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Minstrels and Minstrelsy in Late Medieval England
This chapter is in the book Minstrels and Minstrelsy in Late Medieval England
10The regulation and protection of minstrelsIt has been a common view that itinerant minstrels were at the lowest level of society, reviled as immoral and criminal, cast out by the Church and severely cir-cumscribed by the secular and civic authorities. Writers on minstrelsy in Germany, England and France have held this view, citing examples from various places throughout the late Middle Ages to show minstrels committing crimes, supporting immorality, and being excluded and punished by ecclesiastical and secular author-ity. As John Southworth expressed it,1It is not just that the [social] status of the minstrel was low; for very many of his contemporaries, he was altogether beyond the pale of social acceptance. ... Not only was he excluded ... from the normal web of ties and responsibilities that constituted medieval society, but even his membership of the universal church, the fellowship of baptised Christians, was at one time in serious dispute.This is a view that I have accepted in the past, but is it really justified? Does enough evidence exist to demonstrate the case for itinerant minstrels being abhorred as ‘beyond the pale’? On further reflection, perhaps not.The Church was certainly suspicious of those who performed music that resulted in sensual enjoyment and might encourage illicit sexual behaviour and other immo-rality. It is hardly surprising that the Church as an institution should play safe by taking a conservative view, recognising the potential dangers to the Christian soul and acting accordingly. Civic authorities, too, were wary of an itinerant trade that could cause disturbance of various kinds, such as loud noises at night, drunken brawls in ale houses, and enjoyable distraction while pickpockets and other thieves were at work. But there is also much to be said on the other side. As noted in Chapter 5, individual clerics were more practical in their approach to minstrelsy, enjoying the entertainment of minstrels on appropriate occasions and extending to them the hospitality that was part of the Church’s charitable obligation. The heads of secular households took the same course; and towns saw no harm in minstrelsy per se, only a need to exercise crime prevention and administer punishment when necessary.Nor is there a case for saying that minstrels were particularly guilty of crime and immorality. Commentators have tended to offer a few cases, usually from a wide range of places and dates, but the evidence against minstrels is notable less for its 1 Southworth, English Medieval Minstrel, 4–5. See, for example, Chambers, Medieval Stage,II, 262–3; Woodfill, Musicians, 109; and Peters, Musical Sounds, 218–27. Dobozy, Re-Membering, Chapter 2 (‘Minstrels as Pariah’), gives a full and carefully considered assessment, mainly concerning minstrels in Germany.
© 2023, Boydell and Brewer

10The regulation and protection of minstrelsIt has been a common view that itinerant minstrels were at the lowest level of society, reviled as immoral and criminal, cast out by the Church and severely cir-cumscribed by the secular and civic authorities. Writers on minstrelsy in Germany, England and France have held this view, citing examples from various places throughout the late Middle Ages to show minstrels committing crimes, supporting immorality, and being excluded and punished by ecclesiastical and secular author-ity. As John Southworth expressed it,1It is not just that the [social] status of the minstrel was low; for very many of his contemporaries, he was altogether beyond the pale of social acceptance. ... Not only was he excluded ... from the normal web of ties and responsibilities that constituted medieval society, but even his membership of the universal church, the fellowship of baptised Christians, was at one time in serious dispute.This is a view that I have accepted in the past, but is it really justified? Does enough evidence exist to demonstrate the case for itinerant minstrels being abhorred as ‘beyond the pale’? On further reflection, perhaps not.The Church was certainly suspicious of those who performed music that resulted in sensual enjoyment and might encourage illicit sexual behaviour and other immo-rality. It is hardly surprising that the Church as an institution should play safe by taking a conservative view, recognising the potential dangers to the Christian soul and acting accordingly. Civic authorities, too, were wary of an itinerant trade that could cause disturbance of various kinds, such as loud noises at night, drunken brawls in ale houses, and enjoyable distraction while pickpockets and other thieves were at work. But there is also much to be said on the other side. As noted in Chapter 5, individual clerics were more practical in their approach to minstrelsy, enjoying the entertainment of minstrels on appropriate occasions and extending to them the hospitality that was part of the Church’s charitable obligation. The heads of secular households took the same course; and towns saw no harm in minstrelsy per se, only a need to exercise crime prevention and administer punishment when necessary.Nor is there a case for saying that minstrels were particularly guilty of crime and immorality. Commentators have tended to offer a few cases, usually from a wide range of places and dates, but the evidence against minstrels is notable less for its 1 Southworth, English Medieval Minstrel, 4–5. See, for example, Chambers, Medieval Stage,II, 262–3; Woodfill, Musicians, 109; and Peters, Musical Sounds, 218–27. Dobozy, Re-Membering, Chapter 2 (‘Minstrels as Pariah’), gives a full and carefully considered assessment, mainly concerning minstrels in Germany.
© 2023, Boydell and Brewer

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. List of illustrations x
  4. List of music examples xiii
  5. List of abbreviations xiv
  6. A note on references xvi
  7. A note on money xvii
  8. A note on dates xix
  9. Preface xxii
  10. Acknowledgments xxix
  11. Part I. Minstrels and Minstrelsy in the Elite Households
  12. Introduction to Part I 1
  13. 1 The royal households and their minstrels 3
  14. 2 The life of a royal minstrel 14
  15. 3 Recruitment, training and retirement 49
  16. 4 Minstrelsy at Court 73
  17. 5 Minstrelsy in noble and ecclesiastical households 99
  18. Part II. Urban Minstrelsy
  19. Introduction to Part II 128
  20. 6 Minstrelsy in the towns 129
  21. 7 Civic minstrels 146
  22. Part III. On the Road
  23. Introduction to Part III 164
  24. 8 Minstrels on the road 167
  25. 9 Minstrel itineraries 183
  26. 10 The regulation and protection of minstrels 198
  27. Part IV. Minstrel Performance
  28. Introduction to Part IV 228
  29. 11 The enigma of the minstrels’ songs 235
  30. 12 Professional recitation before the fourteenth century 269
  31. 13 Minstrels and heralds and chivalric fame 291
  32. 14 Instruments and performers 315
  33. 15 The instrumental repertory in England 362
  34. Envoi 395
  35. Bibliography 399
  36. Index 427
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9781800109353-021

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. List of illustrations x
  4. List of music examples xiii
  5. List of abbreviations xiv
  6. A note on references xvi
  7. A note on money xvii
  8. A note on dates xix
  9. Preface xxii
  10. Acknowledgments xxix
  11. Part I. Minstrels and Minstrelsy in the Elite Households
  12. Introduction to Part I 1
  13. 1 The royal households and their minstrels 3
  14. 2 The life of a royal minstrel 14
  15. 3 Recruitment, training and retirement 49
  16. 4 Minstrelsy at Court 73
  17. 5 Minstrelsy in noble and ecclesiastical households 99
  18. Part II. Urban Minstrelsy
  19. Introduction to Part II 128
  20. 6 Minstrelsy in the towns 129
  21. 7 Civic minstrels 146
  22. Part III. On the Road
  23. Introduction to Part III 164
  24. 8 Minstrels on the road 167
  25. 9 Minstrel itineraries 183
  26. 10 The regulation and protection of minstrels 198
  27. Part IV. Minstrel Performance
  28. Introduction to Part IV 228
  29. 11 The enigma of the minstrels’ songs 235
  30. 12 Professional recitation before the fourteenth century 269
  31. 13 Minstrels and heralds and chivalric fame 291
  32. 14 Instruments and performers 315
  33. 15 The instrumental repertory in England 362
  34. Envoi 395
  35. Bibliography 399
  36. Index 427
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