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Perhaps there are others out there that enjoy the Brother Cadfael series??
I just did a search and found many sites with information (and some cautions
that many modern views infiltrate from our century) here's one site with
interesting links:
http://wellscs.com/ann/reading/cadfael.htm
There is information about Monasticism in the middle ages, about the very
interesting authoress. You can even find a whole list of the Shrewsbury
villagers in all the books and how they are inter related. Also Cadfael's
knowledge of herbs gained while living 15 or so years as a Crusader then a
boat captain in the middle East can be related to the herbal carvings at
Rosslyn and perhaps knowledge brought back by a Sinclair from the Middle
East also.
What interested me in particular about Saturday night's episode was that
Cadfael decided he must look closer at the bones of a murder victim. So they
had to boil the body in vinegar to take off the flesh. One hoity toity monk
objected saying this process was only reserved for people of importance.
This got me thinking about the events concerning the death of Robert of
Bruce. His heart was taken by several knights (Sirs James Douglas, Robert
and Walter Logan, William St. Clair, William Keith, Alan Cathcart and
Seymour Loccar and one other unnamed knight plus 26 squires and gentlemen to
serve them) to Jerusalem but stopped off in Seville to help in a battle with
the Moors. During this time Douglas, The Logans and our William St. Clair
were killed.
This is from "Robert the Bruce King of Scots" by Ronald McNair Scott pg. 228
"The body of Douglas was brought to his cousin, Sir William Keith, who had
been prevented from taking part in the battle by a broken arm. After having
the BODY BOILED SO THAT THE FLESH PARTED FROM THE BONES, the flesh was
buried in holy ground and the bones placed on shipboard......the BONES of
Douglas were buried in the Kirk of Douglas.
So now from the Cadfael episode we see that this process was done for
important people whose bodies needed to be taken long distances for burial.
All four of these knights' bodies would have received this treatment, the
flesh buried in Spain and just the bones brought to Scotland for burial.
When there have been references to the bones of so and so person being
buried, I thought it was figurative but it was literal in some cases. "The
heart of Robert Bruce within its casket (small locket type worn around
Douglas' neck) was found still chained about the neck of Douglas and,
according to the tradition of the Cathcart family, was taken up by Sir Alan
Cathcart."
Laurel
Portland, OR
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