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Medieval Candlemaking. The Candle Maker. Candles have been used as a light source for at least 5,000 years . Early candles were usually made from animal fat called tallow Early candle wicks were made of rushes Around the 1200 candle making became a guild
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The Candle Maker • Candles have been used as a light source for at least 5,000 years. • Early candles were usually made from animal fat called tallow • Early candle wicks were made of rushes • Around the 1200 candle making became a guild • The candle maker or chandler made candles for people of all levels of society. • Noble households would have their own chandler responsible for wax and candles, as well as a special room called the chandlery where the candles were kept.
The Chandler’s Guild • When candle making became a guild, candle makers would make candles from tallow • Around 1300 people found they could use beeswax to make candles • As time went on tallow chandlers and beeswax chandlers broke into 2 separate guilds • Both guilds were very completive and very secretive about their methods • Both types of candles had pros and cons
The Tallow Candle • Tallow Pros • Ingredients were easy to obtain • Ingredients were cheap • Because they were cheaper make more people could afford to by them • Tallow Cons • Smelled like cooking meat all the time • Burned quickly • Very smoky
The Beeswax Candle • Beeswax Pros • Smelled sweet like honey • Burned slower and lasted longer • Not as smoky as tallow candles • A better candle meant you could charge more • Beeswax Cons • Difficult to obtain • Expensive ingredients • Only rich families and kings could really afford them
