Confessions of a Witch; Hawking, which bird to choose; St Mark’s monks need help and a free dress pattern! ‘The Chastity Belt’ in August.

By Catherine T Wilson

For our 2022 advent calendar, we decided to create a set of magazine covers in the likeness of Dolly or Cosmopolitan that capture the medieval essence. If such a journal could have existed, what sort of articles would it have contained? Anything and everything to assist the young maiden about to set out on her life’s journey as a wife and mother, and once there, all the information needed to be a good spouse and keep her husband satisfied, and at home when not away soldiering.

Such were our efforts that we now find ourselves tasked with writing some of these articles! Well, why not? It might be fun… So please enjoy the snippets below from the May issues of The Chastity Belt.

It must also be mentioned that some articles in these blogs are written as they would have appeared directly in the ‘magazine’, whilst others, due to wanting to be as informative as possible, are written from the present-day point of view. Either way, please enjoy.

The Juicy Confessions of a Serial Witch

The concept of witchcraft (a person’s collaboration with the devil through the use of magic) was developed by Christian theologians as early as the 13th century.

Throughout the medieval era, mainstream Christian doctrine had denied the belief in the existence of witches and witchcraft, condemning it as a pagan superstition. Some have argued that the work of the Dominican, Thomas Aquinas, in the 13th century helped lay the groundwork for a shift in thinking whereby certain Christian theologians began to accept the possibility of collaboration with devil(s), resulting in a person obtaining certain real supernatural powers!

OUR INTERVIEW WITH JEANNE DE BRIGUE AND MACETTE DE RUILLY

When our noted chronicler at The Chastity Belt heard of a witch trial starting in Paris, he armed himself with quill and parchment and took off to the Grand Châtelet, a stronghold that contains the headquarters of justice, its court, the offices of the Provost of Paris and a number of prison cells, set just behind the butchery.

Situated on the Right Bank opposite the Pont Au Change, he sat through the court proceedings and below is his report on the first ever recorded witch trial.

‘Jeanne de Brigue, alias ‘La Cordelière’ was arrested on October 29, 1390 but it wasn’t until the 4^th of August 1391, that the court learned of and seized her accomplice, Macette de Ruilly. I sat in the courtroom and listened as they read out the charges, firstly against Jeanne de Brigue.

She seems to have specialised in recovering lost or stolen items (without the help of Saint Anthony, it must be said), and her talents had been utilised in the last six years in curing the sick. But the question was raised whether she had not made them ill in the first place, a charge put against her by the priest of a neighbouring village. Just as she had recovered his stolen coins and cross with her divination, he now accused her of having stolen them in the instance. She answered in a quiet-spoken manner, denying as always, all the charges.

She sat with her head hanging, a small unassuming woman of younger years. The Provost of Paris, Jean de Folleville, pushed on, yelling throughout the courtroom that Jeanne’s godmother had instructed her.

From these teachings de Brigue had learned to control the demon, Haussibut, and bend him to her bidding, committing despicable crimes. With this unearthly power beckoned, she could cause deadly illness, find lost and stolen property for her own gain, practice divination, and even make a man fall in love with a woman against his will. I shivered under the Provost’s words while Jeanne wept softly and denied it all.

Then came the break for which the court had waited. They called Macette de Ruilly to the stand and unlike her fellow accomplice, she broke down almost instantly, weeping in between her words, denouncing the devil and claiming her heart was open only to Christ.

When asked about de Brigue calling upon the demon, Haussibut, Macette de Ruilly admitted she had watched her do it!

“She has to prepare herself for a whole day beforehand,” she declared. “She cannot cross herself or use holy water, or even wash her hands. Then Jeanne draws a circle upon the ground and stepping inside, she calls upon the Holy Trinity to force this demon to appear. For the promise of his continued service, she must bequeath him her right arm, collectable at the time of her death.”

