Sleepy History - What Life Was Really Like Inside a Medieval Castle

Episode Date: September 20, 2026

✨Sleepy History is written and narrated by humans. ✨ Narrated By: Simon Mattacks Written By: Alexandra Turney Discover what daily life was like in a medieval castle, as we join a lord and lady in their bustling household in 13th century Wales. The primary source for this episode was “Life in a Medieval Castle” by Joseph and Frances Gies (HarperCollins 2015) Includes mentions of: Alcohol, Hunting, Marriage, Children, Routines, Animals, and Religious Traditions. #History #Sleep #Medieval #Times #Period #dayinthelife About Sleepy History Explore history's most intriguing stories, people, places, events, and mysteries, delivered in a supremely calming atmosphere. If you struggle to fall asleep and you have a curious mind, Sleepy History is the perfect bedtime companion. Our stories will gently grasp your attention, pulling your mind away from any racing thoughts, making room for the soothing music and calming narration to guide you into a peaceful sleep. Want to enjoy Sleepy History ad-free? Start your 7-day free trial of Sleepy History Premium: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://sleepyhistory.supercast.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Have feedback or an episode request? Let us know at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠slumberstudios.com/contact⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Sleepy History is a production of Slumber Studios. To learn more, visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.slumberstudios.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Learn more at Bloomberg.com. Across Europe, there are thousands of medieval castles still standing. Perhaps you've been lucky enough to visit one or two. At some point, you've probably wondered, what was life like in these castles? What did people eat? How did they spend their free time? And what about sleeping arrangements?

Tonight, we'll find out, as we spend 24 hours inside the walls of a medieval castle in Wales. From the Lord and Lady to the servants in the kitchen, we'll discover what daily life was like for all the people who live there. So just relax and let your mind drift as we spend a day and night inside a medieval castle. Imagine a castle somewhere in the Welsh countryside, an imposing stone building with towers and turrets encircled by a moat.

Beyond the castle walls are fields, forests and villages. Despite being relatively small, the country of Wales in the United Kingdom is home to more than 400 castles. Many of them were built in medieval times. You may have heard of some of them, such as Keffili, Conwy and Chepstow. The castle we're visiting today is fictional, but of course, all the details are based on real places. Now imagine the sun rising over the castle, bathing the landscape in golden light.

It's autumn, so the sun rises that around, 6 o'clock, and it's the sun rather than a clock that wakes up the castle. This is the 13th century, and mechanical clocks are not yet commonplace. People organise their days by the sun or the ringing of church bells. In the castle attic and cellar, the servants are the first to awake. They rise from their straw mattresses, get dressed, and then get to wood. The castle is chilly at this early hour, and fires must be lit in the kitchen and the great hall. Outside, the night watch comes to an end.

The men who have kept guard on the castle walls throughout the long cold night can now go to their quarters, as others come to take their place. Right now, there are no ongoing wars, but even during peacetime, the castle is is always guarded by knights and soldiers. They're on the lookout for thieves or any signs of trouble. Inside the castle, up the stairs, is the great chamber. This is where the lord and lady of the castle sleep, beneath wool blankets and a fur coverlet.

The grand wooden frame of their bed elevates them above the cold stone floor and is enclosed by thick curtains. The fire has just been stoked by the servants who are about to rouse their lord and lady. The lord, a man in his 30s, inherited this castle from his father. He also owns the surrounding land and several other houses in Wales. Indeed, the Lord and his lady don't live in the castle year round. They divide their time between properties, traveling from one to the other with a procession of wagons.

Members of their household travel with them, along with valuable items, their bedding, their tapestries and silverware. And even the bathtub, the lady of the castle is in her twenties. She got married at 14, having been between. to her husband since she was a young child. The marriage was arranged by their parents, a strategic alliance between two families, rather than a love match. And yet, the couple have grown fond of each other over the years.

