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Journal Issue No. 4 - August 2005 |
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Jehan de Pelham, Esquire In the modern world I am John McFarlin-thirty four years old, an Army officer, married without children. I enjoy reading, coddling a lawn through the arid Colorado summers, chastising my body with daily--oh, who are we kidding--exercises, carpentry, and sleeping late when the opportunity presents itself. The seed is planted
A boy that comes out unscathed from that much glorious shiny violence, nobility, and tragedy has no heart, in my estimation. Getting to the point where I could portray a "knight in shining armor" was something that would take decades to realize, but it eventually came to pass. In college it turned out that my studies in History met with greater success than in any other endeavor, and so over several years I decided to make it my academic career. I had the fortune of good instruction, and a history program sufficiently robust to allow a couple of courses in medieval history--or at least pre-modern history. I found that there was a great deal about medieval history that I didn't know and that medieval culture was at least as complicated and nuanced as modern culture--but that basic human motives remained the same. By understanding the past, I felt it possible to understand the present, and so this also drove my interest in history. A Knight is born The type of living history I do now would be considered quite fringe by any definition of the term. In fact, it is an attempt to reconcile certain aspects of playing medieval which I enjoy with my interest in authentic presentation. It would probably be best to say that I aspire to participate in living history. I participate in the martial culture of the Society of Creative Anachronism, and I assist--as a newly formed late 14th century living history group--with the Age of Chivalry Renaissance Faire which is held annually in October in Las Vegas, Nevada. Over the years, I have developed a keen appreciation for the later part of the fourteenth century, and because of that I have embarked on a collection of arms, armor, clothing and sundries which my research leads me to believe a man at arms of the esquire class of England in the late fourteenth century would have with him on military campaign or while engaging in errant deeds of arms. My feeling is that organization or setting is irrelevant to what one chooses to do or portray, and so within the confines and limitations of the forums in which I participate, I do the best I can. By any but the most respectably stringent standards it is enough but tempered for the audience.
My favorite aspect of living history is the act of transporting one's self into a separate place through a combination of setting, props, and behaviors. I concentrate my efforts on a few specific aspects of medieval life, for example the doing of formal deeds of arms in the format described by Froissart or Juan Martorell, or in hiring, sponsoring, and listening to musicians, or drinking no water but only weak beer for almost a week, or in open air dining, or manning a trebuchet, or in military drill. Though because of my participation with the martial culture of the SCA, I tend to concentrate a great deal on martial aspects, my favorite memories are of sitting underneath a tree, lunching on simple fare, listening to a skilled musician sing Ja Nus Hons Pris, or Pucelete, or some other ditty from long ago. Next to that, it fills me with great pleasure to see the same expression on the face of children who look upon me in harness the same way I looked with awe at "Arthur, the King!" all those years ago. I get to ham it up a little bit, and mimic the speech patterns that we have from Chaucer and other writers of the day. And then I wink at my wife (who rolls her eyes at me) and smile and know that the seed is planted in a new generation. If I have given someone a glimpse into what an armed member of the gentry in late 14th century Western Europe looked like, the realities of the arms and armor, the forms and functions of the tentage and camp equipment, the style and art that was present, then it's enough. All the rest, frankly, is for me. A passion for Excellence
Though my kit is comprised of many different articles, from arms to clothing and tentage, to furniture and jewelry, and crockery and tools and bottles, it always comes back to the implements of war: arms and armor. And when I am forced to decide what one portion of my kit I love the best, I must admit my childish obsession with the sword, even when I should say our tent, because that is what makes it possible for my wife to play along. My drive for better kit was begun with the purchase of an Arms and Armor Henry V sword in 2003, and once I had that, it filled a sort of vital requirement. For many years I had been forced to lie, or to temper my replies, when small children would ask me "Is that a real sword?" Then suddenly I didn't have to, and I realized that it could be that way with everything that I used to portray an esquire of fourteenth century England. As for what my participation in living history has done to change who I am, I can say with some authority that I am poorer of purse and humbler in my appreciation of the complexity of life that our medieval forebears enjoyed. I know a little about the brutality and the nobility of medieval martial life, and I have had a great deal of fun along the way. -John McFarlin
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Lammas ”Lammas”, derives from the Anglo-Saxon "hlaef-mass" (loaf mass, mass where the first loaf of bread is consecrated), which developed into the later medieval English and Scottish "Lammas". As such it is first mentioned in old Anglo-Saxon chronicles as early as 921 CE as "Feast of the First Fruits". For medieval people, Lammas (pronounced "LAH-mus”) marked the closing of one growing season and the safeguarding of another through the winter. Recognized as a Christian holy day, it was celebrated by the Church on the 1st of August. The first day of the harvest season, Lammas is the first time one recognizes a change in the length of day. Although Harvest had its “official” beginning at Lammas, for practical reasons this marked a symbolic rather than an actual start. On the fixed feast of Lammas, loaves of bread were baked from the first grain of the new harvest was consecrated and laid on the church altars as offerings. For the Church this was the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, but its major importance was derived from lammas’ position at the turning point of the year of husbandry. Lammas, which naturally associated itself with the beginning of the physical harvest, is a much stronger statement about spiritual harvests, sacramentally embodied in the communion bread. Lammastide was also the traditional time of year for craft festivals. Guilds would create elaborate displays of their wares, decorating their shops and themselves in bright colors and ribbons, marching in parades, and performing ceremonial plays and dances for the entranced onlookers. A highlight of such festivals was the 'Catherine Wheel'. Although the Church frequently moved St. Catherine's feast day around the calendar, it's most popular date was Lammas. The Catherine Wheel was made from a large wagon wheel covered with tar, which was taken to the top of a nearby hill, set aflame, and ceremoniously rolled down the hill. Although Lammas is no longer an official Catholic holiday, the number
of English towns which still hold summer “Lammas Fairs” proves
the tradition lives on. La Cuisine Médiévale "I have no penny," quoth Piers, "Pullets for to buy No neither geese nor piglets, but two green [new] cheeses, A few curds and cream and an oaten cake And two loaves of beans and bran to bake for my little ones. And besides I say by my soul I have no salt bacon, Nor no little eggs, by Christ, collops for to make. But I have parsley and leeks and many cabbages, And besides a cow and a calf and a cart mare To draw afield my dung the while the drought lasteth. And by this livelihood we must live till lammas time. And by that I hope to have harvest in my croft. And then may I prepare the dinner as I dearly like. All the poor people those peascods fatten. Neans and baked apples they brought in their laps. Shalots and chervils and ripe cherries many And proffered pears these present... Excerpt from "Piers Plowman" (The Vision of William Concerning Piers Plowman) August 1st marks the beginning of the harvest season, and all rejoice at the bounty of food the harvest brings. At the height of summer many summer fruit and veggies are at the most abundant. Now is the time to do what your medieval ancestors would have done and enjoy the bounty of the season. Grapes, cherries, apricots, plums, berries and melon (stick to cantaloupe type melons and away from watermelon) are all fruits known in medieval Europe. Carrots, lettuce, a wide array of herbs, gourds (substitute zucchini for medieval young gourds and pompeons), fresh peas, and spinach are all available now. "Le Ménagier de Paris", a book on domestic economy written by a bourgeois Parisian husband for his young wife in 1393 notes that white cabbage and headed cabbage can be eaten in June & July; parsnips and turnips start being available in May; the seeds of pot greens are sown in April and May for eating in June & July, and that radishes are available in May. This month's recipes feature cherries and pears, both awaited longingly by Piers Plowman. To Make a Sauce of Red or Black Cherries [Take black grapes and bruse them in a mortar with some bread, according to the quantity you will have, then temper them with a little Verjuice or Vinegar, because the grapes should not be too sweet, then seethe them for the space of half an houre with Sinnamon, Ginger, and other spice.] Use them as you did the Grapes, but you may make
it differ by seething it more or less according to the quantity. 1 cup pureed red cherries Whisk all ingredients together in a saucepan, bring to a simmer and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes stirring occassionally. Pears
in Composte Take wyn, & a grete dele of canell, with sygure; set hit on the fyre. Lat hit not boyle. Draw hit thorow a straynour. Leche datys thyn, & do thereto in a panne or in a pott. Boyle wardons; pare tham, cutte tham, cast tham into the syrop & sandres. Aley hem up with chardquyns & salt. loke hit be doucet & chargeaunt. Do hit out of that vessel into a trene vessell, and let hit kele. Pare small raisins; take tryed gynder paryed & temper hym ii days or iiii wyne, and afterward ley hym in claryfyd hony cold a day and a night. Then take the reysons out of the hony & cast into the perys in composte & serve hit forth with the syrip, al cold. Ordinance of Pottage #87 1/2 c. raisins Prepare the raisins and ginger 12 to 48 hours in advance by soaking them in the 1/2 c. wine. After most of the wine has been absorbed, drain off any excess and stir in the honey. Leave for 24 hours. 3/4 c. sugar When ready to proceed, make a syrup of the wine, sugar
and cinnamon. Add the peeled and quartered pears, cover and cook until
soft but not mushy. Remove the pears from the syrup with a slotted spoon
to a bowl. Into the pears stir in the dates, quince preserves and salt,
if using. Drain the raisins and ginger of excess honey and fold to the
composte. Decant into a suitable storage container to cool. Boil down
the pear cooking syrup until so that it will just cover the pears, strain
and pour over the fruit. Cool before serving.
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All contents ©2005 by Gwen Nowrick & Historic Enterprises, all rights reserved. Page created by Jenn Reed. |
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I
became involved in what I term "Playing Medieval" in the mid to late eighties,
prosaically enough, by becoming interested in costuming. I found myself
looking forward to opportunities to create and present costumes of a variety
of genres, from science fiction to medieval. I was fascinated by what
I considered to be the culture of knighthood, the cult of the knight,
and the concept of armed warriors roaming about dispensing justice and
enforcing the King's will. This fascination started--I remember the day
perfectly well--with a matinee showing of John Boorman's Excalibur when
I was ten. 
The
improvements that I have been fortunate enough to make happen in my kit
have led me to be passionate about excellence of presentation. That is
to say, that if one is going to go about making a presentation representing
a typical or ordinary figure from history, that one ought to go about
it seriously--all in good fun though of course. By this I mean that one
should respect the truth and the art of what one is going about, and strive
to push away everything that disrespects or misrepresents those figures
and people which are portrayed. In the end, I am passionate about building
a collection of proper kit. I find that more than anything else, the props
set the stage for that enjoyable moment of time travel that I seek.