From within the courtroom a voice muttered, “I hope he does not mind a roasted arm!” and the crowd laughs.

“And Macette, how is it done that you bring harm upon someone? Can you explain this to us?” An eager courtroom lean forward in their seats, determined not to miss a word.

“By the use of toads, your Lordship. We would capture toads and keep them in separate pots, new clay pots, untouched by anything else. Then we’d call upon the Dark Lord for his help, reciting three times the Gospel of Saint John, the Paternoster and Ave Maria. We put the lids on and keep them fed on white bread and breast milk until we needed them. Then, when the time is nigh, we call upon our Master for aid – three times over the pots and recite again the Gospel of Saint John, the Paternoster and Ave Maria. The we’d remove the lids and stab the toads hard,’ (she flung her arm in a downwards manner viciously and the crowd gasped), ‘with long needles or small iron spikes thus the person we wished harm upon would suffer in a similar manner and cannot be at rest.”

The court sat in total silence at such a candid admission of guilt. Whether Macette thought such honestly would buy her a stay of execution, I cannot say. What I can tell you is that the Macette de Ruilly and Jeanne de Brigue were both condemned by Jean de Folleville and on August 19^th, 1391 they were taken to the Place du Marché aux Pourceaux, (the swine market on rue Saint-Honoré, Paris) and burned at the stake. They will not be stabbing any more toads on this earth!’

WHICH BIRD SHOULD YOU TAKE HUNTING?

OUR FALCONER HAS THE ANSWER…

In medieval Europe, the sport of falconry began as a necessity to help hunt for food, but it quickly became a status symbol among the nobility. Many European monarchs regularly indulged in it and falcons were even used as peace offerings, highly treasured ransoms, and invaluable gifts.

During the 13^th century, three white gyrfalcons and eight grey gyrfalcons were sent to England from Norway as a gift of peace between the two nations. When the Duke of Burgundy, Philippe the Bold’s son, was caught by the Ottoman Sultan Beyazid, a ransom of 200,000 gold ducats was refused. Instead, their asking price was twelve white gyrfalcons!

So, what is falconry? It is the name given to the keeping, caring for, and the training of birds. Hawking, on the other hand, is the sport of hunting with a bird, though around 1100 AD the Norman nobility had a different concept. They distinguished falconry from the sport of hawking as falconry was practiced on horseback and hawking was by foot. Either way, if you wish to go hunting, how do you know which bird is right for you?

Just as there was a correct order of seating at a medieval banquet according to rank, some manuscripts and books suggests there is a similar pecking order for the birds. Ouch! Yes, it was a deliberate pun. However, since the type of bird was also chosen for its ability to match the quest and topography at hand, the choice of hawk probably relied more on the wealth of the owner and the size of his mews!

One answer was presented in the manuscript Harley MS 2340, a 15th-century collection of treatises on hawking. The Harley Collection, formed by Robert Harley (b. 1661, d. 1724), 1st earl of Oxford and Mortimer, and Edward Harley (b. 1689, d. 1741), 2nd earl of Oxford and Mortimer, book collector and patron of the arts, and was one of the foundation collections of the British Library. Yet another source suggests the list presented below comes from ‘The Boke of St Albans’ or book of St Albans, however it is not deigned to be particularly accurate.

A quick note on the birds themselves. For most raptors, the male birds tend to be vibrantly coloured for attracting females but their overall size is smaller. This is especially pronounced in the peregrine, as the female of the species is roughly one third larger than the male. Because of this, the male is often referred to as the ‘tiercel,’ while the females are referred to as falcons. Similarly, the male sparrowhawk is oft called a musket.

So, here is the translated list and a brief description of the birds, followed by an excerpt from The Gilded Crown – a scene with hawking.

Knave or Servant – Kestrel
Holy Water Clerk – Musket (male sparrowhawk )
Priest – Sparrowhawk
Yeoman – Goshawk
Youth – The Hobby
Lady – The Marlyon / Merloun/ Merlin
Esquire – Lanner falcon and the lanneret (the smaller male)
Knight – The Sacre / Sacret / Saker
Baron – Bustard / Buzzard
Earl – Peregrine Falcon
Duke – Peregrine Falcon
Prince – Peregrine and Tiercel (male peregrine)
King – The Ger falcon and the Tiercel of the Ger Falcon (the male)
Emperor – Eagles, Merloun.

Kestrels have light-brown plumage with dark spots. Males have a grey-blue head, while females are all brown. the species has pointed wings and a tail that appears long in flight and fan-shaped when the bird is hovering.

Kestrels are a similar length to a sparrowhawk but with longer wings, and they glide less frequently.

Muskets (male sparrowhawks) have slate-grey backs, and pale underparts barred with orange-red stripes in contrast to the females who are dark brown, and their pale underparts are barred with brown. Muskets (male sparrowhawks) are around the size of a Collared Dove, while females are significantly larger, heavier and with a wider wingspan.

The sparrowhawk is sometimes symbolically linked with the inner spirit of the warrior. They’re a small yet fierce bird of prey, with unexpected inner strength and as such they remind us that we’re stronger than we realise.

The goshawk is a large hawk, almost reaching buzzard size. When up close it has a fierce expression with bright red eyes and a distinctive white eyebrow. Its broad wings enable it to hunt at high speed, weaving in and out of trees, and its long legs and talons can catch its prey in flight.

The Hobby bird of prey is about 33 cm (13 inches) long and is dark bluish brown above and white below, with dark streaking and reddish leg feathering.

Merlins are small falcons with a powerful build that is broader and stockier than the slightly smaller American Kestrel. Merlins have sharply pointed wings, a broad chest, and a medium length tail. The UK’s smallest bird of prey, this compact, dashing falcon has a relatively long, square-cut tail and rather broad-based pointed wings, shorter than those of other falcons. Its wingbeat tends to be rapid with occasional glides, wings held close to the body.

Lanner falcons are stocky, powerful birds of prey. They are raptors, as are eagles, hawks and owls. They have long, thin, pointed wings, relatively short tails, and a powerful hooked beak of a greyish-blue colour.

Saker falcons are the second largest falcon species in the world, smaller only than the Gyrfalcon. These powerful birds are recognizable by their brown underbellies and contrasting grey flight feathers, with streaking on their breast.

Buzzards are stocky, medium to large size with broad wings. They fly with slow heavy wing beats and soar gracefully. They have large talons and usually dark brown plumage with a paler colour underneath. They can usually be distinguished from other birds of prey by their expansive rounded tails.

Peregrine falcons are a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. They are the fastest bird, in fact the fastest animal on the planet! They are built for speed and pure grit, reaching speeds of up to 250MPH.

The gyrfalcon, the largest of the falcon species, is a bird of prey. The name Gyrfalcon may be a hybrid of the Old High German word gir, meaning vulture, and the Latin falx, a farm tool with a curved blade, a reference to the bird’s hooked talons. The gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world, being about the same size as the largest buteos (buzzards) but probably slightly heavier. gyrfalcon is larger, broader-winged and longer-tailed than the peregrine falcon, which it is known to compete with (and occasionally hunt). It differs from the buzzard in general structure, having pointed wings.

An eagle may resemble a vulture in build and flight characteristics but has a fully feathered (often crested) head and strong feet equipped with great curved talons. Because of their strength, eagles have been a symbol of war and imperial power since Babylonian times. Their likeness is found on Greek and Roman ruins, coins, and medals.

Excerpt (amended to not give anything away) from book three, ‘The Gilded Crown.’

Gillet de Bellegarde held out his gloved hand and flicked his wrist to encourage the bird into flight. ‘Do not let them persuade you to accept a kestrel. It is often a joke among the mews,’ he advised her. ‘Kestrels are what they use to teach servants how to care for the birds.’

