Medieval History Term of the Week: Livery
Livery
[liv-uh-ree]
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French liveree, livree, literally, delivery, from liverer to deliver, from Latin liberare to free
The tunic worn by a servant or follower of a lord, being in the colors of the lord’s arms and bearing his badge. (Wise, Terence. Medieval Warfare, 249)
In the Life of St. Julian the Hospitaller, it is mentioned how the servants of a nobleman wore the livery of the household.
“He takes lodging with a noble townsman who has a fine dwelling and who does not bear himself in a lowly fashion for he was the castellan of the castle. Thus he had at his disposal at all times of the day thirty servants of his household. Never did I see men in better livery.”
Additional Reading:
Heraldry, Pageantry and Social Display in Medieval England By Peter R. Coss, Maurice Hugh Keen
*term definition retrieved from Netserf’s Medieval Glossary (http://www.netserf.org/Glossary)
Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on July 31st, 2009
sadly, not the only meaning of the word, as I found out recently when learning about liveries of seisin.
Do you know when the livery of seisin ceremonies first began?