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Medieval Pets
Animals in the middle ages have often been discussed - but usually only as a source of food, as beasts of burden, or as aids for hunters. This book takes a completely different angle, showing that they were also beloved domestic companions to their human owners, whether they were dogs, cats, monkeys, squirrels, and parrots. It offers a full survey of pets and pet-keeping: from how they were acquired, kept, fed, exercised, and displayed, to the problems they could cause. It also examines the representation of pets and their owners in art and literature; the many charming illustrations offer further evidence for the bonds between humans and their pets, then as now. A wide range of sources, including chronicles, letters, sermons and poems, are used in what is both an authoritative and entertaining account. Dr Kathleen Walker-Meikle is a Wellcome Trust Fellow at the University of York, working on animals and medieval medicine.
179 pages, Hardcover
First published October 18, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 25, 2019
Animals kept as pets for the mere extension of the owner’s leisure and companionship seem like a convention of the modern times but that hypothesis is proved to be a falsehood by centuries and centuries of historical proof. Pets (mostly canines, felines, squirrels, birds and monkeys); played a large role in the medieval era and said a lot of the owner’s role in society and culture. Kathleen Walker-Meikle explores pets during this time period in, “Medieval Pets”.
“Medieval Pets” serves as a combination academic history study of pets, a sociological and cultural survey, and a philosophical and literary breakdown in an accessible and narrative angle. This approach from Walker-Meikle means an attempt to fit an abundance of information into a small space but successfully confines it in a cohesive and structured manner.
Walker-Meikle introduces the general topic of pets during the medieval age before focusing on the ways to acquire a pet, feed them, and provide exercise, living arrangements, and pets in art and literature. Not only is the content in “Medieval Pets” intriguing and holds value on its own accord but it truly emphasizes all its points and theories helping to re-circuit the subject in a reader’s mind.
“Medieval Pets” excels at not just simply offering a historical account but also analyzing and interpreting the roles of pets in historical sources. The handicaps with this direction are the multiple liberties taken by Walker-Meikle and use of speculation and biases that may or may not be true and is more of a theory offering than solid facts.
A weak and noticeable element within “Medieval Pets” are chunks of repetitive text that don’t necessary steal from the credibility of “Medieval Pets” but beg for a more watchful eye of an editor to provide ample cleanup. Offering further difficulty is Walker-Meikle’s habit of including block quotes from medieval documents and transcripts on Old English without procuring translations. This causes confusion with readers resulting in these additions feeling almost pointless.
There are several instances in “Medieval Pets” where Walker-Meikle’s writing is comparable to that of a college student whom drags out passages to hit a certain word count and/or sound academic. This is yet another time when an editor should have cleaned house in a bit more diligently.
Even considering these flaws, “Medieval Pets” excites until the final pages where Walker-Meikle advantageously concludes with a summary and recap of the overall text content and theories. This hammers home the information, making it memorable and ‘sticky’ for readers.
Walker-Meikle has a two-pronged strength with “Medieval Pets” by keeping a well-paced heartbeat and tone that attracts general history-lovers/readers while also enabling the text to be used as a concrete research source by contemporaries; making “Medieval Pets” rich in merit.
Walker-Meikle dusts “Medieval Pets” with images and illustrations (black-and-white) throughout while also including a section of color photo plates at the termination of the pages. Also included: annotated notes and an intensive bibliography list, solidifying the extent of Walker-Meikle’s research and exploration on the subject.
“Medieval Pets” is a unique survey into the existence and roles played by pets during the medieval period plus their appearances in various art mediums. Although not perfect’ “Medieval Pets” is an innovative piece, easy-to-read, truly informative, and will spark the minds of all readers interested in the period or the social history of domesticated pets.
“Medieval Pets” serves as a combination academic history study of pets, a sociological and cultural survey, and a philosophical and literary breakdown in an accessible and narrative angle. This approach from Walker-Meikle means an attempt to fit an abundance of information into a small space but successfully confines it in a cohesive and structured manner.
Walker-Meikle introduces the general topic of pets during the medieval age before focusing on the ways to acquire a pet, feed them, and provide exercise, living arrangements, and pets in art and literature. Not only is the content in “Medieval Pets” intriguing and holds value on its own accord but it truly emphasizes all its points and theories helping to re-circuit the subject in a reader’s mind.
“Medieval Pets” excels at not just simply offering a historical account but also analyzing and interpreting the roles of pets in historical sources. The handicaps with this direction are the multiple liberties taken by Walker-Meikle and use of speculation and biases that may or may not be true and is more of a theory offering than solid facts.
A weak and noticeable element within “Medieval Pets” are chunks of repetitive text that don’t necessary steal from the credibility of “Medieval Pets” but beg for a more watchful eye of an editor to provide ample cleanup. Offering further difficulty is Walker-Meikle’s habit of including block quotes from medieval documents and transcripts on Old English without procuring translations. This causes confusion with readers resulting in these additions feeling almost pointless.
There are several instances in “Medieval Pets” where Walker-Meikle’s writing is comparable to that of a college student whom drags out passages to hit a certain word count and/or sound academic. This is yet another time when an editor should have cleaned house in a bit more diligently.
Even considering these flaws, “Medieval Pets” excites until the final pages where Walker-Meikle advantageously concludes with a summary and recap of the overall text content and theories. This hammers home the information, making it memorable and ‘sticky’ for readers.
Walker-Meikle has a two-pronged strength with “Medieval Pets” by keeping a well-paced heartbeat and tone that attracts general history-lovers/readers while also enabling the text to be used as a concrete research source by contemporaries; making “Medieval Pets” rich in merit.
Walker-Meikle dusts “Medieval Pets” with images and illustrations (black-and-white) throughout while also including a section of color photo plates at the termination of the pages. Also included: annotated notes and an intensive bibliography list, solidifying the extent of Walker-Meikle’s research and exploration on the subject.
“Medieval Pets” is a unique survey into the existence and roles played by pets during the medieval period plus their appearances in various art mediums. Although not perfect’ “Medieval Pets” is an innovative piece, easy-to-read, truly informative, and will spark the minds of all readers interested in the period or the social history of domesticated pets.
April 4, 2022
Interesting read
August 10, 2023
Auf dieses Buch wurde ich in einem Artikel gemacht, in welchem es um genau dieses Thema ging: Haustiere im Mittelalter. Immer wieder bezog sich die schreibende Person auf dieses Werk und empfahl es auch eindringlich. Wurde damit meine Neugierde geweckt? Wie ihr seht, lautet die Antwort "Ja".
Der eigentliche Text umfasst ca. 110 Seiten, doch während des Lesens wird rasch klar, wie viel Arbeit die Autorin in dieses Buch gesteckt hat. Alle Quellen sind angegeben, oftmals ausgeführt, und diese zeigen auch auf, wo Walker-Meikle überall geforscht hat.
Somit ergibt sich ein stimmiges Bild der damaligen Haustierhaltung, die sich grundsätzlich nicht sonderlich von der heutigen unterscheidet. Auch wenn wir unseren Hunden und Katzen unterdessen angemesseneres Futter bieten als Haferflocken.
Walker-Meikle zeigt uns, was ein Haustier von einem Nutztier unterschied, welche Stellung ein Schosshündchen einnahm oder dass Katzen sich schon damals gerne auf die Arbeitsfläche der Menschen gesetzt haben. Auch der Umgang mit Tod und Trauer wird beschrieben.
Aufgrund der überlebten Dokumente müssen wir uns auf die gehobenen Stände und spezifische Tierarten fokussieren, was aber dem lebendigen Bild, das hier entspringt, keinen Abbruch tut. Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass dieses spezielle Thema derart faszinierend sein kann. Die Autorin schafft es auch, ihre Leidenschaft und ihr Interesse auf die lesende Person zu übertragen.
Deshalb schaue ich gleich mal nach, worüber Kathleen Walker-Meikle sonst noch geschrieben hat.
Der eigentliche Text umfasst ca. 110 Seiten, doch während des Lesens wird rasch klar, wie viel Arbeit die Autorin in dieses Buch gesteckt hat. Alle Quellen sind angegeben, oftmals ausgeführt, und diese zeigen auch auf, wo Walker-Meikle überall geforscht hat.
Somit ergibt sich ein stimmiges Bild der damaligen Haustierhaltung, die sich grundsätzlich nicht sonderlich von der heutigen unterscheidet. Auch wenn wir unseren Hunden und Katzen unterdessen angemesseneres Futter bieten als Haferflocken.
Walker-Meikle zeigt uns, was ein Haustier von einem Nutztier unterschied, welche Stellung ein Schosshündchen einnahm oder dass Katzen sich schon damals gerne auf die Arbeitsfläche der Menschen gesetzt haben. Auch der Umgang mit Tod und Trauer wird beschrieben.
Aufgrund der überlebten Dokumente müssen wir uns auf die gehobenen Stände und spezifische Tierarten fokussieren, was aber dem lebendigen Bild, das hier entspringt, keinen Abbruch tut. Ich hätte nicht gedacht, dass dieses spezielle Thema derart faszinierend sein kann. Die Autorin schafft es auch, ihre Leidenschaft und ihr Interesse auf die lesende Person zu übertragen.
Deshalb schaue ich gleich mal nach, worüber Kathleen Walker-Meikle sonst noch geschrieben hat.
January 21, 2021
Medieval Pets by Kathleen Walker-Meikle
Read September-October 2020
Reviewed September 25, 2020
Medieval Pets by Kathleen Walker-Meikle covers almost every aspect of pets in the Middle Ages, from giving and receiving them as gifts, breeding them, their treatment after death…and just about everything in between. It’s a short read, the main part of the book running 110 pages, with another 70 pages of end notes, bibliography, and index.
During this period, animals kept as companion pets (the focus of this book) included lapdogs, caged birds, and monkeys, although other small animals such as badgers, ferrets, weasels, monkeys, doves and miniature donkeys were also known to be kept as pets by members of the nobility. You can usually tell a pet in a Medieval drawing as being the animal wearing a collar.
Expensive exotica such as parrots and the giving them as a gift reflected the high status of both giver and receiver. Elizabeth of York, for example, received a parrot from a William ap Howell in 1502.
During the Middle Ages, the treatment of pets as “spoiled equals” (in particular lapdogs) was looked down upon by some. Such extravagance was considered “a distraction from one’s duties and obligations, in particular charity to the poor.”
John Bromyard, an influential English Dominican friar and prolific compiler of preaching aids, regarded lapdogs as “useless over-fed sycophantic accessories of the rich” and lumped them in the same category as histriones (actors) and prostitutes in that they received fine food and presents on demand, while the poor went hungry.
Pet names could be either generic (applying to the entire species) or individual. Examples of generic names for birds in English included Mag for pies, Robin for redbreasts, and Phillip for sparrows.
Names for dogs were as varied then as they are now. Some names were derived from physical attributes, such as Sturdy or Whitefoot, or for their breed, like Terri for a terrier. While others were given personal names, like Jakke or Bo.
Medieval cats were for the most part held in low value. Some were pets, but mostly they were kept around as mousers.
Around the beginning of the 14th century, however, cats imported from Syria were held in much higher esteem. Most European cats until this time were gray with stripes; the Syrian cats were often brown with black stripes, were praised as expensive exotica, and were often referred to as “Tabby-catts”.
This is an interesting and well written book about a subject not often discussed in the history books. A solid 4-star rating!
Read September-October 2020
Reviewed September 25, 2020
Medieval Pets by Kathleen Walker-Meikle covers almost every aspect of pets in the Middle Ages, from giving and receiving them as gifts, breeding them, their treatment after death…and just about everything in between. It’s a short read, the main part of the book running 110 pages, with another 70 pages of end notes, bibliography, and index.
During this period, animals kept as companion pets (the focus of this book) included lapdogs, caged birds, and monkeys, although other small animals such as badgers, ferrets, weasels, monkeys, doves and miniature donkeys were also known to be kept as pets by members of the nobility. You can usually tell a pet in a Medieval drawing as being the animal wearing a collar.
Expensive exotica such as parrots and the giving them as a gift reflected the high status of both giver and receiver. Elizabeth of York, for example, received a parrot from a William ap Howell in 1502.
During the Middle Ages, the treatment of pets as “spoiled equals” (in particular lapdogs) was looked down upon by some. Such extravagance was considered “a distraction from one’s duties and obligations, in particular charity to the poor.”
John Bromyard, an influential English Dominican friar and prolific compiler of preaching aids, regarded lapdogs as “useless over-fed sycophantic accessories of the rich” and lumped them in the same category as histriones (actors) and prostitutes in that they received fine food and presents on demand, while the poor went hungry.
Pet names could be either generic (applying to the entire species) or individual. Examples of generic names for birds in English included Mag for pies, Robin for redbreasts, and Phillip for sparrows.
Names for dogs were as varied then as they are now. Some names were derived from physical attributes, such as Sturdy or Whitefoot, or for their breed, like Terri for a terrier. While others were given personal names, like Jakke or Bo.
Medieval cats were for the most part held in low value. Some were pets, but mostly they were kept around as mousers.
Around the beginning of the 14th century, however, cats imported from Syria were held in much higher esteem. Most European cats until this time were gray with stripes; the Syrian cats were often brown with black stripes, were praised as expensive exotica, and were often referred to as “Tabby-catts”.
This is an interesting and well written book about a subject not often discussed in the history books. A solid 4-star rating!
February 13, 2022
I always think interesting when people have a passion in finding and explore a overlooked subject like "pets in Medieval times",so I can only admire the work and time of the academic in writing and producing this work. Because I"m a person who curious about everything in this world . A fine read.
