Meat was initially prohibited to all but the
sick, but from the fourteenth century concessions were made and
the General Chapter agreed
that this might be eaten occasionally in a special room, known
as the misericord,
and the meat cooked in a special kitchen. The misericord at
Fountains lay to the east of the claustral buildings, near to the
infirmary complex. Abbot
Darnton’s
late fifteenth-century misericord was originally
the infirmary toilet-block, which was converted to a small, comfortable
dining room. Stone benches were arranged around the walls, the
floor was tiled and the seven latrine shafts, which are still visible,
were blocked.(75)
Buried treasure
In the nineteenth century, the yard that lies between the infirmary
passage and the misericord was excavated. A thick deposit
of rubbish lay beneath the pile of coal here, which was the community’s
final supply of fuel, and concealed a wealth of fascinating objects
illustrative of daily monastic life in the later Middle Ages. Many
of these can now be seen in the visitors’ centre at Fountains
and include a silver spoon, ring and ornament in the shape of a
lion’s face; a brass ring, a copper can, and a sickle blade.
There were pieces of pottery ware that would have been used by
the abbot, but also more utilitarian pottery from the kitchen.
Perhaps the most interesting find was a pile of poultry, game and
meat bones (beef, mutton, pork and venison), as well as oyster,
mussel and cockle shells ‘as fresh and pearly as when they
left Bradley’s table.’ (76) These
offer a vivid insight to the monks’ dietary preferences in
the later Middle Ages.
