Situations Vacant

Vacancies for New Members

We always welcome new members to the Clifford Household, but we encourage members to take part in our living history displays. There are various roles available for you to take on.
Things to think about... before choosing a role

Is anybody else in the group already doing it? If so ask whether they would like help.
Is it practical? We are camping at most for 3 days, in important historical sites so building a large pottery kiln that would take a week to dry off before use would not work.
Can it be done safely? Certain trades in the medieval period used items that are now know to be highly dangerous. For example leaded pewter was used in casting, but now you have to use modern lead-free pewter.
Is it Authentic? You need to bear in mind most events we do are set before 1461.
Do you know what you're talking about? These days it's worth doing as much research as possible before an event because the members of public are well informed and they seem to like running rings around unsuspecting re-enactors!!

Apothecary - A preparer and merchant for drugs and medicines. [This is the Trade of Mistress Mary]

Armourer - Holder of a very important position in society, an armourer was a skilled blacksmith who could make armour for those who could afford it.
[this is a trade that James Hodgson hopes to develop, he has almost perfected the skills of making brigandines.... but normally has to be content with knocking out dents and polishing armour]

Artist - By the 15th Century the Renaissance was in full swing in Italy, But we don't live in Italy.

Baker - A Baker is someone who makes, bakes and sells breads, using an oven.

Detail of a baker from, Book of hours (MS M.866). Netherlands, perhaps Delft, 1415-1420.

Bead Maker - Making of beads for rosaries, paternosters or similar. strings of prayer beads would have been a common accessory carried by men and women, in this period.

Bee keeper - keeps bees in order to collect honey and wax. [Aaron Robshaw, when not being our archery captain tends his own Bees]

Blacksmith - A blacksmith creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut. They produce objects such as tools, agricultural implements, decorative and religious items, cooking utensils, and weapons.

Bookbinder - The mid 15th century saw one biggest changes in books and bookbinding this was because early books were exclusively handwritten on handmade materials, but by 1450, the Gutenberg press was in operation also as cheaper materials became available books became more affordable.

Boatman - A man who earns a living by transporting people or cargo by boat.

Bowyer - A Bowyer is someone who makes Longbows. The longbow has had great historical significance, arising from its effective use by the English during the Hundred Years' War, it's most notable successes were at the battles of Crécy, Poitiers, and Agincourt. There are also fine examples of Longbows recovered from the wreck of the Mary Rose which sank in 1545.

Brewer - Maker of Ales, Beers and Ciders. Since the purity of water could seldom be guaranteed, Beer was the popular choice. But don't drink too much or you will end up banging on the castle gate, falling over, and singing a strange song about a girl who possessed something called a...dicky-di-do or wandering naked among the corridors singing, "I'm Merlin, The Happy Pig!"

Butcher - The butcher is a person who slaughters animals, dresses their flesh, and then sells their meat. Storage of raw meat was a problem so various methods of preservation were used. Dry-salting, brine-curing, Smoking Food and Pickling

Candlemaker - Or "chandler" is a person who sells candles or who was in charge of the chandlery which was originally an office in a medieval household that was responsible for wax and candles, It was also the room in which the candles were kept. (It wasn't until the 18th century that a chandlery came to refer to a shop selling nautical items for ships and boats.) [Wesley Perriman, used to do candle making and has most of the equipment and is will to show someone how to use it]

Carpenter - Makes things out of wood. Wood is in pretty much everything from tent poles to wooden spoons to eat with, so basically you could turn your hand to any aspect.

Cartwright - Or ''Wainwright'' is a trades person skilled in the making and repairing of wagons and carts.

Cothier - those who made garments (called Clothiers) were sought after for their skills. Being a Clothier meant having a knowledge of various materials and how to assemble them into fine pieces of wear. The clothing of the time had to be durable, fashionable and decorative as clothing was a status symbol.

Cooper - A person who makes and repairs barrels and tubs. Barrels were used to store and ship everything.

Dyer - Dyers used their skills to mix different components to form inks, dyes and colourful stains that could add tint and hue to clothing, furniture, fabrics, materials and artwork. Not only did they possess the ability to decorate fashionable wear but they also provided scribes and artists with the materials necessary for them to complete their work.

Farmer - Though this trade has lots of scope, there is also quite a lot of limitations... before bringing livestock to an event it would have to be discussed with the group committee. but if you went down the arable lines then a selection of grains and authentic tools would make an interesting display... this could also feed into milling grain for baking or brewing.

Fisherman - Catching fish for food.

Fletcher - Arrows were needed by many people and so there were many fletchers. It is not difficult to learn how to fletch arrows, the necessary materials are not too expensive, and the arrows that are made can be used by the Fletcher or sold to other archers in the group.

