Wood was everything in the Middle Ages. It was used for building ships, homes, frames for stone structures like churches, furniture, paper, and more. For the more complex projects in particular, skilled carpenters were needed to make sure that things were done correctly. Carpenters were common during the Middle Ages, although their exact numbers in the 11th century are unclear due to sparse records.
Although the exact percentage of carpenters in the 11th century is unclear, the predominant use of wood in military and civilian architecture suggests they were common. After the 1066 Norman conquest of England, the invaders consolidated their authority by building castles. But stone castles were expensive and time-consuming, so the Normans opted for wooden fortifications called motte-and-bailey castles, which required carpenters to build. As medieval cities grew, they needed carpenters to build new structures and maintain existing ones. Thus, the craftsmen also grew in number and organized into guilds as cities hired them out. By the 15th century, they were the second-most-common occupation in the French city of Montpellier, per historian Lucie Laumonier (via Medievalists), a likely reflection of wider medieval Europe.
In Eastern Europe, where stone was lacking, carpentry was the main material for building even the most beautiful public works. The Moscow Kremlin, for instance, was originally made of wood. The city of Novgorod boasted beautiful landmarks like the 11th-century wooden Cathedral of St. Sofia, which, according to the Russian Primary Chronicle, boasted 13 cupolas, proving that one did not need stone to make beautiful churches.
