THE ANGLO-SAXON FARRIER. ^^^ 



the iron plate that screens the fire is seen the gigantic 

 aide, who appears to be engaged in blowing the bellows. 

 He, too, is gaunt and unprotected about the lower limbs, 

 though his brawny arms and hairy chest bespeak a man 

 eminently fitted to perform the more physical portion of 

 the labour. On the hearth, and partly concealed by the 

 blazing fire, lies a piece of iron-work which looks not un- 

 like the calkin of a horse-shoe. 



These are the earliest representations of the Anglo- 

 Saxon farrier I can find, and they are certainly curious. 



In the royal household of the king's palace, we dis- 

 cover a number of officers similar in rank and functions 

 to those we have already indicated as attending the Court 

 of British sovereigns or chiefs : these are the ' hors thegn,' 

 or master of the horse, the ' ambiht-smith,' and the ' hors 

 wealh.' The latter has been already noticed. The rank 

 of the Court smith may be inferred from what is men- 

 tioned in the laws of the Anglo-Saxon king, Athelbirht 

 (6th century) : ' If the king's ambiht-smith slay a man, 

 let him pay a half leod-geld (or wer-gekl, compensation- 

 money).' This was one-half the amount paid by ordinary 

 individuals, and shows that this iron-worker was one of the 

 privileged ' ministeriales ' of the Crown. 



In the laws of King Ine (7th and 8th centuries), we 

 observe that the smith was still an important individual, 

 and also attached himself to a lower class than the great 

 nobles and kings. ' If a gesithcund-man (a somewhat 

 similar rank to the leudes of the Franks and Visigoths) go 

 away, then may he have his reeve (steward) with him, and 

 his " smith," and his child's fosterer.' 



In the Saxon Chronicle, the song on King Edgar's 



23 



