Supported by the brawn and taxes of the peasants, the feudal
baron and his wife would seem to have had a comfortable life. In many
ways they did, despite the lack of creature comforts and refinements.
Around the 12th century, fortified manor dwellings began to give
way to stone castles. Some of these, with their great outer walls and
courtyard buildings, covered around 15 acres and were built for
defensive warfare. Even during the hot summer months, dampness clung to the stone rooms, and the lord and his entourage spent as much time as possible outdoors. At dawn, a watchman on top of the lookout tower
blasted out a note on his bugle to awaken everyone in the castle. After a small breakfast of bread and wine or beer, the nobles attended mass in the chapel at the castle. The lord then went about his business. He first may have heard the report of an estate manager (a manager of plot of land).
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