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There are 205 items in the glossary
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A |
| achievement |
a full display of an entire coat of arms. An achievement of arms
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| acre |
The amount of land which one team can plough in a day. 120 was the average to maintain one family but this varied depending on the land.
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| advowson |
right of presentation to a church dignitary
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| ailette |
armour - originally meaning little wing, a piece of leather or parchment laced to the shoulder, probably more decorative than protective and usually bearing the arms of the wearer
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| aketon |
a padded and quilted garment, usually of linen, worn under or instead of plate or mail
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| allure |
a walkway on the battlements of a castle
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| alms |
penance imposed by a priest on a member of the nobility requiring payment of a sum of money to the benefit of the poor
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| amercement |
a fine in law
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| angel |
English gold coin worth 6/8 (6 shillings and 8 pence - 33p). Also a messenger of God
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| argent |
Silver in heraldry
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| armiger |
a person who has been granted and is entitled to bear a coat of arms
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| arquebus |
early firearm consisting of a tube sealed at one end with a touch-hole. Sometimes fitted with a small bar at the sealed end which was placed against a surface
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| arrowsmith |
maker of arrowheads
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| ashlar |
smooth and flat masonry blocks
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| attainder |
bill of attainder. A bill passed by Parliament acting as judge and jury and imposing sentence on a single person. The Bill required signing by the monarch and the minimum sentence was loss of all titles and lands, the maximum death
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| azure |
Blue in heraldry
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B |
| bailey |
an enclosed courtyard
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| barbican |
a projecting outwork designed to protect a gateway
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| baselard |
Thrusting sword used in Europe having a strong, short, diamond sectioned blade
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| bastard sword |
long double edged sword which can be used single or doubled handed. Sometimes called a hand and half sword
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| bastion |
part of the defences of a castle standing proud from the wall and giving a good field of coverage for defenders
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| batter |
a sloping thickening at the base of a wall
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| belfry |
a mobile wooden tower used to transfer troops onto a wall
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| bellows |
armour - a visor which is named because the alternate raised and lowered horizontal ridges resemble those in the leather bag of traditional fire bellows
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| berm |
the space between a ditch and a wall
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| bevor |
plate protection for the neck and chin forming a complete closure with the helmet
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| bill |
a pole weapon based on a hedging tool having a straight blade and one or more hook-like blades
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| blancmange |
see blank-manger
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| blank-manger |
unlike the sweet pudding of today this was made from pounded poultry or other white meat boiled with rice and almond milk and sweetened with honey
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| blazon |
the description of an armorial bearing
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| bocland |
land given by the king and recorded in a book (bookland). A perpetual right which could be bequeathed and inherited. Sometimes recorded as "Buckland" as in Devon.
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| bodger |
one who makes rough and ready items from rough hewn timber
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| bodkin |
long, sharply pointed arrowhead designed to concentrate all the power of the arow into a single point to open mail or puncture plate armour
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| book of hours |
highly decorated book containing the prayers required for each hour of the day. This was usually commissioned for or by a single person
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| bookland |
see bocland
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| bordar |
cottager
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| borough |
a town which has been granted a royal charter giving it the right to self government
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| bracer |
small arm protector for archers
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| braies |
short underpants tied at the waist
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| brattice |
wooden hoarding built out from a battlement
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| breastplate |
armour - plate covering the upper chest down to the diaphragm
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| broadhead |
wide arrowhead with a sharpened edge used mainly for harassing horses at a distance
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| broadsword |
sword having a double edged, wide blade. Common term for the medieval arming swords
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| buckler |
small, usually round, shield
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| butte |
a generic middle English name for a flatfish. This was combined with the middle English haly meaning holy to give the name for the largest flatfish which was favourite dish on holy days - the halybutte (halibut)
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| buttress |
a stone support built against a wall
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C |
| caltrop |
spiked device which always presents an upward facing spike used to impede men and, particularly, horses
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| cannon |
hollow tube used to launch a missile using gunpowder. From the latin cannon meaning a reed
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| canonical hours |
the church bell was rung eight times at each of the following - midnight (matins), 3 am (lauds), 6 am (prime), 9 am (tierce), midday (sext), 3 pm (nones), 6 pm (vespers) and 9 pm (compline)
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| canting arms |
arms which are designed as a pun on the name of their bearer. For example, the arms of the Queen Mother show bows and a lion reflecting her name Bowes-Lyon
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| carucate |
as much land as a team can plough in a year
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| ceorl |
a freeman who is not a noble