Furrier - One that deals in furs.whose occupation is the dressing, designing, cleaning, or repairing of furs.

Glazier and Glass painter - Skilled craftsman who take pieces of coloured glass which are assembled into patterned window frames in the form of stained glass. it is said that Europe reached the hight of art of stained glass during our period. Also we are very fortunate being based in the north as we have some of the best examples in England, namely the amazing York Minster. but we do also have a wealth of small parish churches with fine medieval stained glass.

Glassblower - Probably not feasible to actually blow glass at events but that's no reason that you can't talk about it. Glassware was an exclusive commodity in the 15th Century so generally owned by the well off. period replicas are readily available, but very fragile so storing next to your armour when transporting is not advised.

Goldsmith - Working in precious metals to make Jewellery and other High status items. In the Middle Ages, all people who worked in precious metals were called goldsmiths; the term silversmith is a much later word.

Horner - Horn was used to make a variety of objects. There were horn spoons, drinking vessels, water containers, musical instruments, buttons, dice and many more objects.

Hunter or Trapper - Catches wild animals for food and pelts.

Lay Brother - As the Church of England was not founded until the 16th century the main religion at the time was Catholic. Monasteries had a lot of power and large estates. As with any role portraying members of the religious community you need to know a lot, for a start what order are you? [ I still remember fondly the reenactor dressed as a monk, who when asked which order he was he happily replied CofE ] There are many religious orders Augustinian, Benedictine, Cistercians, Trapist ect so perhaps look at the abbeys in your local area for ideas.
The abbey that is closely associated with the Clifford family is Bolton Abbey, in Wharfedale.
[Members of the Clifford Family were interned at the abbey until the Dissolution of of the Monasteries 1539. some were then moved to Holy Trinity Church in Skipton.]
The monks of the abbey were Augustinian they would of worn black-robes, and followed the rules of St. Augustine detailed below.
The Rules of St. Augustine
It is also expected that you know how to recite prayers in Latin. [blessing for troops before battle is generally well received] But a safer place to start is to portray a lay brother. The term lay brother was used within the religious institutes, to distinguish members who were not ordained from those members who were clerics. Lay brothers were generally illiterate peasants who performed the domestic or agricultural work of the community. Some were skilled in artistic handicrafts, others filled administrative positions.

Locksmith - Maker of locks and Keys. Some of the locks of this period are a very simple construction needing minimal fabrication skills. looking at archaeological references is very useful for this trade. after mastering the simple locks then further progression could be complicated lid locks on coffers. There are a few nice examples of these in museums.

reference: AY17-15-Medieval Finds from York; Craft, Industry and Every day life: Finds from Medieval York,
by Patrick Ottaway & Nicola Rogers

Mason - Stone carving has been having a bit of a revival in recent years and there are quite a few colleges offering courses. As a mason you would of been responsible for dressing building stone used in everything from houses to castles. There was fair amount of skill of squaring off a lump of stone, though not that interesting for the public. So another element was stone carving, and carving gargoyles would be much more interesting.

Merchant - He sells wares from a shop or a stall. They would be a key person in the community as they sell the items crafted by other people as well as imported goods, with such a range of items available in this period a wealthy merchant could sell exotic spices and cloth or fine wines... so this can be a good comprise for people who are not crafty and still want to portray an interesting and informative role which has a lot of scope to grow and expand.

Messenger - Couriering important messages across the the country and beyond.

Milliner - Maker of hats

Miner - digging for Metal ore's and coal

Mummer - An actor, As a group we have previously put on Mumming Plays.

Potter - making ceramic items out of clay.

Peddler - Similar to a merchant though would travel selling his wares in towns and villages.

Ratcatcher - With the help of a small dog the rat catcher's job would be to eradicate vermin which would otherwise devastate food stores.

Sailor - A person whose job it is to work as a member of the crew of a commercial or naval ship or boat.

Seamstress- A woman who sews, especially one who makes her living by sewing.

Servant - A person who performs duties for others, especially a person employed in a house on domestic duties or as a personal attendant.

