Imagine learning French not from a textbook but through a lively medieval poem filled with lessons on daily life. That’s exactly what The Treatise of Walter of Bibbesworth offered to 13th-century nobles in England. This unique text not only provided a guide to the French language but also painted a vivid picture of medieval society.

A Language Guide for the English Nobility

Written in the 1230s, The Treatise of Walter of Bibbesworth was originally a personal gift between two friends. Dionise de Anesty, a minor noblewoman from Hertfordshire, had married Warin de Muchensi, who already had two children from a previous marriage.

When the couple had a son of their own, Dionise became responsible for their education. To help them learn French—a crucial skill for England’s nobility—she turned to her friend and neighbour, Walter of Bibbesworth.

Walter composed a short book designed to teach the language through familiar experiences. Here’s how he described his work:

Since you have asked me to put into writing for your children a phrasebook to teach them French, I have done this as I learned the language myself and as the expressions came back to my mind, so that the children will know the correct names of the things they see and will know when to say mon and ma, son and sa, la and le, moi and je.

Learning Through Everyday Life

Rather than listing vocabulary in isolation, Walter structured his lessons around daily activities—baking bread, fishing, naming animals, tidying a house—things a medieval noble child would recognize. One example focuses on building a house, teaching key construction terms in French. Here are the opening lines:

Si vous avez en penser
Mesoun ou chaumbre edefier,
Il covient au comencement
K’il eit bone fundament.
E puis leverez vous la mesere
Dunt femme est dit mesnere.

And here is the English translation of the full section:

Now for building a house:
If you have in mind to build a house or room,
You must start by laying a foundation,
And then you raise the house-wall (whence a woman is called a housewife).
A yard-wall encloses a courtyard, but it’s a house-wall on which the roof rests.
But there’s hayward and wall: listen to the differences!
The hayward looks after fields, but a wall keeps the house safe.
In the wall, crosswise, above the cellar, fix the beam;
(To a pillar under the beam, tie the filly by its halter);
For your flooring above the beam, lay all the joists,
And on the joists, the floor, paved with boards or plaster.
On the wall, put the rafter: two rafters make a couple
And are fixed firmly on the wall by nail and auger.
All that’s needed is a roof. But on the very top of the house,
There must be a roof-beam, lengthwise, and thus the roof will be much more secure:
So open up the roof to close it down better!
To continue, you mustn’t forget
That your house must have laths and fixed nails.
There must be splints in the house too. I mention this for information
Because not everyone knows the difference between these two:
Splints ease the house, but gripes give trouble to many,
And the term is properly used of horses in particular.
There’s still more to know about building a house:
There properly needs to be a louver and a window.
There’s louver and cupboard: smoke comes out of the louver.
Because the French aumeire is what is called ‘louver’ over here,
While an aumaire is properly where you put meat and provisions.
At the doorway is the threshold, and overhead is the lintel;
At the sides are two doorstops to which rings are fixed.
In one doorpost are the hinge-hooks, and two hingles in them.
So drop the latch into the staple, and the house will be safe.

This section doesn’t just help with vocabulary—it clarifies similar-sounding words and provides context, ensuring the learner understands their practical use.

A Window Into Medieval Learning

For a noble child in medieval England, learning French wasn’t optional. It was the language of the royal court, law, and diplomacy. Walter of Bibbesworth’s treatise provided a fun and memorable way to acquire fluency while also reinforcing everyday knowledge.

More than just a language guide, The Treatise of Walter of Bibbesworth offers a rare glimpse into medieval daily life, making it a fascinating resource for both historians and language enthusiasts today.

The Treatise of Walter of Bibbesworth was edited and translated by Andrew Dalby and published in 2012 by Prospect Books. You can read the Introduction to this book from Andrew Dalby’s Academia.edu page.

Top Image: ONB Cod. 2914 fol.280v