Company of Liars

by Karen Maitland

  In desperation people tried anything to stop the plague spreading, including the curious custom of the ‘Cripples’ Wedding’. This practice was widespread across Britain and Europe in the Middle Ages and continued for many centuries as a means of warding off the spread of deadly epidemics. The last known recorded case I have found was in Krakow in Poland in the late nineteenth century.

  During the Middle Ages, there was a lively, though illegal, trade in second-hand monks’ robes which were used to dress the corpses of the wealthy in order to fool the devil. Sometimes this was taken as far as depicting the deceased in a monk’s habit on the brasses on top of the tombs. This practice may also have been to deter grave robbers, who might draw the line at disturbing the resting place of a holy man, especially if they believed that a poor monk would be buried with nothing of value.

  The depiction of the Virgin as Mary Misericordia became popular as a protective icon against the plague. The earliest surviving example was painted in 1372 by the artist Barnaba of Modena for the Cathedral in Genoa, but I have taken a fiction writer’s liberty of assuming that, since even the most insignificant medieval churches and chapels in England and Europe were covered in frescoes, there may have been earlier depictions of the misericordia by unknown artists which did not survive the ravages of time or the Reformation. Around this time, too, artists in Europe were beginning to experiment with the use of oil to bind the paint on walls. Most of these early experiments were not successful and the paintings decayed rapidly after a few years.

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  All the places named in the novel are real. St John Shorne’s shrine became one of the main pilgrimage sites in England, attracting pilgrims from all over Europe, even though John Shorne was never canonized. The shrine of this people’s saint attracted so much wealth that his remains were eventually taken to St George’s Chapel in Windsor in 1478, when the chapel was rebuilt by Edward IV, where they were interred in the south choir aisle. The saint’s boot was also put on display there. Income from pilgrims visiting John’s remains was said to be worth £500 a year to the chapel at Windsor at the time of the Reformation. John Shorne’s well at North Marston continued to be visited by the sick up to the late 1800s, and in such numbers that houses for invalids had to be built to accommodate them. The entrance to the well can still be seen in the village today, though sadly it is now kept locked.

  Since the draining of the fens, the poison hollows have disappeared from the east coast of England. However, transient hollows, where marsh gas seeps up from rotting vegetation beneath the ground, still appear and disappear from time to time on Dartmoor and in Scotland, Ireland and Scandinavia. In areas where such hollows have existed, you also frequently find a local legend about a Sending.

  In the Middle Ages, runes were used for divination and casting spells. As is shown in the Anglo-Saxon poem, the H´vam´l of the Elder Edda, it was a basic requirement of a rune master to know how to perform ‘the Sending’. Rune casting was fiercely condemned by the medieval Church as witchcraft and was poorly documented. So we have little knowledge about which futhark (or alphabet) was used by medieval rune readers in Britain or the interpretation they put upon the castings.

  Whilst there is broad agreement on the meaning of the runic symbols, each rune reader interprets the castings in different ways, since they regard runes as a tool to help them connect with the subconscious rather than as a fixed language. Modern rune readers would interpret the castings made by Narigorm in a different and, one hopes, kinder way. As history continues to show us, any system of belief or religion can be used to help or harm depending on the knowledge and intent of the individual.

  Glossary

  Avering A medieval con-trick performed by beggars to obtain money. Some beggars would strip themselves, hide their clothes and pretend to have been robbed. Others would fake illnesses by sticking on fake boils made of wax, or tumours made from raw offal, to get alms from townspeople or the Church.

  Barbette A cloth band that went round the face of the wearer under the chin, which together with a band, known as a fillet, around the forehead, was the structure to which the veil, wimple or headdress was pinned. The barbette was worn by women throughout the thirteenth century, but by 1348 it was disappearing, to be replaced by a band that went round the back of the head instead of under the chin. The barbette was still retained by various orders of nuns well into the twentieth century.

  Bastles and Peles Unique features of the Border counties, especially Northumberland, where the constant raids and wars between the Scots and the English meant that people on both sides of the shifting border lived in fear of attack. Peles were oblong towers, built to withstand a siege, with stone walls about three to four feet thick, in which people could take refuge. Livestock and food were kept in the basement and people occupied the two or three storeys above. Bastles were fortified farmhouses where people would live all year round. They can still be seen today.

  Boggart A mischievous imp or poltergeist inhabiting country areas. It caused destruction in cottages and farms, making things go bump in the night, causing weeds to spring up in fields and the cows’ milk to dry up. It also played malicious tricks on travellers. It usually became attached to a particular place or family and would not leave.

  Brawn and Sharp Sauce Fried brawn, known as Braun Feyez, was made from trimmings of the pig’s head, trotters, tail and tongue boiled for hours with onions, spices and herbs. Once the liquid was reduced, the thick mass was left in a cold dish until the meats were set in jelly. The block of brawn was turned out, sliced and fried in lard or butter. It was served with a sour vinegar sauce, Gruant Tartez, to offset the rich, greasy meat.

  Camelot A medieval peddler or hawker who also sold or carried news. Camelots had a reputation for trading in goods that were not always genuine or might have fallen off the back of a cart. The name is still used today in France for a street peddler or newspaper seller.

  Cordwainer A shoemaker who worked in cordwain or cordovan leather, which was a fine red leather imported from Spain and used to make the best-quality shoes and boots. Eventually, cordwainer became the name for all shoemakers.

  Corpse Road Only parish churches were licensed to bury corpses, so villagers in outlying areas would often be obliged to carry their dead many miles across moors, hills or forests to bury them. These ways were marked by a series of stone or wooden crosses to guide the mourners. The last known use of a corpse road was in 1736 in Cumbria, between the village of Mardale Green and Shap parish church, a distance of around 6 miles (10 km) over steep hills.

