Steven Till

Dreng
- Term for a lord of a small *manor, who was free except for someduties of military service; it was used primarily in Northumbria.
*Source: A Dictionary of Medieval Terms & Phrases by Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on January 27th, 2012 | No Comments »

Chancellor
The officer of the royal household who serves as the monarch’s secretary or notary. The chancellor is responsible for the Chancery, the arms of the royal government dealing with domestic and foreign affairs. Usually the person filling this office is a bishop chosen for his knowledge of the law. (MEDIEV-L. Medieval Terms)
King John of England […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on December 9th, 2011 | No Comments »

Escheat
[es-cheet]
1) The right of a feudal lord to the return of lands held by his vassal, or the holding of a serf, should either die with out lawful heirs or suffer outlawry.
(MEDIEV-L. Medieval Terms)
2) Reversion of property to feudal lord or Crown upon default of heir or upon conviction of treason or felony.
(Sayles, George O. […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on November 23rd, 2011 | No Comments »

Vavasour
[vav-uh-sawr, -sohr]
: a feudal tenant ranking directly below a baron
*see the Regestum of Phillip II Augustus for use of the term
*also, the term is found in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales under The Franklin’s Portrait:
356: Ful ofte tyme he was knyght of the shire.
357: An anlaas and a gipser al of silk
358: Heeng at his girdel, whit as morne […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on October 21st, 2011 | No Comments »

Bequest
[bih-kwest]
1. a disposition in a will.
2. a legacy: A small bequest allowed her to live independently.
From the Sale & Transfer of an Estate, 704:
To the holy and venerable father in Christ, Rigobert, Lord Abbot of the monastery of Sithiu, I, Eodbert, the vendor, have determined of my own free will to sell to you by […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on September 30th, 2011 | No Comments »

Jongleur
[jong-gler]
(in medieval France and Norman England) an itinerant minstrel or entertainer who sang songs, often of his own composition, and told stories.
From The GOLDEN LEGEND or LIVES of the SAINTS
Compiled by Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, 1275
This Henry put out of his court all the jongleurs, and gave to poor men all that was […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on August 12th, 2011 | No Comments »

Naifty
The state of being born in bondage or serfdom. (Bennett, H.S. Life on the English Manor: A Study of Peasant Conditions, 1150-1400, 338)
From the Abbot of Battle’s Court at Brithwaltham:
(Court of Brightwaltham holden on Wednesday next before the feast of S. Margaret the Virgin in the twenty-fourth year of King Edward. To this court came […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on July 8th, 2011 | No Comments »

Oriel:
1) Projecting room on an upper floor (in the medieval sense; later an upper-floor bay window).
(Gies, Joseph and Francis. Life in a Medieval Castle, 226)
2) Originally a projection or built-out gallery, often a porch outside an upper entrance reached by an external staircase, later a projection usually containing a window. Now chiefly used for a […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on June 10th, 2011 | 2 Comments »

Fuller
Broad groove running down the center of each side of some sword blades. (Wise, Terence. Medieval Warfare, 248)
*term definition retrieved from Netserf’s Medieval Glossary

Filed under: Arms and Armor, Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on April 8th, 2011 | No Comments »

Soke:
1) Land attached to a central manor for payment of dues and for judicial purposes. Often large units - perhaps of very ancient origin. (Wood, Michael. Domesday: A Search for the Roots of England, 214)
2) In London, the estate within the city of a lord who retained some jurisdiction over his tenants. (Reynolds, Susan. An […]

Filed under: Middle Ages History, Medieval Glossary, Medieval History on February 25th, 2011 | No Comments »