Chaplain\'s Duty During the Middle Ages, One

Chaplain's Duty

During the middle Ages, one of the most important people in a community was the religious leader. Christianity in the time period was the preeminent religion and the leader of the church would be extremely powerful. Within the church, there were several different jobs that a person could take and each would have specific responsibilities and duties to fulfill. One of these positions, the chaplain would have responsibilities that more directly tied him to the church building than other members of the clergy. Among the duties of the chaplain were providing spiritual guidance to laborers, supervising architecture and tending the chapel, and also clerking and keeping the accounts of the church.

By definition, the chaplain was a priest or monk who was in direct charge of the chapel. His responsibilities would include the maintenance and upkeep of his designated chapel (Medieval). This would include all building repairs, cleaning, and clerical work which needed to be performed. There is documentation that proves that clergymen were often placed in the position of overseeing community construction, such as roadways and bridges (Cutts 1898, 480). As the most highly educated person in the area, anything that required mathematics, statistics, or logistics would be within the realm of the chaplain.

Unlike modern clergy members, the middle Ages chaplains were not held accountable to a higher religious body. Instead, the chaplain was often chosen by the wealthy land owner whose land the church would be on. The chaplain would therefore be indebted to the land owner, offering them salvation and any other service that was desired, whether or not that would be approved of by others. The chaplain's base salary would be relatively small, but they would be granted various endowments by their wealthy benefactors provided they performed amiably (Cutts 1898, 420). However if there were a parish in the area as well as a chapel, then often the clerical hierarchy would choose who would be stationed.

Since there were few lawyers during the time period, often it would be the chaplain's role to write out and witness wills, deeds, and other legal documents (Cutts 1898, 421). Part of the reason that they were employed in this capacity was because they would be one of the few personages in the realm who would be able to read or write.