Soldier - Under the service of the lord to fight for his cause
[those wanting to undertake this role please report to Captain James Hodgson in the Armory!] The role of a soldier is quite an expansive one as it is not simply limited to that of a knight in full plate and can include:
Archers - Does what it says on the tin! Archers are equipped with longbows for long-distance warfare, though for the period they were also expected to engage in the melee as well and because of this there are a lot of contemporary images of archers wearing various amounts of plate armour
Men-At-Arms - Similar to the knight but lacking the title of nobility and quite possibly the finances, they do however serve a similar role on the battlefield by protecting the flanks on the bill lines whilst being covered mostly head-to-toe in full plate
Knights - As with the man-at-arms a knight protects the flanks of the battle or sometimes towards the back of the bill line to 'encourage' their retainers not to desert or flee in battle, unlike the men-at-arms however the knight will likely have access to better quality and finer armour on the battlefield as well as having a squire to attend them.
Billmen - The 'rank and file' (or the 'rank' part anyway...) of a 15th century army, named after the common weapon the 'billhook' though these soldiers can be equipped with an array of weapons. Due to the common tactics of the time this means that they use a pole weapon as their primary weapon to engage with the enemy. The armour can vary from a helmet, padded jacket and hand protection as a minimum all the way up to being almost as well equipped as a man-at-arms!
Arbalist - Named after an 'arbalest' which is a french word for a crossbow, very frequently employed in the defence of castles and fortifications rather than on the battlefield, these weapons were deadly as sniping weapons with one killing Lord Dacre shot by a boy from a tree and one killing Lord Clifford by striking him in the throat, both of these deaths occurred during the Battle of Towton
Arquebusiers - In the 15th century we start to see the more widespread use of gunpowder and a movement away from the earlier 'bombards' used in Europe more towards guns capable of taking out armoured infantry.

Spinner - Women of all stations would know how to spin. The minimum equipment that is needed to depict spinning is fleece and a spindle. Fleece can be acquired from farms or spinning shops. Flax and silk can also be spun. Carders can also be used - these are wooden bats with rows of bent teeth that were used to ‘card’ the wool after it is washed. These can either be made or bought in craft shops (but beware the use of plastic!). The drop spindle is a straight stick with a notch at the end. The weight at the lower end is called the whorl. Again they can be bought at craft shops or made. The distaff is also used for spinning - this is a straight stick with fleece tied to the upper end. Distaffs were often placed on stands. More sophisticated spinners used the ‘Great Wheel’ - the traditional spinning wheel.

Weaver - Makers of cloth

Warrener - This was an interesting job in the medieval period as rabbits were highly prized for their fur and meat, it is said that In the 13th century one rabbit was worth more than a workman’s daily wage.
It is believed that rabbits originated from the Iberia region in Spain and were first introduced to Britian by the Romans. [There have been rabbit bones found on Roman sites in southern and eastern England] The Romans enjoyed eating laurices, The term refers to the fetus of the rabbit but as the domestication of rabbits became established, the source of laurices was extended to newborns, because it became possible to harvest them without sacrificing the breeding doe.
but it seems that the rabbit went the same way as the Romans and died out for there is no Old english word for a rabbit.

It was the Normans who reintroduced them in the late 11th or 12th century. Ill-adapted to the English climate and easy prey for native predators, rabbits (or coneys, as mature rabbits were then known) had to be kept in special areas or warrens – often walled or fenced to prevent them from escaping. Their rarity meant that their meat was prized as a delicacy, while their fur was used for trimming clothes.¹

There seems to of been two ways of keeping Rabbits the first was a cunicularium, this was is an establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. [An enterprise known as cuniculture.] Generally associated with Monasteries, the monastic cunicularium would probably of resembled hutches and pens rather than coney garths. A pen may have been a moat and pale, a raised patch of ground surrounded by a ditch filled with water and a fence around that to keep out predators.

Where as the coney-garth [rabbit-yard] might have been a pillow mound construction. Basically a flat topped mound with artificial burrows built in side, they were generally built on a slope to provide drainage and could be quite complex. This form of warrening seamed to of died out but there are quite a few English heritage sites that have examples of warrens, Thetford Warren Lodge is one such site.²

Hunting of rabbits though is still a popular sport and the techniques have changed little though its generally know as ferreting these days. In the 14th century book Livre de chasse (Book of the Hunt) by Gaston III, Count of Foix there is a drawing where you can clearly see the purse nets draped over rabbit holes with the hunters holding ferrets in one of the illustrations. There are other referances to hunting with ferrets but this is one of the best.
Just remember There's only one way to eat a brace of coneys....

References
[1] A STORY OF...Rabbits, Warreners and Thetford Warren Lodge 1400
How a fine tower in a remote part of East Anglia reveals how highly medieval rabbit farms were valued.
https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/discover/explore/medieval-part-2/1780902/
[2] THETFORD WARREN LODGE
This interesting lodge was probably built around 1400 by the prior of Our Lady’s Priory, Thetford. The prior had the right of free warren – a licence from the king to hunt small game – and the area would have been an obvious target for armed poachers. The many defensive features incorporated into his lodge show that the prior took this threat seriously.
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/thetford-warren-lodge/history-and-research/

Writer - Writing with ink and parchment they can scribble you anything you want. From summons, decrees, edicts, warrants, patents of nobility. they have even been known to jot down a poem or two if the muse descends.

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