August 5, 2025
Quite an enjoyable book about medieval pets. I have another book of Kathleen Walker-Meikle on a reading list from my main library and I'm looking forward to reading that one.
November 22, 2016
Medieval pets is such a narrow and obscure topic that if you've any interest in it chances are you'll read this book sooner or later. You'll learn that pet keeping in the middle ages bore many similarities to pet keeping today - dogs were valued for their loyalty, cats for their ability to catch vermin - but also had certain striking differences, such as monkeys being a relatively common pet for those who could afford to import one - particularly among clergy. The socioeconomic aspect of pet keeping is perhaps the most interesting one; much more so than today keeping a pet was an indication of wealth and feeding an animal that served no purpose was controversial in a time when large parts of the population struggled to feed themselves.
I feel like I'm repeating myself when it comes to these scholarly works, but as per usual it's a highly informative but almost entirely lacking in verve. The title is also slightly misleading as the book is heavily weighted towards the later middle ages and even uses many examples from the 16th century. I'm guessing this reflects the nature of the source material, as the author displays a preference for pictorial sources. I'm confident however that it's possible to write a similar book focusing on the early and high middle ages, though one would need to go through vast amounts of primary source material to find the odd mention of pet keeping.
I feel like I'm repeating myself when it comes to these scholarly works, but as per usual it's a highly informative but almost entirely lacking in verve. The title is also slightly misleading as the book is heavily weighted towards the later middle ages and even uses many examples from the 16th century. I'm guessing this reflects the nature of the source material, as the author displays a preference for pictorial sources. I'm confident however that it's possible to write a similar book focusing on the early and high middle ages, though one would need to go through vast amounts of primary source material to find the odd mention of pet keeping.
February 25, 2013
Drawing primarily upon later medieval documentary sources and visual representations, Walker-Meikle demonstrates that the keeping of companion animals (as we learn there was no medieval equivalent for the word ‘pet’) was commonplace amongst certain groups – elite secular women, ecclesiastics, and scholars. The first part of the book charts how these animals were acquired, their welfare, the expenses that were lavished upon them, and the spaces they occupied. This section is copiously illustrated with captivating anecdotes which highlight the sentimentality felt towards animals. The second half of the book explores in more depth two evidential strands which cast light upon medieval pet keeping practice: iconography and literature.
Despite the lack of a detailed critical appraisal of some of the sources (which also only reflect upon the upper classes of medieval society), the book brings into focus the entangled relationships between certain groups of people and certain animals in medieval Europe and emphasises how they were bound up in the construction of human social identities, often as manifestations of social status.
Despite the lack of a detailed critical appraisal of some of the sources (which also only reflect upon the upper classes of medieval society), the book brings into focus the entangled relationships between certain groups of people and certain animals in medieval Europe and emphasises how they were bound up in the construction of human social identities, often as manifestations of social status.
January 19, 2013
As Walker-Meikle says, the modern idea and word of "pet" didn't exist in the medieval period - but it's where we see the concept being shaped into what we work with today, and she does a great job of demonstrating as much. Lots of fascinating data, anecdotes, and synthesis for pet-lovers/casual scholars, though I would hesitate to recommend this to the average lay-person; quotes in Middle English are not translated. Also, I am not really versed in what sources are considered reliable in medieval scholarship; some anecdotes seemed to be related as fact even though they read as pretty implausible to me (e.g. the long-time dog of a deposed king leaving him to lavish loyalty upon the usurper and therefore acknowledge legitimacy), but maybe someone with more experience in this field would know how to interpret the use of such sources.
still an easy read - half of the book is extensive notes & bibliography - and an entertaining one, hence four instead of three stars.
still an easy read - half of the book is extensive notes & bibliography - and an entertaining one, hence four instead of three stars.
January 15, 2014
Provides a great overview of the perception of pets (specifically indoor animals which excludes hunting dogs, for example) during the medieval and some of the early modern period. Lots of good examples, ranging from acquisition, breeding, care of, and death of pets. Seemingly well-researched, drawing from manuscripts, printed books, and other textiles like effigies, illuminations, seals, etc. Cat lovers might be disappointed by the lack of attention, but it seems that cats held a slightly more utilitarian role in households as mousers, rather than just as pampered pets. The book does remind us of how little we have changed as people in the intervening years, at least regarding how we treat our pets.
August 28, 2024
Medieval Pets provides a useful summary of the role, treatment, and types of pets in the Middle Ages in Europe. Kathleen Walker-Meikle (historian, Science Museum Group) provides a sometimes superficial but nonetheless interesting look at how pets functioned within religious, social, and symbolic contexts.
April 25, 2013
A charming little monograph about medieval pets. And, I suppose, medieval people's need for love from their pets.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews