Steven Till

It’s been a hectic week, so I haven’t had a chance to post much. I’ll end the week (before the long holiday weekend) with a new term.
Wardship
In feudal law, rights belonging to the lord of a fief with respect to the personal lives of his vassals. The right of wardship allowed the lord to take […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on September 3rd, 2010 | 2 Comments »

Merlon
[mur-luhn]
Etymology: French, from Italian merlone, augmentative of merlo battlement, from Medieval Latin merulus, from Latin, merle
1) Part of a battlement, the square “sawtooth” between crenels.
(Gies, Joseph and Francis. Life in a Medieval Castle, 226)
2) Solid part of embattled parapet between embrasures, sometimes pierced with slit.
(Wood, Margaret. The English Medieval […]

Filed under: Castles, Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on August 27th, 2010 | No Comments »

Sergeant or Serjeant
Etymology: Middle English, servant, attendant, sergeant, from Anglo-French sergant, serjant, from Latin servient-, serviens, present participle of servire to serve
1) A servant who accompanies his lord to battle, or a horseman of lower status used as light cavalry. Also means a type of tenure in service of a nonknightly character is owed a […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on August 13th, 2010 | 15 Comments »

Revetment:
- Retaining wall of stone or timber of an earth bank or sides of a ditch. (Kenyon, John R. Medieval Fortifications, 211)

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on July 16th, 2010 | 6 Comments »

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia:
The modern pallium is a circular band about two inches wide, worn about the neck, breast, and shoulders, and having two pendants, one hanging down in front and one behind. The pendants are about two inches wide and twelve inches long, and are weighted with small pieces of lead covered with […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on June 25th, 2010 | 1 Comment »

Atheling
Aetheling, also spelt Ætheling, Atheling or Etheling, was an Old English term (æþeling) used in Anglo-Saxon England to designate princes of the royal dynasty who were eligible for the kingship.
Aetheling is an Old English and Old Saxon compound of aethele, æþele or (a)ethel, meaning “noble family”, and -ing, which means “belonging to.”[1] It is etymologically […]

Filed under: Anglo-Saxons, Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on May 15th, 2010 | 4 Comments »

Pipe Roll
1) Annual roll of the accounts presented at the Exchequer by the sheriffs, and including the farms of the shires and boroughs. (Reynolds, Susan. An Introduction to the History of English Medieval Towns, 199)
2) Properly known as The Great Roll of the Exchequer: the record of the annual audit of the accounts of the […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on April 30th, 2010 | No Comments »

Feretory
[fer-i-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee]
Etymology: [Middle English, from Anglo-Norman fertre, from Latin feretrum, from Greek pheretron, from pherein, to carry; see bher-1 in Indo-European roots.]
1. a container for the relics of a saint; reliquary.
2. an enclosure or area within a church where such a reliquary is kept.
3. a portable bier or shrine.
From The GOLDEN LEGEND or LIVES of […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on April 23rd, 2010 | No Comments »

Hundred
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English, from hund hundred + -red (akin to Gothic rathjo account, number); akin to Latin centum hundred, Greek hekaton, Old English tien
1) Anglo Saxon institution. Subdivision of a shire. Theoretically equals one hundred hides but hardly ever. Generally has their own court which meets monthly to handle civil and criminal […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on April 9th, 2010 | No Comments »

Agister
Etymology: (AGISTMENT. To ” agist ” (from O. Fr. agister, derived from gesir—Lat. jacere—to lie)
Officials appointed by the king in every forest county to make arrangements for the feeding of swine in the sovereign’s woods, and to collect “pannage” dues from those turning out pigs into the Forests.
*term definition retrieved from newforest.gov.uk (accessed April 2, […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on April 2nd, 2010 | No Comments »