The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-03-15
The Norman Housewife

The woman of tine feudal ages was a
very industrious being. She was lit
orally the head of the household, and
everything in the house was under her
charge. From the nature of things, the
Norman housewife was lady with a
multiplicity of duties. She was the
bread maker and the bread giver. The
original of lady is hIafdie, from hlaf,
bread, and ,Deardion, to look after. An
cient hospitality was always shown by the
breaking of bread, and the wife being
the guardian of the home was always the
bread giver. The whole process of
making cloth was entirely in the hands
of the woman of the castle. She had
her band of attendants, or ctambrieres,
who carded and combed the wool, beat
the fax and washed the garments. They
sheared the sheep with their own hands,
pied the distaff and needle, and occupi-
ed themselves in weaving and spinning
thread. This latter occupation was
entirely confined to unmarried women,
and discontinued on their marriage;
hence the designation of spinster.
All the illuminated manuscripts
which have come down to us illustrat-
ing the domestic life of the Middle Ages,
show us 1.-THE lady spinning" "the
lady carding WOOL" ''the lady at the
loom," ''the lady at the embroidery
frame" Every important household
had its loom and its spinning wheel.
One Of the writers of the twelfth CEN
tury describes lordly English mansion
in which the loom of the ladies was
lined with linen warp, wool, and with
all the implements used in making linen
and woolen stuffs. Every morning the
lady Of the mansion and her maidens
could be found at work in this room.
In the troubled time whensmen were
busy about other matters woman was
not only her own, but mans physician
This is shown by all the records, roman
ces and illumlnations of the age. Me-
dical recipes in all periods of the Mid
die Ages. written by the fingers of
women, are still preserved, and in the
secular world generally it was the lady
chatelaine of the castle who set the
knights broken bones by skillful man.
ipulaticns, and healed grievous wounds
by cunning plasters spread by their own
white hands. In the novel of "Ancas-
sin and Nicolette," written in the thir-
teenth century, it is related that the
heroine acted the part Of a surgeon when
her lover had dislocated his shoulder
and in the romance of "Elie de st. Giles
Ellie who has been wounded, is carried
by the fair Rosamode into her cham
Der, when she takes precious herbs from
hsG coffee and applies them to his wounds
There is an illuminated manuscript in
the British Museum, bearing the date
of 1470, which illustrates the history o.
Tobit. One Of the scenes shows us {
chamber wherein the old Israelite is ly
ing blind and i'll upon his couch, Will,
his wife Anna sits by tie lire preparing
medicine for him, with an open book b,
her side.
In the other relations of life the feu
dial woman exercised proportionate pow
or. She not only reflected her husbands
Authority, but held independent powel
, Of her own, She was an heiress in heI
own right, carrying with her at her dow
or castles, domains, vassals and provin
ces. She singed deeds, acted as the guar
dian of a mansion snd the regent of ,
. State, and shared all the obligation
imposed by war or peace.
The position and avocation Of thu
: Norman housewife had much to do to
ward creating tone of sentiment be
tween the sexes, which in the sam,
form had never been known before
The harshness and feroclty which mark
ed the beginning of feudalism gradual
ly became lost in elegance Of manner'
and a universal refinement of feeling
J new to society. Out of this exalted posi-
tion, this finer relation between man ant
woman in the feudal castle, were borr
two words which will never lose theil
; hold on the civilized heart, namely
courtesy and chivalry. Courtesy mean
simply the manners and sentiment!
J which prevailed in the feudal house
hold. Says medlSval writer, "Cour
: tesy is the same thing asnolility OF man
, ners." Courtesy, over everything else
/ distinguished the daily intercourse oi
the castle in the Middle Ages, and il
was woman who at once inspired ant
fostered it.
{ The Norman lady had he little ac
complishments and amusements, like
her sister of the nineteenth century. Ii
the castle, surrounded by her tire WON
en-, she would work at tapestry, and
while she listened to the reading of talei
of chivalry, would reproduce them witt
the needle to drape the bare walls of hel
home. Hawking was one Of the favor
, ite accomplishments of the feudal WON
/ an. Mounted ON her richly caparisoned
steed, she would go forth in the bright
mornings to the meadows in pursuit Of
game, her hawk or merlin on her wrist
! The harp, the dance. chess and tn,
garden were the other amusements Of
the day.
THERE is country editor not q
thousand miles from Iona, Mich, who
; takes produce or labor in pay for @
subscription to his PAPER, and, as 9
/ matter of fact, he receives about all 9
human being wants in this world, ex.
cept, may be, money. He had beer