  Cote-hardie An open-sleeved supertunic. For men, this was worn over a gipon (q.v.) and shirt. Tight-fitting across the chest, it flared into a skirt below the waist, open in front and reaching to the knees. Old and poorer men wore a looser and longer cote-hardie reaching to the calves. As the century progressed, fashionable men wore the cote-hardie shorter and shorter until it barely covered the hips.

  Deodand From deo dandum, ‘given to God’. Any object or animal which caused the death of a person was declared deodand and it or its value was forfeit to the Crown. This might include a horse that trampled someone, a tree that the deceased had fallen from, a chimney that had collapsed on them, or a hoe that had accidentally hit them.

  Faith Cakes St Faith, third-century virgin and martyr, was patron saint of pilgrims and prisoners. She was martyred by being roasted alive on a brazen bed. When that failed to kill her, she was beheaded. On her feast, 6 October, people ate cakes griddled on hot irons, ensuring safe and successful pilgrimages.

  Fret An open-weave ornamental net which covered the hair. Wealthy women might have frets fashioned from silver or gold thread, or even studded with semi-precious stones.

  Gipon An under-tunic worn over a shirt and under the cote-hardie (q.v.). Close-fitting and slightly waisted, a man’s gipon reached to the knees, with tightly fitting sleeves. The bodice was often padded for warmth and protection.

  Golem From the Hebrew, meaning unformed. In kabbalist
ic magic, soil or clay was made into the statue of a man and brought to life by placing a slip of paper under its tongue on which was written the tetragrammaton (the four-letter name of God). The resulting zombie-like being would only obey the master who had made him and was immensely strong and destructive, but very stupid. Christians came to believe that any book or paper with Hebrew lettering could be used to animate a golem.

  Hue and Cry The first person to discover a robbery or a body was legally obliged to raise the hue and cry, in other words sound the alarm and rouse his neighbours. On hearing this, all able-bodied men had to start hunting down the perpetrator. Failure to comply with this law meant heavy fines for the individual and often the whole community.

  Kirtle A gown worn by women. By the first half of the fourteenth century, the kirtle was cut to reveal the body shape, and moulded to the figure as far as the hips where it widened into folds which swept to the ground.

  Livery The aim of most minstrels was to obtain a livery, that is, gain a permanent position in a wealthy household. They would then wear the colours or emblems of the lord who employed them. This not only ensured a comfortable and secure employment, but meant they could charge their expenses to the lord’s account if they had to travel. The penalties for wearing a lord’s livery when you were not employed by him were severe.

  Marzapane The sweet which came to be called marchpane and then marzipan in England. Although some cities in Europe claim to have invented it when there was a drought and almonds were the only crop to survive, most researchers believe it was actually invented in the Middle East around the eighth century and was brought to Venice by returning crusaders. Since sugar was a key ingredient it was expensive. It only became widely used in England in the fifteenth century.

  Midden The place in a garden or courtyard used to dump kitchen waste, the contents of chamber pots, soiled rushes and manure from cleaning byres and yards.

  Mutton Olives A mixture of suet, onion, herbs and spices was spread on thin, beaten slices of mutton. The stuffed mutton slices were rolled up, skewered and baked in butter. The mutton olives were served sprinkled with crumbled hardboiled egg yolks and yet more spices.

  Nixie A beautiful, but evil, female water sprite. Their skins were said to be white or translucent like water.

  Palfrey A small, docile horse or pony, most commonly used by ladies or clerics who, hampered by their long robes or inexperienced at riding, found larger mounts hard to handle.

  Pinfold A stone or wooden enclosure, usually circular, used to corral animals at night. Often to be found on drovers’ roads, so that herdsmen and drovers could safely contain the flocks while they slept. The term was also used for a pound where stray or confiscated animals could be held until the owner paid his fine.

  Posset Unlike the rich dish of eggs and cream which it was later to become, the medieval posset was a warming drink simply made from hot milk slightly curdled with ale or wine. It was sweetened with honey and flavoured with spices such as ginger, cloves and cinnamon. It was thought particularly effective at warding off chills.

  Pottage The main staple dish eaten at least once a day by everyone, rich or poor. Varying between a thin broth and a very thick stew, its base would be a herb, vegetable or meat stock, to which cereals, peas, beans, vegetables, meat or fish would be added depending on the wealth of the person and the season of the year

  Scots and Tithes As well each household having to give tithes, a percentage of livestock, grain, candles, etc., to the Church on pain of minor excommunication, the Church also demanded scots, or sums of money, to perform certain rites such as christenings and marriages, including a soul-scot for burials.

  Scrip A leather bag used by pilgrims and travellers to carry small items.

  Sending People believed that warlocks and witches had the power to conjure a Sending, in the form of an animal or insect which could travel hundreds of miles to kill the victim. Often these were sent against wrongdoers who had fled or those from the community who had broken a promise to return home. Victims would feel its approach for several hours or days before it reached them and begin to feel sleepy, ill and terrified.

  Trencher A stale loaf of bread, usually four days old, cut into thick, slightly hollow slices, which would act as a plate on which the meal would be served. After the meal the trenchers which had soaked up the juices and gravies of the meal would be given to the poor or the dogs or pigs to eat.

  Widdershins To circle anticlockwise or against the sun, hence against nature, strengthening the forces of darkness. Going widdershins was often a feature of dark spells and conjuring the dead, therefore people were careful not to do it by accident for it would bring bad luck. But it could also be used to reverse the current state of affairs by turning a run of bad fortune into good.