occupations: Europe 801 which were usually locked away to prevent theft She was in charge of opening cupboards to get out food for the day’s meals She might be assisted by a steward or seneschal, who supervised household affairs Noblewomen frequently cared for the health of everyone within the household, nursing the sick and dispensing medicine as needed The wives of lords were expected to administer the estates while their husbands were away at war—to oversee planting and harvesting, collect taxes, and settle disputes as the men did Noblewomen also wove cloth, did embroidery, and made clothes for their families The lady of a house had many assistants, including ladies in waiting who might themselves be of high birth, chambermaids who did housekeeping and cleaning, laundresses to laundry, and nurses to care for children Within noble households there were a number of specialized occupations A castellan, or chatelaine, was in charge of a castle’s entire administration Chamberlains handled the finances of a castle Clerks kept records and accounts Almoners collected and distributed alms to the poor A bailiff would coordinate work by peasants, providing them tools and allotting them jobs A reeve performed a similar job, ensuring that work began and ended on time and that no one stole anything A castle’s porter opened the door to guests and ensured that no unwelcome visitors entered The butler (or bottler) took care of the household’s supply of beer and wine, making sure that local brewers made enough beer or vintners produced enough wine Every large household had a head cook who prepared all meals, assisted by scullions or scullery maids who washed dishes and did other menial kitchen tasks The household might have a marshal, who would take care of transportation needs He might in turn employ grooms to care for horses, carters to carry goods, and smiths to make horseshoes and other metal objects Minstrels played instruments and sang songs to entertain nobles and their guests A noble who enjoyed hunting might employ a gamekeeper to keep his lands stocked with prey and a falconer to take care of his hunting birds Any noble who wanted a new large house or castle had to employ an architect and builder who understood how to design and build large stone structures Builders employed carpenters to construct things out of wood, masons to work with stone, glaziers to make glass windows, joiners to build window frames, sawyers to saw boards, carters to carry materials from sawpits or quarries, and numerous other laborers, including painters, plasterers, and brick makers In the Byzantine Empire, experts in mosaics covered the walls of churches with images formed from broken tiles The medieval church also employed builders and all the other categories of construction artisans to build churches and cathedrals Oyster shells with traces of paint; Britain, 13th century Such shells were used by illuminators and scribes to mix pigments. (© Museum of London) Members of the clergy dedicated their life to religion, but this dedication could take many forms Some monks and nuns cloistered themselves in monasteries or convents where they had little contact with the outside world, spending their time in prayer and contemplation Other monastics, however, were very active in the world, teaching schools or caring for the sick All monks and nuns were supposed to work to support themselves, so many monasteries kept gardens and livestock tended by the members Nuns might earn money by making sweets, cheese, or embroidery Some monks worked as scribes in scriptoria, or copying rooms, spending their days copying books by hand Priests spent more of their time in the outside world than monastics They held daily religious services, blessed undertakings, and sometimes taught in schools or universities Chaplains worked as personal priests for noble households or military garrisons The educated, both lay and clergy, might work as teachers or clerks Clerks did bookkeeping and kept accounts for nobles, churches, or merchants Teachers became more common as schools appeared during the 12th and 13th centuries The educated might also teach at universities Some teachers worked for wealthy families as private tutors Education prepared the way for work in a profession, such as law or medicine A few medieval people specialized in medical matters Herbalists studied herbal medicines and grew and dispensed their own remedies Midwives helped pregnant women deliver babies Barbers could perform minor surgery and bloodletting in addition to shaving faces and cutting hair Alchemists could