Venerable Beads:
Stringing together facts about a commonly worn item of Medieval religious jewellery:


The Roman Catholic Church dictated the pattern of the European Medieval population’s hours, days, and years; it marked every stage of their life from birth to death, and faith coloured the imagination and provided inspiration behind much of the art of the time. It’s a common sight to see a re-enactor bedecked with numerous pilgrim badges but fewer display a rosary – the strings of prayer beads which, looking at evidence in art and archaeology, had become the most commonly-worn piece of religious jewellery by 15th C. The displaying of a rosary was an indication of the wearer’s respectability, their adherence to the Christian faith, and an indication, too, of penance. The verb ‘bid’ (meaning pray) is the origin of the word ‘bead’.


Ring ‘o’ Roses
The flower garlanded
Virgin, with Christ
presenting a rosary
to St. Dominic.



A Rose, by any other name

Whilst bidding beads or stones were used by Christians as far back as 3rd Century, it was not until 12th Century and the evolution of the Marian cult that the Ave Maria beads came into usage. The origin of the name ‘rosary’ is told in the legend of a group of robbers spying on a monk as he told his beads; each prayer fell from his lips as a rose, which was gathered by the Virgin Mary who formed them into a garland for her head (see illustration, below left). Each bead in a rosary is associated with a prayer: the ‘Ave Maria’ (Hail Mary) beads are often small, usually in groups of 10, interspersed by larger beads known as gauds or paternosters, which are used for the ‘Paternoster’ (Lord’s Prayer). Strings of Aves without gauds are also seen.



This Fifteenth-century chaplet rosary has 5 decades of Spanish jet ‘Ave Maria’ beads and 5 silver ‘pomander’ gauds which contained perfumed ointment. It also carries a small decorative ‘Santiago de Compostella’ scallop shell.



Materially speaking

By 15th C production of rosaries was a mass industry, and a wide variety of sizes, styles and materials were available. Strands of 10, 20, 33, 66, 72 and 150 beads have been identified in a wide range of materials, including coral (believed to ward off evil), amber, pearl, glass, wood and bone – even nuts and seeds were used, particularly for children’s rosaries. Classed as religious jewellery, they were sometimes exempt from the restrictions of Sumptuary Laws so that those of a relatively low status could legally wear a luxury rosary. For some people, their beads were the most valuable embellishment that they owned. Beads could be spherical, oval, flattened squares, acorn shapes, cylinders, discs or rings.



                                        

                                       Linear rosaries

straight open-ended strings, often of only 10 or 20 beads, seem to have been favoured by men. These were sometimes finished with a tassel or cross.


Decade Linear Rosary with tassels: Detail from Van Eyck’s ‘St Jerome’, 1442



Circular, or chaplet rosaries,

again finished with tassels or a cross, were also popular, and the 15th C. saw the introduction of the ‘modern’ rosary form, with a short tail, usually of 5 beads, before the cross. Decorative touches could include a small pouch for relics, pilgrim badges, medals and figurines of saints, tiny flasks of holy water, bells, pomanders and, of course, crosses. The rosary could be threaded onto wool, silk, linen threads, cord or ribbon and the colour chosen sometimes bore a significance. Red was a popular choice, representing blood, destiny and the power of Pentecost. Bright pink, black, green and crimson mixed with gold have also been recorded. The beads usually have free play along the cord allowing the user to move each bead along with their telling but, as non-rosary knotted strings of beads have been found, it’s possible that some rosary strings were knotted too.




How to wear your rosary Rosaries seem to have been carried prominently. Some were worn pinned to clothing, as Chaucer’s Prioress, who used a brooch to attach hers to her gown. It became popular in the late 15th C. to wear them around the neck or as a bracelet. Both linear and chaplet rosaries were worn looped over the belt or simply held in the hands. Whilst used particularly at devotion, a rosary was a fashion accessory which was on display at any time of the day.