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"Peasant" Occupations - Farmer through Laundress
Farmer/Crofter:
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Difficulty: ®®
This is probably the second-easiest role to pull off after beggar with regard to props and research. With regard to actually performing the role, it is likely the easiest for people of all levels. Male or female, an easy role to carry off. Requires only the simplest of props: a farming implement, a basket of vegetables (no potatoes, tomatoes or corn, those are rare in the 16th century, being from the new world and all) of a bushel of grain on your hip or over your shoulder. Or you can always just tell anyone who will listen that you came to the faire looking for a farm hand, is that child available for hire?
Farrier:
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Props: (horses are expensive)
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Difficulty: ®®®®
Farriers were the folks who cared for horses and also did most of the shoeing and so forth. If you love horses and happen to have one, a Farrier is a good role for you, especially if your well-mannered (especially around kids) steed wants to come to faire with you. (YOU MUST GET PERMISSION FROM FAIRE TO DO THIS!!!!) If you don’t have a horse and still want to be a Farrier, a good gig would be searching for a lost horse, asking people if their horses need shoeing, asking if they know a horse in need of shoeing, etc.
Forester:
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Props: (mostly because you need a bow and they’re expensive)
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Difficulty: ®®
The expectation of the patron when they hear “Forester” is something akin to a Robin Hood type character. That is way outside of our time period, of course. The truth – at least for the 16th century – is probably a cross between a hunter and a sheriff. To carry off the role effectively is a delicate tightrope to walk between history and patron expectation. The forester worked for the local lord (and therefore might be cast as a household character by some faires) to husband the resources of the local forests, mainly keeping people from poaching or gathering more wood that they’d a right to. They also negotiated the sale of timber and some of the less honest foresters in the period reaped a neat profit on the sly.
Fisherman:
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Much like the roles of Shepherd and Farmer this is a nice easy role for a beginner or someone who does not want to spend too much money on props and costuming or sign on for a role that requires them to be especially outgoing. A fisherman mending a net would make a great on-the-green character and a good jumping off point for someone of a story-telling bent. Fish stories are easy enough to come up with off the cuff especially if you pepper them with a sufficient number of mermaids, sea monsters and mysterious islands.
Fishmonger:
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A fun role to be certain. More difficult than a fisherman for the same reason a Beggar role is more difficult than a Farmer role. Buy some fish filets, let them dry in the sun or oven until they are inedible, and a frightening sight. Doing it with whole fish is even better if you can stand making that kind of stink in your home. Put them on a stick and try to convince anyone who will listen that it is certainly fresh and caught just that morning. It’s a classic gig and never grows old and if anyone accuses you of lying about the age of the fish, blame the fisherman who sold it to you.
Fool:
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Props:
Costuming: """" (decent motley is harder than the average garb)
Difficulty: ®®®®®
There are two ways to go about this one. The village idiot is a great and inexpensive way to go about this role. Dress like anyone else and then fall off walls, don’t offend, just be a fool, eat hay, drool a little, you’re more crazy than stupid. Be outlandish. The Monty Python “Village Idiot Sketch” is a great research tool for this one.
The other way to go about this is to be a “proper” Fool which is rather on par with being an Actor. Tradition dictates that the Fool wears motley and ass’s ears on their hat, and bells wouldn’t be a bad idea, though you should avoid the bright shiny “Jingle Bell” variety if you can. At least rough ‘em up with sandpaper to take that shine off ‘em. Think “Jester” only without a noble patron to clothe you in fine motley. If you have to ask for gig ideas with this one, you shouldn’t be playing the role. Be outgoing, be outlandish, learn to juggle stuff.
Fuller:
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Props: (if you want to actually felt something)
Costuming: ""
Difficulty: ®®
Also called a “Walker” and the most probable root of that modern surname. Fullers turn wool cloth into felt by beating it (or walking on it) and soaking it in a mixture of water and “fuller’s earth” so that it becomes matted and shrinks, forming a more wind-resistant, warmer and altogether more useful variety of cloth. Fullers tended to go about barefoot more often than most, as their vocation caused the soles of their feet to become toughened and leathery. Go around demonstrating your wares to the patrons, craft felt is inexpensive enough that you can buy some if you’re not inclined to try your hand (or foot) at making your own. Walk up to people and tell them that when they shear their flock they should bring the wool to you for felting, because you’re the best in the shire. Don’t believe them when they tell you they don’t have any sheep, this is Scotland, everyone has sheep!
