Household of Gilderas

The **Gilderan household** is, like every household, the center of family life for all classes of European society. Yet in contrast to the households of other continents, it consists of many more individuals than the immediate family. Throughout all class levels, more or less distant relatives and varying numbers of servants and dependents would cohabit with the master of the house and his closest family.

Variations are immense over an entire continent and a time span of about 1000 years. Yet it is still possible to speak of a classical model of the medieval household, particularly as it evolved in Mid Age Pecador and from there spread over great parts of Gilderas.

## Aristocratic households

### **Composition**

As a result of the military nature of the Gilderan noble household, its composition is predominately male. Though this ratio has evolved considerably since the First Ages, at an earlier time the feminine element of the household consisted only of the lady and her daughters, their attendants, and perhaps a few domestics to perform particular tasks such as washing. Many of the male servants were purely military personnel; there would be a gatekeeper, as well as various numbers of knights and men-at-arms to guard the castle as a military unit. Yet many of these will also serve other functions, and there would be servants entirely devoted to domestic tasks. At the lower level, these were simply local men recruited from the localities. The higher level positions – in particular those attending on the lord – were often filled by men of rank: sons of the lord's relatives, or his retainers.

The presence of servants of noble birth imposed a social hierarchy on the household that went parallel to the hierarchy dictated by function. This second hierarchy had at its top the steward (alternatively *seneschal*), who has the overriding responsibility for the domestic affairs of the household. Taking care of the personal well being of the lord and his family are the chamberlain, who is responsible for the chamber or private living-quarters, and the Master of the Wardrobe, who had the main responsibility for clothing and other domestic items.

Of roughly equal authority as the steward was the marshal. This officer had the militarily vital responsibility for the stables and horses of the household, and was also in charge of discipline. The marshal, and other higher-ranking servants, would have assistants helping them perform their tasks. These – called valets de chambre, grooms or pages, ranking from top to bottom in that order – were most often young boys, although in the larger households the valet de chambres included both young noble courtiers, and often artists, musicians and other specialists who might be of international repute. Assigning these the office of valet was a way of regularising their position within the household.

One of the most important functions of the medieval household was the procurement, storage and preparation of food. This consisted both in feeding the occupants of the residence on a daily basis, and in preparing larger feasts for guests, to maintain the status of the lord. The kitchen was divided into a pantry (for bread, and cheese) and a buttery (for wine, ale and beer). These offices were headed by a pantler and a butler respectively. Depending on the size and wealth of the household, these offices would then be subdivided further. The following is a list of some of the offices one could expect to find in a large noble household with a significant holding:

Household offices:
 Craft
 Animal
 Clerical

In addition to these offices there was a need for servants to take care of the hunting animals. The master huntsman, or the *veneur*, held a central position in greater noble households. Likewise, the master falconer was a high-ranking officer, often of noble birth himself. There were spiritual needs to be cared for, and a chapel was a natural part of every large household. These household chapels would be staffed by varying numbers of clerics. The chaplains, confessors and almoners could serve in administrative capacities as well as the religious ones.