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Posted by
Agha Khan

Apr 26
Joanna Arman
Studied Middle Ages (era) & British Medieval History Updated 2y

How did travelers in ancient and medieval times decide where it was safe
to spend the night? Did any cultures have "rules for travelers"?
Forget what you see in movies, in which people always camp outside in
the open with nobody around for miles. That is, for the most part,
garbage. The population of Medieval Europe was a lot smaller than it is
today, but for the most part there weren’t vast areas of uninhabited territory, and where they were, they were off the proverbial beaten track.

Medieval Britain had pretty good infrastructure, including a network of
Roman roads, and generally there would have been some kind of settlement
within day’s ride of any given location. Even if it was only a small
village.

Churches and monasteries were commonplace, and most monasteries and even
small priories had a guest house where anyone could stay overnight. They
could also stay in charitable institutions such as hospitals. Medieval hospitals were not simply places which provided medical treatment or
palliative care: they could also be something like hostels or
almshouses. Actual almshouses might be able to provide lodging for the
night for a traveler as well.

History of almshouses

In larger settlements such as towns and cities there would have been
inns and other lodging houses with accommodation available for anyone
who could pay.

For those of a better sort (i.e clerics, knights, perhaps the gentry),
it would have been possible to be put up in a castle or manor house, by imposing upon the hospitality of the local lord or landowner. The church
were expected to provide hospitality, but there was also a similar
expectation upon the higher orders, even if it was only to provide
hospitality for their social equals or superiors.

It would certainly have been considered a big no-no to throw out a
fellow knight or Lord arrived your castle, and expected a night’s
lodging, and especially to do him harm. Or allow him to come to harm
whilst under your roof.

In the high middle ages, sleeping arrangements in castles or high status buildings were Spartan to say the least. Most, except the most important
would probably have bedded down on a pallet or sack in the Great Hall.
In the later Medieval period, things became a little more sophisticated.
Bodiam castle in Sussex is an excellent example. Originally, each of the
4 towers contained several small bedrooms for guest accommodation. (I
mean each was pretty basic, a window and a fireplace, but still. An improvement).


So, very few people would have needed to sleep out in the open at night.
We might like the Hollywood adventurous image, but its basically false

add also. Caravanserai - Wikipedia

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Damian Tinsley
· Mon
At Bodiam I was told the mere fact of the number of fireplaces was a big innovation at the time. It wasn’t usual to have a fireplace outside of
the hall, and only the masons had the skill to build fireplaces and knew
how to do so without them exploding (which stone to use and how to
commission the fireplace).

Andy Jen
· 20h
Over 800 inscriptions where found at Bodiam Castle during a detailed
survey in 2016 . Bankers marks where the most common, and where made by
those masons roughing out the stone for use in the external walls .
Marks by fine masons are less common and are only found in the high
status area of the castle.

Numerous protection marks have been found around the windows and
entrances and doors in the castle to ward if evil spirits.

The debate still rages as to weather Bodiam was actually designed as a
castle or just a very elaborate hunting lodge . I am on the side who say
it was built to protect against a French invasion.

Damian Tinsley
· 20h
Interesting thank you. The fireplace thing is of note because they were apparently expensive for the reasons above and there were lots and lots
at Bodiam.

I didn't know about the hunting lodge theory. I guess that would stem
from the idea that if a purely functional castle, then the money would
have been used elsewhere rather than blown on fireplaces! And of course,
the rather over-elaborate vanity moat / reflecting pool would not have
been cheap either.

Andy Jen
· 19h
The moat is actually very functional, after they dredged it in 2016/17
it went from being 3ft to 4ft deep to being 8ft to 11ft deep . It now
only reflects effectively in early spring and late autumn where as
before 2016 it reflective all year round .

There is evidence that the castle was actually altered soon after it was constructed.

It is a fabulous place to visit when a full moon is active.

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