The Women who Forged Medieval England
Who were the female blacksmiths of medieval England?
The forge of the Tower of London was constantly ablaze in summer 1346. England was at war with France, so, in addition to the Tower’s usual function as mint and prison, the royal fortress now served as a giant military hub, collating supplies of iron, timber and – most importantly for England’s prospects in the coming Crécy campaign – bows and arrows. Responsible for producing door hinges, window-bars, locks and keys to constrain prisoners of war, and now also arrow-heads, armour, horse-shoes, lance points and crossbow quarrels, was the master smith. By royal appointment, in 1346 that was Katherine le Fevre.
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