rosewater. And not to mention the exotic perfumes Crusaders would bring from their travels.

It wasn’t always busy

How busy castle life was would depend on whether or not the owners would be living in it. If they were there, it would mean that all their entourage would join them. This could be as much as 200 people!

Moving wasn’t easy

But noble families still did it, of course, with the help of (sometimes) hundreds of people. King Henry III, for instance, reportedly moved an average of 80 times a year.

Bedrooms

While the bedroom is the most private space in one’s house, privacy was not really a thing in castles.

Bedrooms (or bedchambers) would usually have a sitting area where guests were received and entertained by the lady or lord. It was a kind of private space where they could all hang out.

Limited rooms

Bedchambers were limited and reserved for nobility only. So if you were working at or visiting the castle, you’d have to find a place to crash. If you were lucky enough, you could sleep on pallets stuffed with straw.

Small beds

They were small because many people would sleep half seated, as laying down was believed to be a position reserved for the dead.

Toilets

As you can imagine, there were no flushing toilets back then, but the garderobe, gong, or privy, as it was known, wasn’t such a smelly, dirty place as we would expect.

They had a hole connecting to an exterior wall, meaning that any feces would go straight out of the castle into a river or moat.

Where this was not possible, feces would fall on a pit that had to be cleaned from time to time. That was the job of the 'gong-farmer.'

And just like bedrooms, privacy was not a thing. It was common for toilets to have several holes, so people would use them at the same time. Nobles did have their version of an ensuite bedroom though.

Religion

Religious services were a big deal. Everyone attended religious ceremonies, no exceptions. It was normal for people to visit the chapel four times a day.

So the castle’s chapel was a very important place. Some castle owners also had their own private chapel.

Touching the divine

Because women were not allowed to touch the altar, some would donate their clothes, or make altar clothes for the church or priests. This was a way to touch the altar by proxy.

Power

Many times, lords would be away for a long period (i.e. in the Crusades), so women had to take care of business in their absence.

Medicine

Being sick in medieval times didn’t always mean bizarre treatments. Many castles would have herb gardens, and many of medieval remedies were based on herbs.

Staff

Being a servant at a castle was a pretty good gig. Although money wasn’t great, you’d usually get clothes and regular meals.

Other roles included animal handlers, craftsmen, domestic staff such as cooks, and of course, entertainer roles, such as the minstrel.

Entertainment

Of course people had to have a bit of fun at the castle. Minstrels, bards, jugglers, musicians, and jesters were responsible for the good times.