Priest
An important man.
Come in, come in, I’m not going to eat you. You are exploring the castle, yes? Well, this is the chapel, obviously, and I am the chaplain.
What’s that? Well, I hold the religious services here in the chapel, and hear confession from the household ... and then I help the steward with the accounts and the paperwork. It’s hard work – every moment from morning to night is spent in work or prayer.
No, bless you, I’m not a monk, but you are right that this chapel belongs to the monastery over in Monkton. You see, monks cannot lead the religious services, so they send me, a priest...someone who has been ordained. A priest is an important man in the household, so I take my meals in the hall and I’m also paid.
I’m still very junior, mind you – but I think the steward has his eye on me. You see, I can read and write, and if you are clever like that, then the church is a good way to rise in society. We religious folk do a lot of important everyday work – copying books and keeping accounts. But a clever man can become steward or chamberlain of a castle, advisor to a lord, or hold an important position as a bishop, with his own estates. The bishop of St Davids has his own castles and palaces, and lives just like a lord.
Now run along, and don’t forget to be back for Vespers before nightfall!
What’s that? Well, I hold the religious services here in the chapel, and hear confession from the household ... and then I help the steward with the accounts and the paperwork. It’s hard work – every moment from morning to night is spent in work or prayer.
No, bless you, I’m not a monk, but you are right that this chapel belongs to the monastery over in Monkton. You see, monks cannot lead the religious services, so they send me, a priest...someone who has been ordained. A priest is an important man in the household, so I take my meals in the hall and I’m also paid.
I’m still very junior, mind you – but I think the steward has his eye on me. You see, I can read and write, and if you are clever like that, then the church is a good way to rise in society. We religious folk do a lot of important everyday work – copying books and keeping accounts. But a clever man can become steward or chamberlain of a castle, advisor to a lord, or hold an important position as a bishop, with his own estates. The bishop of St Davids has his own castles and palaces, and lives just like a lord.
Now run along, and don’t forget to be back for Vespers before nightfall!
More Pages...
- An important man.
- The Priest’s story – in detail