Henry Finds Lord Falconer Trivia Quiz

Answer: Gauntlet

The falconer carried the bird on a leather gauntlet, the thickness and length of which depended on the size of the bird. The glove was usually worn on the left hand, so that the typically most dexterous right hand was left free. That way a knight could even use his sword if needed while carrying the bird.

Answer: Food

The only reason the falcon responded to the falconer is because he was taught to associate the falconer with food; in fact, the falconer taught the bird that he was his only source of food and that allowed him to shape the bird's behavior. It was very important to make sure a falcon was not overfed because keeping the bird hungry would ensure that it would want to hunt.

Many times falcons were carefully weighed before hunting. If one had exceeded its flying weight (or was "fed up"), it would not be a good hunter that day.

In addition, if it was full it might not easily return to the falconer.

Answer: Assyrians

Some may think falconry is the oldest known sport still being practised, but it isn't! Coursing, or hunting with hounds, probably is. But falconry is a close second! It is difficult to say exactly where it began, but the first evidence comes from the Assyrians in Mesopotamia in the early seventh century BC.

Historians agree there is evidence that the Chinese followed soon after, and they were probably the ones who spread the idea to Europe through their extensive trade network.

Answer: Mews

There were two types of mews in falconry: freeloft mews and traditional mews. In a traditional mew birds were tethered to perches, with some space left between. This type of setup could accommodate many birds, but it had to be accompanied by a weathering yard to allow the birds to spend some time outside.

A freeloft mews gave each individual bird more space which was large enough to allow flight within individual chambers; sometimes the chambers were multi-storied and as large as a small house.

Answer: Boozer

Bowse was a term in falconry that meant "to drink". A bird that was a heavy drinker (apparently falcons like to eat and drink too much!) was called a boozer, and the word came to be used to describe humans with the same tendency! It is interesting to find that there are words and terms from the art of medieval falconry that are still used today! For example, in falconry a "haggard" is an adult bird caught in the wild, while today it can mean "in poor condition" or "wild and untamed". "Wrapped around his/her little finger" and "under his/her thumb" were references to the bird's leash being being tightly secured, and today the terms still mean "under control". And don't forget the popular "turn tail", which still means "to run (fly) away".

Answer: Jesses

While still in the early stages of training, the bird had to be tethered to make sure it did not fly away. With leather straps attached to the bird's legs, the falconer could be sure he would be able to retrieve the bird. Throughout the training, the jesses became longer and longer until the tethered bird learned to fly to the falconer without hesitation. Even after the bird was allowed free flight, it would still have jesses attached to its legs because they made handling easier. Bells were generally tied to the bird's legs above the jesses with thin ropes called betwits. Bells were important because they enabled a falconer to locate a bird in the wild, and falconers still use bells today for the same reason, along with more sophisticated equipment.

Answer: Female Merlin

Falconry was a popular sport among noble ladies as well, and there are accounts of them traveling everywhere with their pet birds, and getting married with the bird on their wrist. Even nuns were sometimes seen with their pets on their wrists. So many people wanted to take their pets to church with them, that it eventually had to be banned! Merlins were smaller, and easier for a woman to carry.

It is said that Queen Elizabeth I enjoyed falconry, and one source even says that her Lord Falconer was a woman! Falconry was also a pastime Elizabeth allowed her imprisoned cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots.

Answer: Cadge

The person who carried the cadge was called a cadger. Usually the cadger was an older man, who was perhaps a retired falconer. The word "codger" that is used today to describe an old person is derived from this word.

Answer: Frederick II

It is believed that the book, which provided many of the illustrations for this quiz, took over thirty years to write. In 1228, after participating in a Crusade, Frederick II brought falconers from Arabia home with him in order to learn more about the art. Europeans highly valued their falcons.

In fact, it is said that during one crusade the son of Philip the Bold of France was captured by the Ottoman sultan and held for ransom. Having turned down the offer of 200,000 gold ducats for ransom, the sultan instead wanted twelve white gyr falcons.

Answer: True

A person's rank determined what species of bird could be owned, and even the gender of the bird. Restrictions were taken so seriously that the punishment for harming a bird's nest, eggs, or young, could be imprisonment. Poaching a falcon in the wild could result in a person losing their eyes, and possessing a bird above one's rank was viewed as an act of rebellion.

A person could have their hands cut off for that! There was some sense to the hierarchy of ownership that was printed in the "Boke of St. Albans". Falconry was an expensive sport, and a common man could not afford the equipment and food necessary to keep a bird such as a gyr falcon.

He could, however, provide well enough to keep a hawk in flying condition.