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Blacksmithed Items from Prudhoe Castle

 

So what did a blacksmith in a castle do? We generally have this image of him making swords. Well, I guess that is true. But the real role of a blacksmith was very wide ranging. Artifacts found at Prudhoe Castle show us some of the things that a blacksmith actually did in the Middle Ages.

 

One of the best aspects of blacksmithed items from the past is that they did have a certain amount of longevity. I mean that some of the stuff did manage to survive for hundreds of years.

Of course Iron will eventually rust to nothing. And any iron objects were subject to being re-forged and repurposed at any point in the past. So, there is only a limited amount of stuff that is found.

Want to learn more about Prudhoe Castle? The official website is here: Prudhoe Castle

But what we do find in and around castles, and made by blacksmiths can tell us a lot. A lot about what a blacksmith did, what kinds of things he worked on. And these things can also tell us a lot about what went on in a castle. Here are some artifacts on display at Prudhoe Castle in the UK.

You can see here some of the daily tasks of a blacksmith. They include weapons, armor, items for horses and even security items and tools. The blacksmith had a lot of different things to do and it shows in these artifacts.

The castle has an astonishingly long history of use and inhabitance dating all the way back to the mid 11th century when it was originally a motte and bailey. So these artifacts have a large variation in time frame from when they were made and used.

Weapons and Armor

Weapons and armor - it was the central purpose of a fortified castle.

Here we see a series of wonderful items including arrowheads, chainmail, a singl riveted chainmail link. Stone and iron cannon balls and even knife chapes. Chapes are a metal triangular cap that goes over the point of a knife sheath.

 

Farrier Items

Another important part of a blacksmiths job was the care and fitting of horses.

Here we see a wide variety of horse related items including horseshoes and nail, buckles, bridle bits and more.

 

Security and Tools

Security and tools

These included keys, and tools like trowels and roofer hammers.

 

Prudhoe Castle

Want to learn more about Prudhoe Castle? I have an article with lots of pictures right here.

 

 

 

 


 

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