What did people in the Middle Ages use to light their homes?

Answer 1

Rush candles -- a thing which lasted until well into the nineteenth century, as shown by the following acount. A rush-candle, or rushlight, is a primitive kind of tallow candle. Walsh’s Manual of Domestic Economy (1858) gives the following description:

Tallow candles are of three kinds – moulds, dips, and rushlights. Moulds and dips have each a cotton wick, while the rushlight has one of rush.... Rushlights are made in the same way as dips [which are] made by dipping the wicks in ... melted tallow again and again, until they have acquired sufficient size for the purpose to which they are allotted; after each dipping, except the last, the candle is drawn through a hole in a board so as to remove all superfluous lumps, and reduce it to the intended shape. Tallow for candles should be a mixture of beef and mutton suet, in the proportion of one-third of the former to two of the latter, if the kidney-fat or suet only is used, but if any subcutaneous fat is mixed with it, more than half of mutton fat must not be employed, or the smell will be exceedingly unpleasant. Tallow candles always smell more or less disagreeable, and for this reason they are not used, except from economical considerations; but as they give a good light when regularly snuffed, they still maintain their hold upon those who value this quality more than they dislike the unpleasant smell, which is chiefly given out when actual combustion ceases, and the fatty matters are passing off into the air without suffering decomposition. There are, however, two great objections to these candles, one being, that from the size of the wick it is not all burnt to ash, and requires constant snuffing; the other, the disagreeable smell after being put out.

Rush-candles would be used in the village partly because there would be no municipal lighting (such as the oil-lanterns of Paris) in such a rural area, and partly because rushlights were economical and could be made at home. The History of Everyday Things (1930), quoting a letter of 1775, gives the following account of preparing the wick of a rushlight:

As soon as they [the rushes] are cut, they must be flung into water and kept there, for otherwise they will dry and shrink, and the peel will not run. At first a person would find it no easy matter to divest a rush of its peel or rind, so as to leave one regular, narrow, even rib from top to bottom that may support the pith.… When these junci are thus prepared they must lie out on the grass to be bleached, and take the dew for some nights, and afterwards be dried in the sun. Some address is required in dipping these rushes in scalding fat or grease…. The careful wife of an industrious Hampshire [England] labourer obtains all her fat for nothing; for she saves the scummings of her bacon-pot for this use: and, if the grease abounds with salt, she causes the salt to precipitate to the bottom by setting the scummings in a warm oven.

The History goes on to detail the longevity of rushlights and the economy of using them, noting that “a good rush, 2 feet 4½ inches long [would burn] only three minutes short of an hour, and gave a good clear light”; that 1,600 rushes weighed about a pound; and that a working-class family would use about a pound and a half of rushes a year, or 2,400 rushlights.

The making of tallow candles was first mentioned as a craft in 1283 and by l390 was ranked with the other great 'misteries' or crafts in the City of London.

The Worshipful Company of Tallow Chandlers was granted its first Royal Charter in l462 by Edward IV. The Company determined the price at which tallow candles could be sold and acted as the regulator of the trade, firstly within, and later outside the boundaries of the City of London.

The very rich would use beeswax candles -- an unheard of luxury for most people.

Answer 2

Homes In The Middle Ages

Answer 3

There were several common lighting technologies. All used flame for a light. Candles of wax were not common- too expensive. They did use tallow (rendered fat like lard) to make a type of candle. They also burned rushes like candles, sometimes with oil, grease or wax added.
They also burned oil lamps- using olive oil. Think Aladdin and his lamp.
Most light came from hearth fires, but torches were used outdoors for short periods- they burn out fast.
Lastly, they used "Betty lamps" which are an open shallow metal box or pan with a wick stuck into it from one corner. Grease is put in the shallow pan/box and is burned by the wick.

Because of the cost and ineffectiveness of their lighting, most people slept most of the dark away.

Answer 4

Candles, Oil Lamps

Answer 5

probably candles or oil lamps, as both are ancient lighting devices, whose history predates the middle ages. of course you musn't forget torches, but those were only used outside to chase monsters and such.

Answer 6

tallow is cow fat, people made candles out of that sometimes

Answer 7

oil made from whale blubber.

Answer 8

candles

Answer 9

torches. and fire