Page 57 - British Museum: SYTYGIB Medieval Castle

The man in question was called Roland the Farter (or Roulandus le Fartere, as he was also known). He lived in England in the 12th century and his job was to entertain King Henry II, an important chap who was no stranger to castles.
He did that by capering around as a jester and performing his speciality, which was referred to as “unum saltum et siffletum et unum bumbulum”. That translates as “one jump, one whistle and one bottom burp”.
It might sound like a pretty limited stage act, but it must have been an absolutely ePiC trouser trumpet because he was given a big house called Hemingstone Manor in Suffolk and 30 acres of land in return for his services. Get eating those beans and cabbages now – you could make a FoRtUnE!
Do you ever wish . . . you were the funniest person in your whole school and everyone thought you were HILARIOUS?
Try putting on a brightly coloured costume, including a hat with bells and donkey ears, and tumbling around poking fun at the headteacher to her face.
If it doesn’t get you expelled for lIfE, it might earn you the title of the best jester in the land.
Jesters were popular entertainers in medieval castles, often employed full-time by a king or lord. Also known as ‘fools’, they capered around, being generally silly and telling jokes. Think a combination of a clown and a comedian and you’re there.
As well as wearing his garish outfit and distinctive cap, he might also have an inflated pig’s bladder on
a stick. So if you see a pig going around looking vErY annoyed, a jester might have stolen its bladder. Poor pig.
The jester’s jokes could be really rude and they could get away with mocking their master, other lords or even kings. They might have looked silly, but they had to be pretty sharp witted, so they knew how far to go without getting the chop for being cheeky!
Which is probably worth bearing in mind before you take the mickey out of the headteacher.
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Fun and games