A Pilgrimage from London to Canterbury

You will soon be embarking on a journey from Chaucer’s London to the Cathedral at Canterbury. Before you leave, however, you must first learn a bit about the English towns of the Medieval period. Your first stop is designed to give you general information about town and city life in the Middle Ages.
Go to the following link to begin your journey.
http://www.britainexpress.com/History/Townlife.htm

Use the link to answer the following questions.

1. What new social class emerged during this time?
2. Who controlled the trade?
3. How long was a typical apprenticeship?
4. Explain one condition under which a serf could become a free man.
5. How were the streets built?
6. In London, where are the original Roman streets?
7. What animals did many people keep, and why was this a problem?
8. What was the punishment for a thief?
9. Under what conditions could a fugitive receive sanctuary?
10. What was the curfew, and what were the actual implications?
11. Describe the market and the people who went there.

Now, find out specific information about London at the following link.

http://www.britainexpress.com/London/medieval-london.htm

1. Where and when was William the Conqueror crowned?
2. What great edifice did William build as the first royal residence?
3. What and where was the second great historical building he had constructed?
4. What was the population of London in the early 12th century, and how did that compare with Roman London?
5. When was the first stone London Bridge built?
6. Why was a law passed in the 13th century requiring that all houses have slate roofs?
7. What was the source for many street names?
8. What happened to the Fleet River?

Next, go to the following site to see a map of London around Chaucer’s time.

http://vrcoll.fa.pitt.edu/medart/image/England/london/General/mainlondon.html

Note the relative size of the city. Note the historical buildings. Feel free to look at any of the links on the map as you have time, but our focus here will be on the Tower of London.
Before you click on the Tower link, locate the Tabard Inn.
Where is it?
Click on the Tower of London link.
1. Who built the White Tower and when?
2. Which parts of the Tower complex were under construction during Chaucer’s time?
3. Estimate about what percentage of the Tower complex had been completed by the time Chaucer died.


Now, for some actual pictures. You will be seeing buildings that were around during Chaucer’s time OVER SIX HUNDRED YEARS AGO!!!!!!.
These buildings have some significance to Chaucer’s life.
Look at them and be amazed!!
Link to site below: (Note: this is an archived site, so some graphics may not display)

http://web.archive.org/web/20040202103520/http://www.umkc.edu/lib/engelond/visual.htm

Explore Chaucer’s world and answer the questions below. Note: the site originally had more graphics, so you may not be able to answer all questions.

1. Where is Bootham Bar, and why is a picture of it included on our tour?
2. Estimate the width of the street in the Shambles.
3. What was the specific location of Chaucer’s childhood home? Did it survive into the 20th century?
4. Near what famous landmark did the Tabard Inn stand?
5. When was the George Inn built?
6. Look at all of the images of Westminster Abbey. What is an abbey?
7. What was the Chapter House, and what part of it remains from Chaucer’s time?
8. Where is Chaucer’s tomb? Where was it originally?
9. Look at Westminster Hall. What was Chaucer paid as a clerk?
10. What important building project did he oversee?
11. Who built the Temple Church and when? Look at the larger image of it.
12. What was the model for Chaucer’s Knight? How large does the statue seem to be?
13. What London landmark would Chaucer have passed going to and from work?

Now, on to your destination. As you look at the images, try to imagine how old they are. Try to imagine standing in the cathedral. Awesome!!!

The Canterbury Cathedral
http://www.loyno.edu/~letchie/becket/tour/default.htm (This appears to be a dead link; use the archived site below. Some graphics are missing, but many are present, and the text is intact.)

http://web.archive.org/web/20021217004814/www.loyno.edu/~letchie/becket/tour/tour.htm


1. Where is Becket’s tomb?
2. Which kings have made the pilgrimage and why?
3. Click on “Start Tour” and go through the stops one-by-one.
4. When was the church founded?
5. When were the nave, the quire, and the eastern end built?
6. During the Middle Ages, where would pilgrims have entered the cathedral?
7. Whoa, this is BIG! How many bays are in the nave?
8. Specifically, where was Becket murdered?
9. What is the significance of the white pavement?
10. Who designed the quire?
11. Was the Bell Harry Tower around in Chaucer’s time?
12. Specifically, where was Becket’s shrine during Chaucer’s time? Why isn’t it there anymore?
13. What is depicted in the windows?
14. Why were there holes in the outer covering of the shrine?
15. What other shrine lies near the site of Becket’s shrine? Did this exist in Chaucer’s time?
16. Where is the Water Tower?
17. Describe the Monks’ Infirmary.
18. What artifact depicts Becket’s murder?

more pics of the cathedral

http://www.unc.edu/depts/chaucer/zatta/canterbury.html

http://www.wsu.edu/~hanly/chaucer/canterbury.html

http://www.faculty.de.gcsu.edu/~dvess/ids/medieval/canterbury/canterbury.shtml

http://www.request.org.uk/main/churches/tours/canterbury/tour.htm

http://www.clicksandclicks.co.uk/cant-cathedral-tour.htm

http://www.kentresources.co.uk/cc.htm

http://www.hillside.co.uk/arch/cathedral/nave.html

http://www.archaeology.co.uk/the-timeline-of-britain/canterbury-cathedral.htm
Thanks to Ms. Thornhill for putting together this guide.