Animal product
Beeswax
Picture to come.
Wax produced by honeybees to build their combs, obtained by melting down the comb after the honey was taken, whether from kept or wild colonies. It was valuable. Much went to the church, whose altars and shrines required wax candles; it was also used for writing tablets, sealing documents and polishes. Wax candles were far costlier than the tallow ones used in most homes.
Caveats (confidence: medium)
Proportions of wild and kept bees, and domestic versus imported wax, in the 12th century are not documented in the sources consulted.
Sources: waxchandlers.org.uk
Made by
- Forage