Hamilton High School - Hamiltonian Yearbook (South Hamilton, MA)

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ipon a mrn v;ho you know is innoconL - New, in noj;nrd to tho nock- .oce, I realize it is r. prucioos hoj.rlcom r.s it has been in rour family for gonorntions. You mr.y keep it, raid in tlio meantime, [ will see that your son is given work so that you and your wife nay be properly provided for. The traveler continued on his v ay, glad that he had been exon- erated from the accusation of tho old man, but firmly resolved that pc v;ould stop at the horses of no more strangers. E. Parkins. ’41 MEDIAEVAL MANNERS AND CUSTOMS LEARNED PROM IVANHOE The seniors have completed reading and anaylzing Ivarihoe . Not only v ere the several plots intensely interesting, but much was learned about the mediaeval manners and customs of the twelfth cen- tury, as v;ell as the gradual amalgam-.tlng of the Norman and Saxon races . yvhen the Normans conquered the Saxons, they brought with them to England their Norman language. The Saxons were iiorcely resent- ful toward their conquei ' ors and would not accept the new language; so for many years it was difficult for these tv o races to under- stand each other. It took nearly three centuries of gradual fusing of these two races before our present English language was fully developed . Means of cooking foods and of heating houses v erc very crude. Huge fireplaces v ere constructed for these purposes, but they were not built into chimneys. The only means of c-scc.pe for the smoke was through holes in the roof provided for that purpose; this, of course, was most unsatisfactory, for the greater part of the smoke circulated around the room depositing soot on the walls and beams, making the air heavy and obnoxious. Foods consisted of moats, wines, baked cakes, and pasties. The v;ino for the bettor class v as usually of , the best, the serfs be- ing given the inferior. Tho raeats consisted of beef, pork, and wild game. Venison was a dish fit only for tho Normans as the Saxon yeomen v cro forbidden to hunt in the king ' s forests. Tho foods V( orc placed upon tho center of tho tables and each person helped himself. If moat was desired, the partaker cut off a huge chunk v ith his hunting knife. Table knives, forks, and spoons wore unknown. Hunks of meat and bone wore hold in the hand while tho meat was gnawed off tho bone. As towels and napkins also wore not known, largo pieces of bread v cro placed on the table, and they were used to wipe the dripping grcaco from face and hands. The crumbled bread and the bones were then throvm to dogs lying about waiting for these morsels. VJhcn it became necessary to wash tho hands, they v;ere dried by waving them tlirough tho air, this was con- sidered m.oro genteel than wigin,--: them on tho clothes I The dress of the Saxon and Normav.ns was quite different. Tho Normans dressed for pomp and stylo, usually wearing long tunics

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