I and A Mag Sep19

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Medieval Shopping Shopping in medieval times would certainly have been an assault on the senses. The medieval town was a very different place to our shopping centres today. Although the problem of litter is a current (and valid) environmental concern thanks to our overuse of packaging, crowded medieval streets would have habitually run with sewage, blood from slaughtered animals, rats and loose livestock. Couple this with the fact most people didn’t wash very often, and one can only imagine the smell and noise (or hue and cry) of which you would have run the gauntlet, by popping out for a loaf of bread! There were two types of shop owner in medieval England: merchants and craftsmen, and both were commonly governed by guilds. Merchant or craft guilds consisted of members who traded in a certain commodity such as wool, or who were specifically skilled artisans, respectively. By grouping together as a guild, they were able to set standards and prices for their trade. Paying for membership of the guild also provided traders with protection. Craft guilds would offer apprenticeships with the opportunity of learning a skill through a master craftsman and earning the resulting qualifications or papers. An apprenticeship was unwaged; sometimes families would even pay for their son to learn a respected trade. This payment would include food and lodging although it usually meant sleeping on the shop floor. Once a young man had completed his apprenticeship, he became a journeyman and would be paid for his services. A journeyman would have to produce his ‘masterwork’ to be given the title of master craftsman. There were punishments for those who broke the rules of the guild, often favouring the medieval penchant for humiliation (think of the popularity of the town and village stocks). For example, in those days bread was unleavened and sold by weight. A baker caught adding weights to his dough to make a heavier loaf would be made to walk through the town with the loaves tied around his neck. Likewise, a brewer who produced bad or adulterated beer would be forced to publicly drink it and then have the rest poured over his head. Banishment from a guild meant the merchant or artisan was unlikely to work in the town again. Most medieval trade premises were workshops as well, with the merchant or craftsman living above. Wealthier merchants would have larger houses built on the outskirts of the town. The shop front would generally have no glass windows but instead would be open to the street, with wooden shutters put up when it was closed. It was common for tradespeople to group their shops together, possibly because it was easier for the guilds to oversee, so streets became dedicated to one commodity or craft, for example, a street of bakeries or a lane of cobblers. We can still see this reflected in some old street names today. Because most people couldn’t read, medieval shop signs were symbols made of painted wood or wrought iron, sometimes partially gilded. These large signs were hung on brackets and chains attached to the building and were made obvious to the medieval customer. The sign for an apothecary was a pestle and mortar. A blacksmith had an anvil and hammer, while a farrier, who looked after horses’ hooves, might have had a simple horseshoe. In those days, barbers were also surgeons and dentists hence their sign: a red and white striped pole signified blood and bandages. It is thought that the ‘three balls’ sign for a pawnbroker (who lent money in exchange for the collateral of valuable goods) may have evolved from the symbol for three gold coins. A butcher’s sign was usually a bull’s head coupled with butchery tools. Most butchers would have a barn and slaughterhouse attached to the back of their shop and animals were killed on the premises. Carcasses would be hung outside on hooks, and meat laid out on slabs or special sills attached to the building known as ‘shammels’. These were a common feature of medieval shop fronts. The typical overhangs of medieval buildings would have served to protect the goods on display below, both from the weather and things being thrown out of the windows above. As with the shop signs, instead of written notices shop owners would hang symbolic objects outside their premises to keep customers informed of what was going on. For example, if a brewer’s beer was ready, he would hang a green branch outside. Other examples of craftsmen or ‘mongers’ (tradespeople selling a certain type of goods) who might have a shop in a medieval town were: stonemason; draper (who sold cloth); tailor; carpenter; cobbler (who repaired old shoes) and cordwainer (who made new ones); grocer; furrier; fishmonger; baker; weaver; cheesemonger; cooper (barrel maker); cartwright; ironmonger; bowyer (who made archer’s bows); fletcher (who made the arrows); and chandler (who originally made candles). Many of these skills were passed down through families to become common surnames. As well as blacksmiths who forged iron, there were other metalsmiths including goldsmiths and silversmiths. Not only did goldsmiths make jewellery and other objects from gold but they also produced gold leaf to adorn the beautiful handwritten medieval manuscripts of the day. Most shops closed around 3pm, having been open as early as 6am. A curfew bell would be rung between 8pm and 9pm and everyone was then expected to vacate the streets or else have a very good excuse for being there. We could probably learn a lot from our medieval ancestors. by Catherine Rose 84
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I and A Mag Sep19

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