6 Household Items Every Medieval Family Owned

The word "medieval" comes from the Latin word for "middle," so Medieval Times is just another name for the Middle Ages. This era of history covered Europe from the fall of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the Renaissance. People during this time struggled to survive without a lot of the technology and inventions we have today.The daily life of Medieval Europeans was harsh compared to modern living, but they made do with what they had. Families made sure their homes had the basics, and these items were among the essentials that kept the household functioning each day.Trencher With A Scene From Aesops Fables, | Heritage Images/GettyImagesTrenchersBefore plates became common, people still needed a way to eat their meals. Medieval families used large, flat loaves of stale bread called trenchers. The word trencher comes from the French word "trancher," meaning "to cut." This was because trenchers were not just used for eating off of, but also as a base for slicing meat. Around the 14th century, trenchers began to be made of wood and were the beginnings of plates.Cauldron | Heritage Images/GettyImagesCauldronWhat we think of today as a witch's cauldron, used for brewing up potions, was actually an essential kitchen tool for medieval homes. A cauldron was made of iron, bronze, or copper, and was often permanently hung over the fire to keep it constantly boiling. This saved time and energy when cooking or hot water was needed. These cauldrons were so important for daily life that they were passed down as heirlooms through generations of family. Trestle table of softwood glued with ebony and silver | Sepia Times/GettyImagesTrestle TableMedieval homes were not built to be spacious, but to provide simple shelter. This meant that families had to get creative with storage and furniture. A trestle table worked well because it could be folded up or taken down. The table was made of three parts: the long slab of wood for the tabletop, and two sawhorse-shaped legs. Or, if they couldn't get the legs, families would place the tabletop on a storage trunk, then move it back against the wall once they no longer needed the table.Candle. | Sepia Times/GettyImagesRushlights and Tallow CandlesTo light your home in the Middle Ages, you would need either rushlights or tallow candles. A rushlight was the stem of a rush plant dipped in animal fat. It was essentially just the wick of a candle and had to be placed on a stand or in a metal container. Tallow candles were also made of animal fat, smelling awful and producing lots of smoke. But beeswax candles were too expensive for daily use, so families just learned to live with the smell.A Tour Of Some Of Spain's Most Curious Museums | Europa Press News/GettyImagesChamber PotsWhile the wealthy noble class might have had private latrines, the common folk of the Middle Ages had chamber pots. These pots were made of anything from wood and clay to lead and stone. Some even had a small seat with the pot placed underneath. If you lived on a farm, the contents of the chamber pots could be used as fertilizer. Otherwise, families dumped their pots into cesspits or nearby streams and rivers.Adam And Eve | Heritage Images/GettyImagesSpindleMost people today learned what a spindle is thanks to Disney's Sleeping Beauty. The tool that Princess Aurora pricks her finger on was a medieval spindle, used to weave yarn into cloth. Unlike modern spindles (yes, they do still exist!), the medieval ones had a removable whorl, or weighted disk, that slid onto the spindle. Families spun their own cloth to make clothes and blankets, so a spindle was a must-have item.More Household Items Through the Ages: