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Medieval Castle Staff

Medieval castles housed the nobles of medieval times whose living style was quite lavish, particularly in comparison with the common people.

Accordingly, medieval castles employed a lot of servants as medieval castle staff for different kinds of work in the medieval castle. For instance, there would be separate cooking staff, cleaning staff, overlooking staff, maintenance staff, and such.

Medieval Castle Staff Duties

Staff that worked in a medieval castle had certain pre-defined tasks to take care of, for instance, there was a head cook who had his staff and was responsible for taking care of meals.

The serving staff was responsible for setting up the trestle tables during the meals. Other senior members of the service staff that worked in a medieval castle included a butler, seneschal, head maid, and constable.

Medieval Castle Staff Jobs

Medieval castle staff who were at the bottom of the hierarchy of staff members were the cleaning staff which was generally under the command of a head maid.

Among other members, the job of a chamberlain was to manage the castle finances, while the seneschal looked after the administration of the estate and special events.

There was also a special part of medieval castle staff that looked after the animals, horses in particular.

The stable-master was in charge of these castle staff members which additionally included teamsters, master of the hounds, and falconers etc.

Medieval Castle Staff – Military

The Majority of the male servants of a medieval castle were military personnel who performed specific duties.

There were the gatekeepers and various knights and esquires who overlooked the military unit of the castle.

This military unit of the medieval castle was dispatched whenever the king required the services of the nobles during battles, which frequently happened during the medieval times.

Medieval Castle Maintenance Staff

Medieval castle maintenance staff were responsible of making sure that everything in the castle was in order. This included a variety of duties such as looking after the fireplace, dusting, keeping the wardrobe of lords and ladies in order, and such. The maintenance staff was generally responsible to the head maid.

Medieval Castle Staff – Cooks and Service Staff

The cooking staff in a medieval castle was responsible for meals and worked in a large kitchen under the charge of a head cook.

The head cook was also responsible for purchasing various food items and overlooked the storage and preservation of food in pantries.

Medieval castle staff that served food during meals was headed by the butler who was assisted by multiple footmen.

A Medieval Princess is talking to the Military castle staff

Medieval Castle Staff Entertainers

Medieval castle staff for entertainment generally displayed their skills during special events such as weddings, ceremonies, and festivals.

Common types of entertainment in a medieval castle included dancing, juggling, mystery plays, and others.

Sometimes, if there was no dedicated staff for entertainment in a medieval castle, it could be hired for special services.

Medieval Castle Staff Summary

The duties and responsibilities of medieval castle staff varied depending on the size of the castle and the inhabitants. During the medieval times, the castles were large and sometimes housed hundreds of inhabitants.

In this case, the number and variety of servants was also large. Eventually, however, the size of the estate and thus the castles began the shrink which also resulted in a reduced number of servants and limited staff.