‘Uh huh.’ Cécile nodded, suppressing a yawn. She watched the small creature take flight and soar, wishing she could do the same. It had been a long, telling night coupled with an early rise to join the hawking party. They’d ridden to a secluded dale on the bank of the Gironde surrounded by dense forestry.

‘Ah, here’s the cart now. Let me choose for you.’ She yawned again as Gillet walked to the tiny conveyance. It consisted of a network of perches upon which sat rows of hooded birds in various sizes. He returned complete with a second hawking glove and began instructing her on how to hold the marlyon. Carefully, he released its hood and the bird ruffled its feathers with avian indignation.

For the next two hours, the falconers assisted the nobility and Cécile watched as the feathered frenzy were set to flight, the falcons soaring to great heights to descend in a deadly swoop as they spied prey. In contrast, the smaller goshawks and sparrowhawks flew low to the ground but delivered their quarry with no less passion. Her own jack returned and though she accepted the small, furry body with little enthusiasm, she empathised with the birds having to endure their daily fetters in order to revel in precious moments of freedom. Would that she could enjoy such a time soon.

Gillet flew his sacret in the first hour and Cécile marvelled at her husband’s lithe movements, his dark hair ruffling in the breeze, looking every inch the lord in his black quilted chausses and silver-grey doublet.

‘Come.’ Gillet relinquished the goshawk which had entertained him for the better part of an hour to the apprentice. ‘Let us go for a ride.’

FREE PATTERN – THE BEAUTIFUL GOWN YOU CAN (HAND) SEW IN ONLY FOUR DAYS!

Ladies, need a new gown in a hurry? Not great at sewing? We can’t all be experts so here is an easy pattern that with a little fortitude, you can sew and decorate in as little as four days. If you feel like experimenting, try adding a couple of more panels to make the dress fuller. And shaping it around your waistline can really make it something special and find a wonderful piece of ribbon or binding to finish off your new gown. The possibilities from this one pattern are endless!

Illuminated Manuscripts – the monks of Saint Marks need help, are you good with a quill?

From the Editor’s desk…

When one of the scriveners here at The Chastity Belt heard about the monks of Saint Mark wanting assistance with their manuscripts, he went to the magazine’s two CEO’s and asked the illustrious ladies if he could have some time off to help. They granted his favour, but could only allow four days, and suggested if he wrote about his time in the scriptorium, they’d add it into the magazine as a paid article. Here is what our gentle soul had to say…

‘I arrived at Saint Marks full of determination to be of assistance and was greeted warmly and shown to the scriptorium where rows of desks were laid out and men were hard at work.

I was shown to my desk where a manuscript sat waiting for me. I unpacked my equipment, and laid out firstly, my quills.

QUILLS

As feathers plucked from a goose need a small prepareation to make them viable, they have been tempered with heat at the writing end to reduce brittleness, and then a small slit is carefully made so that the quills can hold the ink. Most of the feathers are removed as they only get in the way when working. (They tickle your nose!)

Then I hung up my ink horn and penner.

INK HORN AND PENNER

An ink horn is self-explanatory, a small horn with a lid to hold the ink. Craftsmen known as ‘horners’ specialise in creating inkwells out of cow horns. These inkwells are shaped to fit onto a small hollow holder on a scribes desk but can also be made in smaller sizes with a screw-on lid for travelling scribes.

A Penner is a case or sheath made of leather or horn or sometimes metal, to hold a scribe’s writing instruments. Both are carried at the girdle so as to always be on hand. The monks showed me a drawing of an actual ink horn of penner that belonged to Saint Mark!

It was in a tome called ‘The Bedford Hours.’ His symbolic animal, the lion, holds the Saint’s penner and inkhorn set by the strings. The penner is a light colour, perhaps wood, and six or eight sided. It tapers towards the base. The inkhorn is black, and the lid is pushed up the strings so that St. Mark may dip his pen.

