Lewes History Group

Joanna Wilkins: Making Medieval Meals

Was someone in your family a medieval maker of feasts? Some of our most popular surnames are derived from people whose jobs in medieval times were to make banquets run smoothly: Butlers, Carvers, Pages and Warners all had a part to play.

Did you know that the food you ate advertised your wealth and status? Or how to drink from a puzzle jug? And what parts cuttlefish, coffins and cockatrice played in medieval feasting?

Joanna Wilkins, Sussex Archaeological Society education officer, explores the foods that were eaten in the Middle Ages, how they were prepared and the way they were served. And she reveals how some of our common expressions have their origins in medieval meal making. She also looks at the seamier side: the tricks bakers played to save flour and the dangers of fast food outlets.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org

All are welcome from 7.00pm for free refreshments and updates on the Group’s activities. The talk will begin promptly at 7:30pm and will finish by 9.00pm.

There is an entry fee for these meetings, payable at the door, of £2 for members, and £3 for non-members.

Venue: The King’s Church building on Brooks Road, Lewes, BN7 2BY. (Between Tesco car park and Homebase)

See the Meetings page for a list of  forthcoming monthly talks organised by the Lewes History Group.

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2015 Emil Godfrey Memorial Lecture

George Ferzoco: Monastic Education in the Middle Ages

George Ferzoco is a Research and Teaching Fellow in Medieval Religious Culture at the University of Bristol.

Venue: Lewes Town Hall, the Council Chamber (High Street entrance, upstairs)

All welcome. Admission free

The lecture will be preceded by the Annual General Meeting of the Lewes Priory Trust at 7:00pm (Members only)

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We have just heard this morning that our speaker for tonight, Dr Graham Mayhew, is unwell and will be unable to attend. We are fortunate to have been able to recruit Helen Chiasson of the Priory Trust to step in and give a talk on the history of the Priory, including a 15 minute film, in place of Graham’s lecture, which we will reschedule for a later date.

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