1. Medieval Falconry Written by Niko Gupta March 2010

2. Where did falconers live and what did they wear? In or near the mews Leather gloves Green tunic/trousers

3. What was their place in society and what did they do in their free time? Penhebogydd was 4 th down from the king They played games, talked, took walks, and sold meat/accessories.

4. What birds did they use and where did they get them? Hawks Goshawk Sparrow hawk Best time to catch the birds was right after they learned to fly and left the nest Falcons Peregrine Gyrfalcon Saker Lanner Merlin Hobby Best hawks/falcons came from Scandinavia

5. How were the Hawks/Falcons trained? Trained to return, they already knew how to kill Raised with special hunting dogs Falconer sewed the eyes closed Put the bird in a tree and lured it back. Eventually it always came back.

6. What tools and special equipment did falconers use? Lures - to lure back the birds. Leather gloves - worn by falconers Leg straps - went on the bird’s legs Tough leather strips - went on the leg straps Hoods - worn by the birds Soft leather thong – went over the bird’s body

7. What were the jobs and duties of medieval falconers?  Main job was caring for their birds and other’s birds  Higher ranking falconers watched over the townspeople  Captured, trained, then sold falcons/hawks  Made falconry accessories and then sold them  In the morning they went hunting, then sold the meat in their free time  The position was almost always handed down from father to son Qualities needed – good eyes/ears, even temper, early riser

8. Cool facts Best time to hunt was early in the morning Falconers were a key part to hunts Went to war alongside their lord True falcons were restricted for the noble(longer wings)were falcons of lure/tower Falconry was expensive The bigger the bird, the more expensive its care was Less wealthy got falcons with shorter wings that were less effective at hunting

9. Conclusion So in conclusion, falconry in the middle ages was very popular, and was not only for the wealthy. Nearly everybody had a falcon. The way falcons and hawks were trained and how their life was intertwined with humans is very interesting.

10. Bibliography  Hartman, Gertrude. Medieval Days and Ways. New York: Macmillan, 1961. Print.  Wikipedia. Web. 9 Mar. 2010. <wikipedia  Bellerby, Rachel. "Hawking in Medieval Times." Web. 9 Mar. 2010..  Wikianswers. Web. 9-12 Mar. 2010..  "Average Day of a Falconer." Web. 11 Mar. 2010..  "Falconry in the Middle Ages." Web. 11 Mar. 2010..  "Glossary of Falcon Terms." Web. 12 Mar. 2010..  Saker Falcon (Falco Cherrug)- "Kali" Photograph.  Mews and Weathering Photos. 2007. Photograph.  Hooded Falcon. 2007. Photograph.  Larson, Lesli. Photograph.  Eaton, Emily. 2006. Photograph.  Greenwood, Colin. Sparrowhawk. Photograph.  Backgammon. 1300. Photograph.  Male Peregrine / Saker Falcon Just Missed the Lure Falconry Centre Hagley. Photograph.  The Falcon. Photograph.  Gyrfalcon. 2009. Photograph.  Saker Falcon. Photograph.  Faster than a Speeding Bullet - The Lanner Falcon. 2006. Photograph.