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HOW TO USE THE EVIDENCE FILES

Each topic has a big point and little points to support it. For example, on the

topic of Fun, Botchit and Leggit say:

People didn’t have much fun in the Middle Ages.

There was no sport. The only entertainments were

singing and dancing. There were no books and nobody

could read. They had no holidays apart from Sundays.

1. Now you can practise by checking the paragraph about Fun using the grid

below and the evidence file on pages 9-10. Check each little point in turn. Is

each one right or wrong? What else can you find out? Fill in column 2 of the

grid – we’ve started it for you.

B and L’s little points about fun What the evidence file says about each little point

a) There was no sport This is wrong. They practised archery, and they played football.

b) The only entertainments

were singing and

dancing

They also told stories.

c) There were no books and

nobody could read

d) They had no holidays

apart from Sundays

Christmas

2. Now use the completed grid to decide whether the Big Point is correct: People didn’t have much fun in the Middle Ages.

If you think it’s wrong, rewrite the Big Point so it’s correct.

3. Now put it all together and write a draft paragraph, using your Big Point and

some improved little points, for a new guidebook that will give visitors to

the theme park a better idea about Fun in the Middle Ages.

4. Finally:

a) Create a good final copy of your paragraph.

b) Choose one picture to illustrate it.

c) Check the spelling.

d) Make sure it’s interesting to visitors.

This is the Big Point These are the Little Points

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Fun: Did people have fun in the Middle Ages?

Most of the pictures come

from the Luttrell Psalter.

This was a prayer book

illustrated for Sir Geoffrey

Luttrell around 1330. The

illustrations show Sir

Geoffrey, his servants and

other people from his

village in Lincolnshire.

HOLY-DAYS

In the Middle Ages people had plenty of days off work,

probably more than many people today. They didn’t

work on Sundays or on religious days like Christmas

and Easter, or on Saints’ days – and there were plenty

of those!

So they had the religious days or ‘holy-days’ off work.

Holy-day is the original word for holiday. The pictures

on these pages show some of the things people could

do on their holy-days.

ARCHERY v. FOOTBALL

The law stated that all men had to practice archery to keep

them ready for war. However, many men enjoyed playing

football and other ball games instead. The kings kept

making laws banning football and ordering men to practice

archery, but the laws didn’t work as football was much

more popular than archery.

UNUSUAL ANIMALS

There were plenty of wolves

and bears in Britain, but

sometimes people would have

seen more unusual animals. For

example, the kings of England

were often given wild animals

as presents by the rulers of

other countries. Henry III kept

leopards, an elephant and a

polar bear at the Tower of

London. The polar bear went

swimming in the River Thames

on the end of a very long lead!

In the 1430s two of the King’s

officials took the King’s ostrich

to Norwich. They charged

people to see the ostrich in a

special tent, but they were

beaten up 3 times by people

who objected to paying.

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↓ PICTURE 1 – Archery practice

→ PICTURE 2 – Bear baiting

10 READ A BOOK?

In 1100 very few ordinary people could read. By 1500 the number of

readers increased, especially in the towns. In London around half the

people could read – some even wore a new invention to help them

read – spectacles!

ALE OR WINE?

Only rich people drank wine. The poor

man’s drink was ale, a kind of very

weak beer. People rank ale because

they knew that water often became

dirty and made people ill. Ale was

brewed by the women in each village.

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TRAVELLING

ENTERTAINERS

These people would

perform in the

villages and people

would dance and

sing. There were

also travelling

wrestlers, acrobats

and jugglers, and

storytellers who

would tell tales of

Robin Hood or King

Arthur.

HUNTING WITH HAWKS

Only rich people could afford to own hawks.

Hawks and hunting equipment were often given as

presents.

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↓ PICTURE 3 – Drunk!

↓ PICTURE 4 – Hawking

↑ PICTURE 5 – Travelling

musicians