Gravedigger:
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Difficulty: ®®®®
Difficult because the “right” way to go about this is to be funny and outgoing and pleasantly macabre about it. You could even push around a cart looking for dead bodies to bury. Reference Monty Python and the Holy Grail for a fine example of how to make this kind of gig funny. But don’t do their gig, everyone will recognize it. Come up with your own material.
Groom:
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Not as in “Bride and…” but rather a member of a household staff who cared for the horses. Performed many of the same duties as a Farrier only they did not freelance their skills. Mostly they worked in the stables of the larger inns and manors, in the role of ye auld valet parking attendant. Another good role if you want to bring your (need I stress again well behaved especially around kids?) horse to faire with you. If you don’t have a horse handy, this is an excellent role for anyone who wants a good excuse to hang out at the front gate bugging people as they come in, insisting that they allow you to take care of their horses.
Herbalist/Healer:
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Similar in many respects to an Apothecary, but for the lower classes who could not afford a proper apothecary. Especially since herbal knowledge was passed from mother to daughter, the Herbalist was avoided by those who could afford to do so. After all, what right-thinking 16th century male would go to a woman for advice if they could pay twice as much to get the same (or worse) advice from a man? The herbalist role could be anything from walking the green selling potted and dried herbs to selling remedies for all ailments that might afflict the patrons. Suitably couched phraseology could insinuate the aphrodisiac properties of your potions without offending the patron (ye auld Viagra?) but the ingredients should be suitably alarming to keep them from purchasing anything from you (Powdered unicorn horn, owl eyeballs, the bollocks of a faithless man…)
Horner:
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They didn’t make trumpets, they worked with Horn, making cups, combs, lanterns, spoons and numerous other useful items. When cut thin enough, horn is transluscent, and was often used in lieu of more expensive glass for small windows or covering things to protect them. This is a demanding role if you really go all out and want to demonstrate your art-form. Purportedly, the learning curve is really steep on this, so if you don’t already know how, get ready to do some serious homework. It would be really neat to see, though, so if you’ve an inclination and a knack for such things, go for it.
Hunter / Poacher:
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Props: (that expensive bow again)
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Difficulty: ®®®®
The more interesting prospect here is to play the poacher. Outlaws always make the best characters. This would be especially entertaining if you organize running gigs with the Forester or Sheriff and Constables chasing you for poaching. A clever actor playing an outlaw would create wanted posters and have some youngsters run around the village putting them up. Add preposterous crimes to the list to see if anyone notices. “Wanted for Poaching, Philandering, and Washing his knickers in the baptismal font of the cathedral.” This kind of character could be buckets of fun.
Innkeeper / Publican / Hosteller:
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Props: (Does an inn count as a prop?)
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Difficulty: ®®®®®
This is perhaps another character best left alone. Many faires cast the Innkeeper or Publican for the tavern that they run. It is possible, since most of the people who want to work in the inn are wenches, that the faire would love to have some guy come in and be the henpecked figurehead of their inn. As such, it would fall outside the scope of our guild. If you don’t have an inn, what are you doing wandering around? What kind of Innkeeper abandons his post like that? Maybe your inn was burned down by a rival and you’re out for revenge… maybe this one should be left alone.
Laundress (Washer Woman):
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Most commonly called “Washer Women” by renaissance faires, this is sometimes a guild unto itself. The typical Washer Woman is sharp-tongued and quite the gossip. Quite often this gossip borders of the ribald, though the skillful gossip is like tabloid newspaper, they know how to say just enough to set your imagination spinning without ever coming right out and actually making a lewd accusation or comment. Great gigs can be started by wandering around with a half-full laundry basket offering to wash a gentleman’s shirt in an effort to get him out of it. Other benefits of this role is being up to your elbows (or deeper) in water on the hottest days of faire. A washerwoman is a woman of the village with a basket of washing on one hip and “You didn’t hear this from me, but…” on her lip.
Page contents Copyright 2006, Scott W Perkins except where noted
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