The Garden
Small birds would have been a common sight in the fields and hedgerows around York. Their pleasant songs meant that they were a welcome visitor to gardens.
Songbirds often feature in courtly poems, such as the 12th-century poem by Marie de France, Le Laustic (The Nightingale). Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th-century poem Parlement of Foules tells the story of all the birds coming together on St Valentine’s day to choose their partners. This poem reinforces the association of songbirds with courtly love, and the tradition of confessing your love to someone on that particular holiday.
