[TheForge] historcial blacksmith status in the community

[terry l. ridder]

hello;

given what i have been reading and from the numerous examples of highly
detailed iron work throughout the UK and Europe, what was the status of
the blacksmith in the community.

we may infer that the blacksmith had to be able to read and write which
set him apart from most of the local community. the serfs and feudal
tenants on the nobels lands were probably not able to read nor write.

we may also info that the blacksmith had to be knowledgable in math and
geometry. we may be pushing it a bit to infer that the blacksmith had a
working knowledge of trigonometry.

given this knowledge what was the social status of the blacksmith in the
local community? the nobels may have had a love/hate relationship with
the blacksmith. they needed the blacksmith to make new weapons, armor
and to maintain the old weapons and armor. they did not like the fact
that he could read and write. that would appear to be a threat to the
nobels.

given the blacksmith's relationship with the nobels, the peasants
probably did not like the blacksmith very much.

so where did the blacksmith fit in the social status of the local
community?

what do we know of the historical blacksmith's social status?

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>