In the early Middle Ages, ships used in northern Europe were still much like Viking longships. Open boats, perhaps with rowing benches or an open hold, and a single mast and sail. Passengers would be exposed to the elements, and so would have to dress warmly.
Although the Bayeux Tapestry exaggerated the size of people compared to ships, it's probably not by that much. The White Ship was probably no more than 60-100 feet long, so with 300 drunken people on board it would have been as crowded as a nightclub dancefloor.
By the 12th century, merchant ships were starting to be wide rather than long and thin, and were called 'roundships' - this allowed them to carry much more cargo at the price of harming their speed and performance. At some point, the practice arose of building 'castles' at the front and rear of the ship when it was to be used for war. These were simple wooden structures, basically a walled platform, but they were often painted and decorated to look like stone castles, hence the name.
Archers stood on the platform to shoot down at enemy ships. At first the platforms were purely temporary, but eventually it became habit to leave them in place - not least because piracy was an ever-present risk, so even a merchant ship might need to fight. Permanent castles could therefore be built more sturdily. In turn, this meant they could be used as cabins. The ship's master usually used the aft castle; the rest of the crew slept in the forecastle. When passengers were carried, the captain or crew might give their cabins over to them if they were of very high status; otherwise they still had to travel in the open-air middle part of the ship.
Cogs came into use in western Europe around the year 1300, copied from a German design. These had rudders rather than steering oars, and were designed to operate under sail alone, whereas earlier ships had carried oars as well as sails. This in turn meant that they could be built with more freeboard (higher sides) and the hull was decked over instead of being left open. As such, cargo could be stored in the hold out of the rain and spray, and passengers could travel either in the hold or up on deck depending on the weather and how seasick they were. Someone very wealthy might have a private cabin set up in a corner of the hold with temporary wooden or canvas screens to partition it off. Cogs still had castles, but gradually these were replaced by raised sections of hull that were decked over as additional cabins space.
Although the Bayeux Tapestry exaggerated the size of people compared to ships, it's probably not by that much. The White Ship was probably no more than 60-100 feet long, so with 300 drunken people on board it would have been as crowded as a nightclub dancefloor.
By the 12th century, merchant ships were starting to be wide rather than long and thin, and were called 'roundships' - this allowed them to carry much more cargo at the price of harming their speed and performance. At some point, the practice arose of building 'castles' at the front and rear of the ship when it was to be used for war. These were simple wooden structures, basically a walled platform, but they were often painted and decorated to look like stone castles, hence the name.
Archers stood on the platform to shoot down at enemy ships. At first the platforms were purely temporary, but eventually it became habit to leave them in place - not least because piracy was an ever-present risk, so even a merchant ship might need to fight. Permanent castles could therefore be built more sturdily. In turn, this meant they could be used as cabins. The ship's master usually used the aft castle; the rest of the crew slept in the forecastle. When passengers were carried, the captain or crew might give their cabins over to them if they were of very high status; otherwise they still had to travel in the open-air middle part of the ship.
Cogs came into use in western Europe around the year 1300, copied from a German design. These had rudders rather than steering oars, and were designed to operate under sail alone, whereas earlier ships had carried oars as well as sails. This in turn meant that they could be built with more freeboard (higher sides) and the hull was decked over instead of being left open. As such, cargo could be stored in the hold out of the rain and spray, and passengers could travel either in the hold or up on deck depending on the weather and how seasick they were. Someone very wealthy might have a private cabin set up in a corner of the hold with temporary wooden or canvas screens to partition it off. Cogs still had castles, but gradually these were replaced by raised sections of hull that were decked over as additional cabins space.
Reply
Now I know where the weird term forecastle came from. :D And yes, the White Ship sounds about like a crowded nightclub collapsing. #badpartyplan
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment