Food related articles for Rochester Cathedral exhibition

I have been very busy over the last couple of months writing material for a new exhibition at Rochester Cathedral, ‘Beauty and the Beasts’. The exhibition takes a broad approach to its theme, looking at various aspects of the lives of the monks of the medieval cathedral priory of Saint Andrew at Rochester. From the beautiful illustrations of beasts in the manuscripts they produced and owned, to the importance of beasts – or animals – to their livelihood, the exhibition is full of fascinating detail.

As the main consultant for the project, I’ve written a lot of online material for visitors to follow up on if they so wish. Included in that material are a few posts relating to food. So if you would like to read those they are now available on the Rochester cathedral website. Here are the subjects with the appropriate links:

The aspect of animals and animal produce as ‘food rents’ is explored in the exhibition. Such payments were made by the farmers who worked the manorial lands that the priory held in Kent and beyond.

Food rents, c.1235

The diet of the monks is another feature of the exhibition. Find out about the duties of the four lay cooks, and what role their wives played in preparing offal. There are also insights into a luxury dish the monks consumed, and the food gifts they presented to their servants.

Animals and food at Rochester Priory

There’s also a post on the so-called ‘wine custom’ – wine that was owed each year to the priory – with a translation of the original document from c. 1235.

The wine custom, c.1235

There’s another translated document relating to the xenium, or customary payment, due on St Andrew’s Day (30^th November). Piglets, hens, geese, eggs, sturgeon and lampreys were all transported to the priory court.

St Andrew’s Day food payments, c.1235

One other post I’ve written which I feel I should bring to your attention is about two medical, rather than food, recipes (no animals involved). These were preserved in the monks’ surviving records alongside a treatise on bloodletting. I will not be recreating them on my YouTube channel!

Medical recipes, 13th century

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Image at the top of the page

The image is a photograph of one of the exhibition cases featuring in ‘Beauty and the Beasts’ at Rochester Cathedral. By Jacob Scott, the cathedral’s Heritage Officer, using AI software. Please note, eagle-eyed readers, that the star anise has subsequently been removed as it was not a spice imported into England during the medieval period.