Abstract
ABSTRACTGendered interpretations are rare both within castle-studies and heritage discourses on medieval castles. Yet, castles hold potential to inform multi-vocal accounts of the medieval past and to inspire meaningful heritage interpretations to achieve greater societal impact. This article explores the role that gender currently plays in interpretations of medieval castles in Britain, supported by three case-studies written by heritage professionals. The enduring narrative of militarism at medieval castles sites is discussed, together with issues of authenticity in relation to the historical record, which is in itself biased and inherently gendered. Outcomes from a collaborative workshop highlight the need to address interpretative issues where gender is considered to equate to ‘making women visible’. Finally, we pose the question: What makes a ‘good gendered interpretation’ at a public heritage site?Abbreviations: CDI: Calendar of Documents Relating to Ireland 1171-1307 AD, ed H.S. Sweetman. 5 vols (London, 1867-73); TNA: The National Archives Kew, Richmond, United Kingdom
Highlights
This article explores the context of medieval castle-studies, gender, and related heritage discourse
This article explores the role that gender currently plays in interpretations of medieval castles in Britain, supported by three case-studies written by heritage professionals
The case-studies presented above emphasise that within the context of public heritage and interpretation of castles, gender is perceived as the visibility and authentic representation of women, as defined by historical sources
Summary
This article explores the context of medieval castle-studies, gender, and related heritage discourse. Case-study 1: rethinking gender at Scottish medieval castles by Stefan Sagrott Historic Environment Scotland cares for and manages 336 guardianship properties This includes conducting research, undertaking interpretation projects (panels, guidebooks and audioguides) as well as conservation and maintenance work across the sites. Interesting is the adherence to particular historical sources for use in site interpretation; usually they are descriptions of rare military action, favoured over the seemingly mundane but more plentiful household accounts (Mertes 1988), etiquette manuals (Philips 2005) and colourful manuscript imagery (Porter 2000) These restrictions further limit our potential to tell stories of the past that account for many different people who are not often represented in the historical narratives. We should experiment with multi-vocal biographies of objects in relation to castles, as noted above
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