They have six children who sleep in chambers on the same floor. The children's nurses are always nearby. Now, at dawn, the Lord and Lady are always. They have a quick wash with a basin of cold water, just the face, armpits, and nether regions. They sometimes clean their teeth, too, using a linen cloth and a paste made from ground herbs. Nowadays, there's a common belief that people in medieval times were dirty and unhygienic. It's true that some people washed infrequently, or wolf. filthy clothes. A famous example is Thomas Beckett, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who lived in

the 12th century. After his death, it was discovered that his clothes were swarming with lice and other vermin. However, this wasn't typical. It's thought that Beckett, who was devoutly religious, chose to put up with this comfort as a form of penance. Certainly, a proper bath wasn't a daily event, but it's believed that most people had a basic wash at least once a day. They weren't indifferent to matters of hygiene, and they would change clothes regularly. People of a higher social status would have likely been cleaner,

washing more frequently and owning multiple pairs of clothes and undergarments. Now, back to our lord and lady. The lord gets dressed. Linen drawers, a long-sleeved woolen tunic, a second fur-lined tunic on top, and then a mantle fastened at the neck with an ornate brooch. On his head, he wears a linen, coiff, a close-fitting cap, and on his feet a comfortable pair of slippers. The lady puts on a long

chemise made of linen and woolen tunics similar to those worn by her husband. Their tunics are usually bright colours, blue, green, yellow or red. Today, the lady wears a vibrant shade of crimson. Her hair is carefully combed and braided, but these elaborate braids are rarely on show. Her face is framed by a white linen wimple, which covers her hair and neck. As she's married, it's considered more modest to cover up. Once dressed and adorned in her jewelry, the lady checks her appearance in a small mirror of polished metal. She applies some makeup, animal fat, rouge and whitening paste. Some people disapprove of cosmetics, viewing them as deceptive or even sinful. Nonetheless, makeup remains popular,

as ladies want to appear pale and beautiful. Before the Lord and Lady go about their day, they make use of the latrine, also known as the guardrope. This tiny room is located nearby. The toilet seat is a wooden bench with a hole in the middle. As toilet paper won't become common for a few more centuries, a scrap of cloth is used instead, or sometimes grass or hay. Waste drops down a shaft,

directly into the castle moat below. The servants of the castle make use of another communal toilet. The waste ends up in a cesspit below. Once in a while, it has to be cleaned by unfortunate workers known as gong farmers. They do their work at night after the rest of the household has gone to bed. The men collect the waste from the cesspit using bucket, or a wheelbarrow. It will then be buried, or perhaps used as fertilizer in the fields. Being a gong farmer is hard and pleasant work, which comes with social stigma. The only upside

is that it's reasonably well paid. It's now about 7 o'clock in the morning. The Lord and lady head to the chapel for morning mass. The chapel is built over two stories. The upper level is reached directly from the Lord and Lady's chamber, while the servants enter below on the ground floor. Mass is an important part of the day. The Lord and Lady are devout Christians, as are most members of the household. After a candlelit service in Latin, people file out of the chapel. Some might then have breakfast, bread and wine, or perhaps a cup of ale. As strange as that may sound, it's possible that the alcohol content of these drinks was relatively low. Still, not everyone has breakfast.

Some believe that for moral reasons, one shouldn't break the overnight fast until later in the day. and others may simply choose to wait and eat later. For now, they quench their thirst with some water from the well. Often, when the weather is fine, the Lord will head out into the forest in search of wild deer or boar. Hunting is a regular event. The Lord, on horseback, is joined by a professional huntsman, as well as the dogs and their handlers,

and other members of the household. The team of men will spend the morning in the woods looking for their quarry. If they're successful, they'll kill the animal with a lance, or perhaps a bow and arrow, before skinning it and preparing the meat. The deer that live in the surrounding forest

often end up on the dinner table. The Lord's favourite pastime, however, is falconry. In the castle courtyard, there's a room known as the Muse, where specially trained hawks roost. On some mornings, a professional falconer brings one out. Working in unison with trained dogs, such as greyhounds, the falcon hunts smaller birds. The falcons themselves are highly valued and well taken care of. Even when he's not out hunting, the Lord often carries a bird on his wrist, a magnificent peregrine which can fly at incredible speeds.

