The following extract is from one such manual titled Stewardship ( Seneschaucie):
#MEDIEVAL CASTLES HOW TO#
The aristocracy of medieval England read handbooks on anything from table manners to falconry, and so there were, too, helpful guides on how to choose and manage one's castle staff, including the steward. The steward did not act as judge, a role fulfilled by a jury or body of suitors (local men of rank), but his presence gave weight to the final decision. The latter steward was usually a knight, and he oversaw the local court ( hallmote or halimote) which ensured that the law was applied in all local cases except serious crimes such as murder. Such was the importance of the role and the weight of a steward's duties that by the 13th century CE a large castle might have two of them, one for the internal affairs of the castle and one for its estates. The steward was also responsible for all financial and legal matters concerning the castle's estates. The domestic staff of a large castle could easily exceed 50 people, so the role was not an easy one. The lady of the castle was in charge of its daily management and supplies, but naturally, the mundane task of procurement, logistics, and staff management was usually in the hands of the castle steward or seneschal. Well-paid & sometimes given his own property near the castle, the steward kept a close record of the estate accounts.
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