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| chainmail |
see mail
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| childwite |
a fine paid by men to the lord of the manor for illicitly impregnating his bondswomen
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| cobbler |
a repairer of footwear as opposed to a maker of footwear
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| coif |
a cap made of linen which covers the head, also a mail hood
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| constable |
the principle officer of the household of a noble or king, a hundred or a town
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| corbel |
a stone bracket
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| counterscarp |
outside slope of a ditch (see scarp)
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| couter |
armour - articulated plate covering the elbow
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| crenel |
the open section of a battlement
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| crenellation |
a battlement
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| cuirass |
plate armour for the body generally consisting of breast and back plates and protection for the hips
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| cuisse |
armour - plate covering the upper leg, thigh to knee
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| curtain |
a wall surrounding a castle enclosure
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D |
| demesne |
the manor house and adjoining lands which the lord of the manor kept for his own purposes
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| distrain |
to compel the performance of a duty
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| donjon |
great tower or keep (usually) but can also be a lord's private area
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E |
| ell |
a measure of length for cloth equal to one and a quarter yards
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| embrasure |
opening in the defences of a castle used for shooting at attackers
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| embrasure |
an opening in a wall soetimes for the use of archers
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| enceinte |
an area enclosed by castle walls
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| essoin |
an excuse or exemption, especially from attending court
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| essoin rolls |
records of the excuses offered for failure to attend court when summoned
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| estoc |
long, straight and sharp thrusting sword. First mentioned in the latter part of the fourteenth century and used for attacking the joints in plate armour
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F |
| falchion |
a heavy broad-bladed sword designed for hacking blows
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| fief |
an estate which could be anything from a small plot of land to a whole country which is held by homage and service to a lord
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| fistmeile |
a measurement derived from making a fist with the thumb raised. The distance between the lower part of the little finger and the tip of the thumb
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| fletcher |
maker of the arrow shaft including applying the feathers to the shaft
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| fletchings |
the feathers on an arrow, usually, in medieval times, glued and bound on
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| flummery |
another name for frumenty a dish made from wheat meal boiled with water or milk and seasoned
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| freehold |
an estate held without any feudal obligation
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| fripper |
A dealer in frippery. One who deals in old clothes
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| fructed |
bearing fruit in heraldry
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| frumenty |
a dish made from wheat meal boiled with water or milk and seasoned
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| fuller |
groove in a blade to strengthen and lighten it. Sometimes erroneously called a blood groove. Also one who prepares wool by combing it to thicken it.
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G |
| gambeson |
heavy jacket designed to fit under armour, usually with arming points to actually hang armour
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| garderobe |
a toilet in a castle
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| gathering |
a collection of pages forming part of a book before binding
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| gorget |
plate armour protecting the throat and neck above the breast plate
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| greave |
armour - plate covering the lower leg, knee to anke
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| groat |
English silver coin worth 4d (4 pence - about 1½p)
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| gules |
Red in heraldry
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H |
| haberden |
cod especially in its salted form. Also used as haberdine
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| haberdine |
cod especially in its salted form. Also used as haberden
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| half angel |
English gold coin worth 3/4 (3 shillings and 4 pence - 17p)
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| half groat |
English silver coin worth 2d (2 pence - about 1p).
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| half noble |
English gold coin worth 3/4 (3 shillings and 4 pence - about 17p)
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| half penny |
Also known as a ha'penny (pronounced haypenny). English silver coin worth ½d
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| half ryal |
English gold coin worth 5/- (5 shillings - 25p)
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| heriot |
a tribute or service rendered to a feudal lord on the death of a tenant
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| hide |
the amount of land needed to support the family of a freeman. This varied from place to place depending on the quality of the land
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| hilt |
the handle or grip of a sword
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| historiated capital |
on a manuscript page, an initial letter which contains an illustration within itself
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| homage |
a ceremony where a tenant aknowledges his allegiance to his lord
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| hundred |
an area of land equal to a hundred hides
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| hundredweight |
in mediaeval times this was a measurement of exactly 100 pounds
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I |
| illuminator |
artist who applied decoration including gold to a manuscript
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| impleaded |
instituted and prosecuted a plea at law
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| indenture |
a written legal agreement so called because two copies were made on a single sheet and these were cut in an indented pattern so that they could be shown to fit together. This was necessary in a time when only a few could read and the fact that the indents fitted was proof of agreement.
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| inkhorn |
the top of a horn used to contain ink or paint. Used mainly by wedging into a hole in the writing slope
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J |
| jack |
defensive coat, either of several layers or quilted leather or linen, often reinforced with metal studs or small plates
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| jupon |
a tightly fitted garment worn over armour (particulary mail) in the 14th century
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K |
| kettle hat |
light weight, open-faced helmet, having a conical crown and wide brim
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| kirtle |
a long gown or dress
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| klappvisier |
visor for a bascinet featuring a pointed (pignose) or rounded (roundnose) snout to deflect arrows and bolts and a raised area around the eyes
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L |
| liripipe |
elongated point of a hood, sometimes extremely elongated.
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| livery |
the provision of food and clothing to retainers. Also refers to distinctive clothing worn by retainers
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| longbow |
traditional, especially Welsh and English, bow. Usually made from a single bough of yew and usually the height of the archer plus a fistmeile
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| loop |
an opening in a wall which is wider internally designed to admit light or for archers
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M |
| machicolation |
battlement supported on corbels (see corbel) to allow command of the base of a wall
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| mail |
from the medieval French maille meaning net. Linked metal rings which are assembled into garments as armour. An early form of armour which was gradually replaced by plate.
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| mantling |
short lengths of cloth, usually in the livery colours, hung from the torse on the helmet as an aid to identification. This is usually shown as torn and ripped in battle when displayed in heraldry.
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| march |
borderland usually used to refer to the Welsh and English border
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| marcher lord |
the lords holding lands usually on the Welsh and English border
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| maslin |
bread made from a mix of rye and wheat
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| mead |
alcoholic drink made from fermenting honey and water, sometime flavoured with the meadowsweet plant
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| meadow |
a vital piece of land for a farming community, always kept in grass to provide hay when mown
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| melee |
a massed combat at a tournament where individuals or groups of individuals meet together
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| mercer |
a dealer in cloth and fabrics
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| merlon |
solid section of a battlement
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| messuage |
a dwelling house and its adjacent buildings and the adjacent land used by the household
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| moat |
a ditch either dry or full of water
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| motte |
a mound of earth
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| mural chamber |
a vaulted chamber in the thickness of a wall
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| mural passage |
a passage in the thickness of a wall
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| mural tower |
a tower on a curtain wall
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N |
| noble |
an English gold coin worth 6/8 (six shillings and eight pence - about 33p). Also a person of high birth
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O |
| or |
Gold in heraldry
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| Oyer and Terminer |
Legal term, literally to hear and determine. A commission for judges on circuit
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P |
| pantler |
one who prepared bread for trenchers and soft bread for sopping up food
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| parapet |
the outer wall of a walkway along a main wall
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| parchment |
the skin of any animal which has been prepared as a writing medium. Common skins were sheep, goat, calf and rabbit. This term is completely interchangeable with vellum though some schools of thought regard the cheaper "split" skins as parchment
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| patten |
an undersole usually of wood which was strapped under the normal footwear to protect it in wet conditions
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| pavise |
large free-standing shield used primarily by crossbowmen
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| pell |
a vertical pole designed for sword training. Practice at the pell. Pell-mell is derived from this word
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| penknife |
small knife used to cut and trim quills. In the UK this term became the common name for any small knife carried about the person (USA pocket knife)
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| penny |
English silver coin worth 1d (1 penny - ½p)
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| pickerel |
small pike (fish)
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| pilaster |
a shallow pier against a wall to strengthen it
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| plackart |
armour - plate covering the lower torso below and overlaping the breastplate
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| plate |
the generic term for armour made from metal plates, articulated at the joints.