Most mornings, the Lord has work to do. He's kept busy overseeing his properties and managing his land. The Lord owns many acres of land, farmland and villages that need to be managed. He might have to deal with reports on harvests or oversee a dispute between tenants. These responsibilities require a lot of time and attention. When the Lord is away from the castle, fighting in a war, for instance, someone else has to step in. Generally, a high-ranking servant known as the steward oversees day-to-day administration. He's responsible for legal and financial matters.

But when her husband's away, the lady may also take charge, supervising the staff and making important decisions. She's more than capable of running the castle. On a typical day, the Lord will spend hours checking documents or sitting in meetings in the great hall. But today, he's in luck. After a brief meeting with the steward, the Lord finds himself free for the morning. He's able to attend to his newly arrived guests,

an English lord and his men who are travelling through Wales. After greeting the guests, the lady retires upstairs to a private room known as the Solar. There, in the company of her female servants, she sits by the fire. working on her embroidery. The couple's sons are in the room next door, studying Latin, under the supervision of the chaplain. They soon grow restless, impatient to get back to their games. The boys look out of the window, hoping that the grey clouds aren't a sign of rain. They're keen to go outside for some archery practice. Elsewhere in the castle, the servants are kept busy. Soldiers remain stationed on the walls, keeping watch. In the stables, the grooms sweep the floor

and tend to the horses. A blacksmith is at work nearby, moulding iron into horseshoes. In a courtyard, the laundress and her team fill a wooden trough with water and wood ash and get to work. Clothes, bedsheets, towels and tablecloths must all be kept clean. Inside the castle, other servants are charged with emptying chamber pots, making beds, or covering the floor with fresh rushes. These plants provide insulation against the cold stone and help to absorb messes. This particular castle has about 50 servants. At this time of day, it's a hub of activity. Everywhere you look, there are people hard at work. This is especially true in the castle kitchen,

where preparations are being made for the main meal of the day. Located in a separate building, the kitchen is a large timber-framed room with multiple fireplaces. Since early this morning, the baker has been busy making bread, soft white rolls for the Lord and Lady, and barley loaves for the servants. A pig is being cooked over the main fireplace. The metal rod is slowly turned by a young servant.

Another servant keeps his eye on the soup or potage, which is starting to bubble in a large cauldron. Every now and then, he stirs it with a long-handled spoon. The master cook is preparing a fish pie with pickled herrings. beside him, his apprentice uses a pestle and mortar to pound spices. The kitchen is a hot, somewhat chaotic room. But the delicious smells suggest that the household is in for a treat. The aromas drift through a narrow window, which overlooks the bailey, a walled courtyard. There's a small garden here with fruit trees, flowers, and herbs. A young servant bends down in the grass, collecting herbs in a wicker basket.

Some will be used in the kitchen, while others will be added to the Lord's bath later today. In the Great Hall, other servants are setting up, making sure that tablecloths, candles and silverware are all neatly in place. The Great Hall is an impressive space. It's a huge rectangular room with a high wooden beam ceiling and several tall windows. It's a little overcast today, but even so, the Great Hall is the brightest room in the castle. Diffused light streams through the windows, casting tables and benches in a pale glow. The stone floor has just been covered with rushes and sprinkled with a mixture of herbs, and flowers, mint, lavender and rose petals. This isn't a daily occurrence, but when there are

guests or a special occasion, the room must be kept clean and fragrant. At the center of the wall is a huge fireplace, which has been blazing for a few hours now. If you're lucky enough to be near the fire, the room feels fairly warm. Otherwise, it's quite drafty. At about 11 o'clock, a horn sounds, and the great hall begins to fill up. It's almost time for the banquet to begin. The meal eaten at this time of day, known as dinner, is the main meal. It's usually served between 10 o'clock and midday. In the castle, it's always a hearty meal, with an abundance of food and drink.

but today it's a real feast. There are guests, after all, and the Lord wants to make a good impression. Everyone sits at long wooden tables. The Lord and Lady, and other important people, are at a table at the far end of the hall on a raised platform. The Lord sits at the middle of the high table with his wife beside him.

