Factfile

Glossary

St Augustine

Gambeson

Motte & Bailey Castle

Augustinian Order (also known as Austin Canons or Black Canons): The Augustinians are several Roman Catholic monastic orders of both men and women living according to a guide to religious life known as the Rule of Saint Augustine. The Black Canons ran schools, hospitals and almshouses. Their habit consisted of a hooded black cloak over the top of a black cassock. The Augustinian Friars are another, separate order.

Carmelite Order: Roman Catholic Church. The Carmelite Order was founded about 1154 and the order of nuns in 1452. Named after Mount Carmel where the order was founded. The focus of the Carmelite Order is contemplative prayer.

Cistercians: The Order of Cistercians, sometimes called the White Monks (from the colour of the habit, over which a black scapular or apron is sometimes worn) is a Roman Catholic religious order of enclosed monks. The keynote of Cistercian life was a return to a literal observance of the Rule of St Benedict. The most striking feature in the reform was the return to manual labour and especially to field-work, which became a special characteristic of Cistercian life.

Commote, Llys and Maerdref: By the 12^th and 13^th Centuries, Gwynedd was divided into administrative areas known as commotes and each commote would have had its own royal court or llys. The town in which the commotal llys was located was referred to as the maerdref - the maer (mayor) was the king's agent in the commote responsible for collecting taxes and rent. The component parts of a llys and maerdref included the llys itself with its royal hall and other buildings, the royal lands worked by bond tenants, and the settlements of the tenants in one or more small hamlets. The tenants would be obliged to pay rent but rather than paying in money would either provide services or pay in kind with crops. The tenants' duties might include working the fields of the royal lands, supplying the llys with agricultural produce or they might be responsible for the repair and maintenance of the royal buildings.

de jure: based on law or by right, as against de facto which means ‘in fact'

Dissolution: In the 16^th Century, the religion of the nation was Catholic and the leader of the Catholics is the Pope. Henry VIII wanted to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon in order to re-marry (Anne Boleyn). The Pope declined to give him this dispensation. In 1534 the Act of Supremacy was passed declaring Henry VIII head of the Church in England. In 1538 Henry VIII started the Dissolution of the Monasteries whereby their property was confiscated (the monasteries were quite rich) and the buildings were either sold to local gentry or they became building materials for local inhabitants and were therefore destroyed.

Francigenae: Francigenae were the French speaking aristocracy which formed the ruling class from Jerusalem to Dublin and from Sicily to Hungary. Sharon Penman has used the term ‘Normans' as an inclusive term for all of French descent for ease of reference.

Gambeson: Padded defensive jacket. Quilted jacket usually made of linen or wool.

Gittern: An early form of guitar, which was succeeded by the lute.

Hippocras: Sweet spiced wine

Llys: See Commote

Manchet: A wheat bread of good quality

Maslin: A loaf made of rye mixed with a little wheat

Maritagium: marriage portion

Motte & Bailey Castle: A motte is a mound, usually artificial, surrounded by a ditch, with the bailey or enclosed courtyard below. Mottes are usually round but square or rectangular mottes are known, especially in Scotland. The height of mottes varies greatly, the majority being under 5 metres.

Schistose rock: Any metamorphic rock that can be split into thin layers. (Metamorphic rock = Rocks altered considerably from the original structure and composition by pressure and heat).

Seneschal: An officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages