HOUSING | the-middle-ages

A LORD'S HOUSE

The King provided the Lords with land as long as the Lords provided him with military service and continuous loyalty. A Lord had full control of the land/s given to him by the King. The Lord lived in a Manor House. The areas surrounding the Manor House was known as the Manor. About one third of the Manor was for the Lord's crops, the rests was for the peasants to rent and farm.

A Lord's Manor House typically had seven parts to it - the drawbridge, the keep, the watchtowers, the moat, the dungeon, the Chapel and the Solar.

THE ROOMS OF A MANOR

The Dungeon : This was used for holding prisoners. It would be found underground or beneath the ground floor.

The Kitchen: The meals and feasts were all cooked here. This room would generally be found on the ground floor.

The Store Rooms: These rooms included the Buttery, the Bottelry, the Pantry and the Store. The store rooms would be found scattered around the Kitchen or beneath it where it was cooler.

The Chapel: This room was intended for Prayers. Everyone living in the Manor was allowed to use the Chapel.

The Great Hall: Intended for meetings or suppers, the Great Hall was an extremely large room with high ceilings and very elaborate decorations. This room was generally near the Chapel.

The Solar: These rooms were the private sleeping quarters of the Lord's family.

FUN FACTS:

Cats and dogs were kept in the Manor for the sole purpose of getting rid of rats and other pests.
The castle towers originally had square roofs but they were eventually changed to round roofs as it gave the Lord a better view of the areas around him.
Medieval castles didn't have any toilets. Instead, things called guardarobes were used. These were long wooden seats with chutes leading to the moat