They have chairs while everyone else sits on benches. At the high table, people are seated in order of importance. You can judge a person's status based on their proximity to the Lord and the Salt Cellar. Salt is expensive, a valuable commodity. So the Salt Cellar is positioned within easy reach of the Lord and other high-status diners. Those at the end of the table will have to ask for someone to pass them the salt or do without. Servants go around the room with basins and towels so everyone can wash their hands. After grace, the servants begin to bring in the food.

It's time to eat. Bread and butter come first. Each guest also has a trencher, a thick, slice of old bread, which is used as a plate for the meat. At the high table, there are jugs of red wine imported from Bordeaux in France. The wine they're drinking today is new, so it tastes all right, though it's not the best, and due to the way it's stored, it will soon spoil. Other members of the household mainly drink ale, which is produced at the castle by a female male brewer, known as an ale wife. As people eat their bread and sip their drinks, more food is brought in.

Everyone enjoys a generous serving of soup, a thick broth made with leek and garlic. The main dish is roast pig with verjuice, a sharp, sour sauce made from unripe grapes. Then there are the fish pies, which have been made with pickled herrings, pears, raisins and sugar. At the high table, there's also a dish of cooked oysters. In this part of Wales, away from the coast, there's something of a delicacy. Once the main part of the meal is over, and everyone is already feeling rather stuffed, the servants will bring out dessert, cream custard tart. and pears stewed in honey and wine.

People generally eat with their fingers, using cutlery only when necessary. Still, etiquette is important. Certain behaviours are frowned upon, such as belching, putting your elbows on the table, or talking with your mouthful. And of course, good manners dictate

that one shouldn't finish off all the food or wine. During the banquet there's quite a din. Voices and laughter echo through the hall. A servant drops a tray with a clatter and dogs bark, begging for scraps from the table. But despite the noise, some people are enjoying the entertainment on offer. In a gallery overlooking the hall, a harpist plays a beautiful melody.

The Lord and Lady love music. and meals are frequently accompanied by the sound of the harp. Today, they've also hired a minstrel. Towards the end of the meal, he sings several songs in French while strumming a lute. The minstrel is a man of many talents. He's also an acrobat, and when he travels to other castles, he puts on an energetic performance. but today the Lord has requested music.

He listens with pleasure as he takes another mouthful of tart. Once the meal is finally over, the diners wash their hands and stream out of the Great Hall. Meanwhile, the servants begin to clear the tables and clean the floors. They're helped by a couple of dogs who are diligently searching for crumbs. Across the courtyard, the kitchen is still swarming with activity, as there's lots of cleaning up to do. But other members of the household are free to enjoy themselves. As it started to rain, everyone's confined indoors.

Upstairs in the solar, the Lord and his guest settle down to a game of chess while the lady watches on. To make things more interesting, they might place place. bets. After that, perhaps a game of backgammon. Or they might ask the lady herself to provide the entertainment. She writes poetry in her native Welsh, complex technical verse that adheres to a strict meter. It's only recently, after years of practice, that she's become confident enough to read her poems to an audience. The children also find ways to entertain themselves. The boys, deprived of their archery session, play with spinning tops. They whisper to each other, coming up with pranks to play on their sisters. Across the room, three of the girls sit on the floor, tending to their

wooden dolls. The eldest sister has found a quiet corner in another room where she can read her prayer book in peace. The sun begins to set around five o'clock. The great hall, lit with candles and rush lights, fills up once again as the household gathers for supper. Supper is a lighter meal, generally consisting of bread, cheese and leftovers. This evening, everyone's still feeling rather full. Some people use up the leftover roast pig. while others are content to nibble on cheese. It's a crumbly cheese made from cows' milk, locally produced, like much of the food served in the castle.

If you look through one of the upper windows, you might catch a glimpse of the cows themselves. There in a nearby field, being ushered into their barn for the night. In the great hall, pools of light flicker across the tables and the fire continues to crackle cheerfully. Still, much of the room is now hidden in shadow. And although there's some chatter, the atmosphere is much more subdued.

Five o'clock is a standard meal time. The castle goes to bed early at this time of year. Besides, some people disapprove of late meals or rear suppers. They're associated with gluttony, and getting up to no good. After supper, the castle begins to wind down. Rooms are cleaned for the final time, and the kitchen is tidied up, then locked for the night.

Some servants have been known to sneak in and help themselves to a midnight snack of leftover cooking fat. Fat is valuable. It's usually saved, so it can be used to make a safe. essentials like candles or soap. Speaking of which, it's the Lord's bath time. In the great chamber, the room where the Lord and Lady's sleep,

the servants have prepared a bath near the fire. It's a wooden tub filled with hot water and scented with rose petals. Some herbs have also been added to the bath, camomile and fennel, which are thought to relieve aches. The Lord relaxes in the tub while a servant washes him with a linen cloth. He might sometimes use soap, but not today. The most common variety is black soap, made from wood ash and tallow or animal fat. It's a harsh substance, generally used for laundry rather than personal hygiene.

Some wealthy households are starting to import. bought olive oil soaps from the Mediterranean. But these are luxury items, relatively hard to come by. Now the servant covers up the tub with a cloth, leaving the Lord to soak in the warm water. He takes a long, leisurely bath, wanting to make the most of it. The Lord and Lady usually bathe once every couple of weeks. Preparing a bath takes time and effort.

The servants have to go up and down the stairs, carrying jugs of hot water from the kitchen to the chamber. The bathtub is a luxury, used only by the Lord and Lady. The servants make do with the occasional quick wash, splashing themselves with cold water from a basin. For a full body bath, they might wait till the summer when it's warm enough to bathe in the stream. By nine o'clock, the castle is settling down for the night.

In summer months, people might stay up a little later, but once work is finished and the sun has set, everyone's thoughts turned to bed. Some servants sleep in the attic, others in the cellar. They generally share beds huddling together for warmth on cold nights. They sleep on pallets, straw-filled mattresses on the floor, which are covered with linen sheets and blankets. Some of the servants sleep in the nude,

while those sharing beds may wear a light shirt or shift for modesty. Upstairs, the Lord and Lady are attended to by their personal servants. The servants prepare the bed, a heavy wooden frame with a feather mattress, down pillows and several layers of blankets. Spread on top is a fur coverlet. The lord and lady don't wear night clothes, just simple linen head coverings for warmth.

Once the couple are comfortably settled, the servants draw the curtains. These heavy drapes provide privacy and keep out drafts. After checking that the chamber pots are in place and chewing the cat out of the room, the servants go to their own beds. As personal servants of the Lord and Lady, they enjoy a slightly more comfortable sleeping arrangement. They spend the night in low, movable beds, known as trundle beds, which are positioned in the corners of the room. This way, the servants are close by should they be needed in the night.

And while the chamber isn't exactly warm, it's a more comfortable temperature than the attic and cellar where the other servants sleep. In this room, a low fire is kept burning all night. Ashes have been raked over the coals, allowing the flames to smoulder and providing a bit of light and warmth. Another advantage of keeping the fire burning is that it would be easier to revive in the sunsendor. morning. To reduce risk, some fireplaces are covered up overnight. The covers are called Kuvrafu, which literally means fire cover. This French name is the origin of the English word curfew. In the great chamber, even with a low fire, it's rather chilly. And once the candles have been extinguished, the room is shrouded in darkness, apart from the dim,

of the fire, you can't see a thing. Beneath there many layers of blankets, the Lord and lady snuggle up, and soon fall asleep. As most of the household drifts off, others are just starting their shifts. On the castle walls, the guards begin their night watch, and in the darkened courtyard, two gong farmers are making their way towards the cesspit. pushing an empty wheelbarrow. Inside the castle, all is quiet. Some people sleep through the night, or get up only briefly to make use of the chamber pot.

Others may wake around midnight and stay up for an hour or so, before going back to sleep. Throughout much of history, it's thought that many people slept in two shifts. They might go to bed early and sleep for a few hours, before waking up in the middle of the night. After an hour or so, they would begin their second sleep, which lasted until dawn.

So, perhaps the Lord and Lady will wake up at some point during the night. Coquoned in the warmth of their bed, they'll talk in hushed voices and spend some intimate time together. But for now, they're fast asleep. The only sounds that can be heard are gentle snores. the quiet crackling of the fire, and the hoot of an owl somewhere in the trees. It's as though the castle itself is deep in slumber.