English Medieval Carpentry & Digital Archaeology

A = a typical northern or western ‘Cruck’ framed house

B = a typical southern or eastern ‘Wealden box frame’ house

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The origin of the medieval ‘open hall’ is thought to be an evolution of the Anglo-Saxon (AD 410 to 1066) aisled hall and lasted, unchanged, until the end of the medieval period (c1530) (Rippon et al. 2006, 35; Quiney 1999, 27-8; Smith 1955, 76). The hall (aula) was the communal area, within which people met, ate and socialised whilst maintaining a strong social hierarchy, and “was the original centre from which the house developed” (Thompson 1936, 3). Both, Anthony Quiney and A. Hamilton Thompson suggest, this assumption is largely based on historical and literary documental evidence, such as Bede (672-735), Beowulf (c. 8thC) and, later, Chaucer (1343-1400) (Quiney 1999, 27; Thompson 1936, 3-4). Quiney shows this is also evident in the archaeological record; suggesting that higher social groups were using halls from the early Saxon period onward (6thC) and lower levels, from just before the Norman conquest (11thC) (Quiney 1999, 29). This indicates the importance of the hall, in serving as a social space for people to interact and find their identity, within their ‘sociosphere’ (Lawn 2004, 4; Leech 2000, 1). However, it is not until the early 13th century that the true ‘open hall’ (Figure 50) emerges, from the aisled halls (Figure 49) of the late 12th century (Wood 1994, 49-50), and the fully timber-framed method of construction begins (Walker 1999, 21-6)

The open hall was a hugely important aspect of late medieval society, forming the central space within a house where social interactions took place around an open fire (Johnson 1993, 55-8; Quiney 1999, 28). The open hall transcended the class divide, being the focus of the majority of houses, from the landed gentry to the landless peasant, and dominated plan forms, from the Saxon period through to the early 16th century (Roberts 2003, 126). Despite the fact that the hall was ubiquitous it did vary regionally – due to “uneven socio-economic development” – although its underlying meanings were always rooted within the overall structure (Harris 1978, 31). The hall was also present in all forms of construction, be it box-frame (Figure 51), base-cruck or cruck (Figure 52) and, although plan forms varied regionally, the hall was always a constant (Harris 1978, 31; Lewis et al. 1988, 17).

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