The nine medieval jobs at a glance
- Top row: herbalist, squire and court jester.
- Middle row: blacksmith, rat catcher and herald.
- Bottom row: scribe, barber and spinster.
- Each panel pairs a short description with a drawing of someone doing the job. The only numbers on the graphic are the squire’s ages, 14 and 21.
Every medieval occupation on the graphic
The text below is copied from the panels in reading order, left to right and top to bottom. The illustration column describes the drawing beside each panel.
| Job | Text on the graphic | Illustration |
|---|---|---|
| Herbalist | Using practical herbal remedies derived from plants and other natural sources, these so-called ‘wise women’ could treat a wide range of medical conditions. Providing a lifeline for those who could not afford the services of a trained physician, their knowledge of folk medicine was then passed down through the generations. | An older woman in a headscarf and apron with a mortar and pestle beside a table of herb pouches |
| Squire | Promoted from the position of page boy at 14, a squire was the servant to a knight, and often accompanied him into battle. In return, he would be taught the code of chivalry, the rules of heraldry, bravery, horsemanship, swordsmanship, and other athletic skills, before being promoted to knighthood at the age of 21. | A young man in a red tunic with gold shoulder fringes |
| Court jester | Employed by the royal court to entertain the king, a jester would juggle, tell jokes, perform tricks, and generally clown around to improve his master’s mood. In return, he was paid well, given a place to live, and enjoyed certain privileges, including being able to make fun of nobles and get away [with] it! | A grinning jester in a yellow and blue hood with bells, holding a bauble |
| Blacksmith | Every village had its own blacksmith, who would make everything from weapons and tools to door knobs and jewellery. Using charcoal as fuel, they would heat iron until it became malleable, then hammer it into various shapes on a heavy block known as an anvil. | A man in a leather apron hammering metal held in tongs |
| Rat catcher | Rats were a big problem in Medieval Europe, spreading diseases and eating crops. Accompanied by a small dog or cat to sniff out the vermin, and various traps and poisons to capture or kill them, rat catchers would walk the streets and sewers, risking contracting the plague to earn a living. | A moustached man in a brown hat holding a tall pole |
| Herald | With so many knights scattered across Europe, each with their own coat of arms, it was the job of a herald to keep track of them all. This also helped them in their other main duty: conducting and announcing the participants of jousting tournaments. | A man in a red and blue tunic blowing a long trumpet hung with a banner |
| Scribe | As there were no printing presses in the Middle Ages, scribes would copy out text to create more copies of books. This was often done by monks, because they were literate, and it was hard work, as shown by the complaints they would write in the margins. | A tonsured monk writing at a sloped desk |
| Barber | Offering much more than a haircut, barbers would often perform medical procedures too. Known as barber surgeons, they would extract teeth, amputate limbs and carry out bloodletting, the practice of draining the blood to ‘cure’ various illnesses. With no anaesthetic or training, it was often a messy affair. | A bearded man in an apron holding scissors |
| Spinster | In order for wool to be woven, it first had to be turned into yarn. This role was typically held by women, but male ‘spinners’ did also exist. They would first twist the fibres between their thumb and forefinger, then attach them to a drop-spindle, the weight of which would stretch the fibres into yarn as they spun. | A woman in a red hood and dress holding a drop spindle |
A small vertical credit on the left edge reads “Illustrations” followed by the name Rebekka Hearl. The page carries no title, publication name or logo.
What other sources say about these jobs
Squires, heralds and jesters
Wikipedia describes a squire as the shield or armour bearer of a knight, doing tasks such as saddling his horse and caring for his weapons and armour. It gives the usual path as page at age 7 and squire at 14 [1], which matches the graphic’s age of 14. Heralds, it says, were required to organise, announce and referee the contestants at tournaments, and this role in managing late medieval tournaments may be why they came to regulate knights’ coats of arms [3]. Jesters were members of a noble or royal household kept to entertain guests, and many English royal courts employed professional fools [2].
Barber surgeons and scribes
The barber surgeon was one of the most common European medical practitioners of the Middle Ages. Surgery was seldom done by physicians, so barbers, who had razors and the dexterity to use them, handled tasks from cutting hair to pulling teeth and amputating limbs, and also carried out bloodletting [4]. A scribe was a professional copyist of manuscripts before printing, and scribes lost most of their prominence once the printing press arrived [6].
Rat catchers, blacksmiths and spinsters
Keeping rats under control was practised in Europe to prevent the spread of disease, most notoriously the Black Death, and to protect food supplies. Rat catchers often worked with “ratters”, usually dogs [7]. Blacksmiths heat wrought iron or steel until it is soft enough to shape with a hammer, anvil and chisel, and charcoal is one of the traditional forge fuels [8]. “Spinster” first meant a woman whose job was to spin wool. Because spinning was commonly done by unmarried women, the word later came to mean an unmarried woman in legal documents [5].
Notes on this infographic
- Typo. The court jester panel ends “get away it!”. The word “with” is missing, and the table above shows it in brackets.
- Knighthood at 21. The squire panel says squires became knights at 21. The Wikipedia article we checked confirms the page at 7 and squire at 14 stages but does not give a fixed age for knighthood, so we have not been able to confirm the 21 [1].
- Spinster. The graphic uses the word in its original job sense, not the later meaning of an unmarried woman [5].
- Selection. The nine panels are a sample. They leave out the jobs most medieval people actually did, such as farming.
- Creator. The illustrator’s name is printed very small and is our best reading of it. We could not find the original publication.
Questions about medieval jobs
What jobs were there in medieval times?
This graphic shows nine: herbalist, squire, court jester, blacksmith, rat catcher, herald, scribe, barber (barber surgeon) and spinster. They sit alongside the many farming, craft and trade jobs that the graphic does not cover.
Which jobs did monks have during medieval times?
On this graphic, the job linked to monks is the scribe. It says copying books by hand was often done by monks because they could read and write, and that the work was hard enough for them to complain about it in the margins.
Sources
- Wikipedia, Squire.
- Wikipedia, Jester.
- Wikipedia, Herald.
- Wikipedia, Barber surgeon.
- Wikipedia, Spinster.
- Wikipedia, Scribe.
- Wikipedia, Rat-catcher.
- Wikipedia, Blacksmith.
Last reviewed 29 October 2026