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| pole |
measurement of land. The distance between the back of the plough and the nose of the ox
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| poleyn |
armour - articulated plate covering the knee
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| pomell |
counter balance weight at the hilt of a sword designed, along with the rest of the hilt, to balance the weight of the blade
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| portcullis |
a lattice made of metal or wood which is dropped to block a passage
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| posset |
a drink made from hot mlk curdled with wine and sweetened, considered a delicacy
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| postern |
a small rear door
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| potell |
a measure of liquid equal to four pints, half a gallon
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| purpure |
Purple in heraldry
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Q |
| quarrel |
short square headed bolt or arrow used in a crossbow
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| quarter noble |
English gold coin worth 1/8 (1 shilling and 8 pence - about 8p)
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| quarter ryal |
English gold coin worth 2/6 (2 shillings and 6 pence - 13p)
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| quillon |
cross guard on a sword. This term was not used until the sixteenth century so is inappropriate when describing swords prior to around 1530. The original cross guard or simply cross is usually used prior to that date
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| quintain |
dummy with a shield mounted on a post. Used in combat training
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| quintel |
another term for hundredweight, a measurement which, in mediaeval times, was exactly 100 pounds
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| quitclaim |
to add or remove someone from the title of property
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R |
| rampart |
a bank of earth
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| reeve |
the chief magistrate of a town or village or the supervisor of an estate
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| relic |
piece of material such as wood or bone, etc widely regarded as being from the body, clothing or associated artifacts of a saint
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| revetted |
the side of a ditch which is faced by wood, stone or some other material
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| riser |
raised vein in a sword blade designed to give extra strength when thrusting
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| rubricator |
specialist artist or scribe whose task it was to apply red to a manuscript
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| ryal |
Also known as the rose noble. An English gold coin worth 10/- (10 shillings - 50p)
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S |
| sable |
Black in heraldry
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| sake and soke |
a grant which allowed the granter to intercept fines relating to his own estate which would otherwise have gone to the crown
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| sallet |
an open faced helmet usually favoured by archers
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| salt |
as well as the obvious reference to the condiment (which was very expensive in medieval times) this term also meant the large decorated container for the salt which was placed on the table. The host and his favoured guests sat one side of the salt (above the salt) while lesser guests sat below the salt
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| sanguine |
Murrey or dark red in heraldry
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| scarp |
the side of a ditch
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| scribe |
a writer. Someone who can copy pages of text. Some monks were scribes and copied religious texts although they may not have been aware of the actual content. A scrivener on the other hand was literate, able to write original material and tended also to be numerate.
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| scriptorium |
room or building devoted to the production of manuscripts. In monastaries no fire was permitted in the scriptorium for heat or light for fear of damaging the valuable original manuscripts from which copies were made
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| scrivener |
able to write original material (unlike a scribe who was usually just a copier). Usually employed as a clerk or accountant.
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| scutage |
money paid by a feudal landowner to a lord in lieau of service
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| serf |
a tenant who is not a freeman. The serf went with the land if ownership changed
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| sheriff |
the country equivalent of a town reeve, in charge of a shire (shire reeve)
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| shilling |
unit of weight equal to 1/20th of a pound, later the silver coin worth 12d (12 pence modern day 5p)
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| sovereign |
English gold coin worth 20/- (20 shillings or £1)
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T |
| targe |
round or oval shield
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| tasset |
armour - plate hinged from the fauld, overlapping the cuisse and covering the upper leg
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| tenné |
Tawney brown in heraldry
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| tithe |
one tenth of a persons income given to the church
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| torse |
winding of coloured cloth worn around the crown of a helmet. Usually of the livery colours this, together with mantling, aided identification.
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| tourney |
mock combat for knights
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| trebuchet |
siege engine operated by a counterweight
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| trencher |
large slice of hard bread used as a platter for food. Later became the term for wooden or other platters
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V |
| vambrace |
armour - upper cannon of plate covering the upper arm, lower cannon of plate covering the forearm
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| vassal |
a person holding land under feudal tenure
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| vellum |
the skin of any animal which has been prepared as a writing medium. Common skins were sheep, goat, calf and rabbit. This term is completely interchangeable with parchment though some schools of thought regard the lower quality "split" skins as parchment.
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| vert |
Green in heraldry
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| vice |
a spiral stairway
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| villein |
a tenant farmer (a free man until late 13th century after which a serf)
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W |
| wardship |
control of an estate by its landlord during the minority of an heir
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| warhammer |
pole weapon having a blunt hammer head backed with a spike. Sometimes topped with a spike
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| wether |
a castrated ram
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