Next I took out my knife. We, writers, keep a knife at hand, and many of us work with a pen in one hand and a knife in the other! That way we can quickly erase any mistakes.

KNIFE

Besides using our knives to sharpen our quills, we sometimes use them to hold the parchement (which can have bubbles and contours) flat against the desk. If an error is made, we can quickly scrape it away. Sometimes, if we catch the error after one or more lines of text are inscribed, then we ‘expunctuate’ it which means we make little dots under a wrong word and that signifies that the reader is to ignore it. (We have our tricks of the trade!) Then I took out my tool for lead point and laid it upon the desk.

LEADPOINT

A lead point, which also known as a plummet, is a piece of lead alloy, usually contained in a holder that can be used for drawing, annotation, and most importantly, ruling. Lead point began to be widely used from the eleventh and twelfth centuries.

Ruling is the process by which a frame and/or horizontal lines are produced to guide the hand in writing; the word also refers to the linear guide thus produced. Ruling is guided by pricking the parchment with a knife point (templates can be used) and ruling is generally executed with a hard point (using a stylus to produce a ridge-and-furrow effect) but was also done in ink. For this, of course, we need the parchment and though Saint Marks are providing me with their supply, I feel obligated to include an explanation of it in my article for the readers.

PARCHMENT

In early days scribes used papyrus paper as their blank canvas until parchment became more popular. Made from calf skin soaked in a lime solution, rinsed, dried and stretched on a frame, it was smoother and more durable. Chalk can be thrown on the parchment to make sure the ink will not bleed while the scribes were working.

And lastly I unpacked my ink; three colours in black, blue and red. The scriptorium supplied the yellow and green.

Inks are made with natural materials, such as minerals, that are mixed with a binding solution, such as egg whites (clarified and called glair), egg yolk (called egg tempura), or gum arabic. Binding solutions allowed colorants to adhere to the parchment, acting as a sort of glue for the ink to stick to the parchment.

BLACK INK

Black ink, often called iron-gall ink, is made from gallnuts (a tannin-rich growth on oak trees created by an insect). Although different scribes have different ways of creating this ink, they most often included gallnuts, iron vitriol (small mineral crystals), and gum arabic (hardened sap from the Acacia tree). These items are mixed with either water or wine, sometimes even ale!

Though incredibly popular with scribes, iron gall ink starts as a purple-black ink, that turns a rusty-brown colour over time (notice how the ink in the image below looks brown). It can deteriorate, flaking off and sometimes even burn through the parchment!

RED INK

Red inks were used not only in drawings, but also as headers and titles. It can be made by taking brazilwood chips and mixing them with vinegar and egg whites.

BLUE INK

The monks here tell me that the most common colour source is azurite, a blue stone rich in copper, found in many countries of Europe. You have to smash it into tiny pieces and then grind it with a mortar and pestle until it becomes a dusty powder that can be mixed with the binding solution.

The most brilliant colour of blue, ultramarine, was made from lapis lazuli, which was only found in and around Afghanistan and is very expensive.

GREEN INK

One of the easiest ways to make the green pigment is to expose copper to vinegar (or another acidic liquid) in a bottle, allowing the elements to interact with each other.

YELLOW INK

Yellow inks can also be found on illuminations; these are often created from volcanic rock or saffron.

So, with all my equipment sorted, I threw myself into the work at hand. The had given me a rather large manuscript to write. I began with the opening page and added a small amount of decoration.

4 DAYS LATER

Here is what I completed…

Catherine A Wilson co-writes with Catherine T Wilson (no relation). Their first book, The Lily and the Lion, was based upon their true-life accidental meeting and resulting friendship. All four books in their ‘Lions and Lilies’ series have won first place prizes in the Chatelaine/Chaucer Awards in the US and in 2019, The Traitor’s Noose won the Grand Prize Chaucer Award.