medieval rushes on floor

Loose rushes can be seen on some medieval illustrations. Fresh rushes were sometimes spread on top of the old rushes.

Hardwick Hall Derbyshire Replacing The Matting In The State Withdrawing Room Stitching The Matting Together Adobe Decor Rush Matting

This did make sense as rushes are not only good insulators.

. In medieval times bundles of these plants were gathered up and spread across some castle floors and the dirt floors of many medieval churches and cathedrals. Old straw was not. A housemaid would have quite a to do list from the time she woke in the morning.

If you were rich enough to have stone or slate flooring you might want to spread rushes on the floor to avoid slipping especially in winter. Particularly favored for such a purpose was Acorus calamus sweet flag but despite its alternate vernacular name sweet rush it is a plant from a different monocot order Acorales. Rushbearing is an old English ecclesiastical festival in which rushes are collected and carried to be strewn on the floor of the parish church.

When the floor collapsed beneath him he crawled out through the third story past the bodies of some of his neighbors. Loose rushes which were spread over the floor this was costly and was only used on special occasions. In researching floors and floor coverings of Georgian houses I came across these interesting tidbits of information.

Fragrant often medicinal herbs were sprinkled among the rushes partly to sweeten aging rushes and partly to discourage bugs and molds. But no matter the richness of the household they covered their floors with grasses rushes or reeds. Indeed Queen Elizabeth I was particularly fond of meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria.

For instance a lot of medieval castles had the floors strewn with rushes or straw. There are still a few places where this is done such as St Mary Redcliffe in Bristol. A Short History of Floors.

She would need to sweep the floors generally downstairs until those who were sleeping had risen then she would head upstairs. The floors of medieval houses were made of hard surfaces. In castles where floors and walls were primarily made of stone they used straw and rushes as a form of insulation too.

Rushes reeds being strewn on the floor is a frequent mention in descriptions of works of historical fiction. Rushes werent just used in houses. One poster opined that this was unlikely and that if reeds were strewn on the floor at all they would have been in the form of matting.

The practice of covering floors with rushes was a a real threat to hygiene and health during the Medieval times. Following the Black Death a limited number of carpets and mats were introduced to replace the floor rushes but floors strewn with straw or rushes were still favoured. Almost every domestic beaten earth floor would have been covered in them.

Other historians and archaeologists have considered whether the rushes might have been woven into mats before being placed on the floor but everyone seems to be agreed that loose rushes were not strewn on the floor. Herbs such as lavender and southernwood are added into the weave as the flooring is being made. In Medieval times it was quite common to use rushes to cover the floor.

Rich and poor households used strewing herbs and royal households were no exception. It smells as good as it looks and should be sprayed with an atomizer now and then to rejuvenate the rush and to release the scent. The herbs not only perfumed the home when.

In medieval Europe loose fresh rushes would be strewn on earthen floors in dwellings for cleanliness and insulation. Only royalty could afford tapestries that helped keep the cold out. Peasants might have hard packed earthen or clay floors while nobels built their homes with stone or wood floors.

They are also fairly good at absorbing spills. During the middle ages the floors of simple peasant households consisted of dirt. In better off homes herbs such as lavender rosemary and southernwood were mixed with the rushes.

These had dual benefits. In a typical medieval English monastery for instance the floor of the dormitory would have been strewn with rushes that were swept and replaced once or twice a year. Hay and straw were strewn on top of the surface and often cow dung and household wastes were tossed on top of the rushes.

But even sweeping was a big deal. The tradition dates back to the time when most buildings had earthen floors and rushes were used as a form of renewable floor covering for cleanliness and insulation. Rushes for floor covering came in two sorts.

Some time ago on a history forum there was a discussion on medieval floor coverings. On wood or stone floors reeds or rushes were sometimes supplemented with aromatic herbs like lavender and the entire floor would usually be swept clean and strewn with fresh straw and herbs on a regular basis. Loose rushes can be seen on some medieval illustrations.

Traditional rush floor matting is also known as medieval or apple matting. Threat to Middle Ages Hygiene - Rush Flooring The practice of covering floors with rushes was a a real threat to hygiene and health during the Middle Ages.

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