Litters are often used to carry the incapacitated, wounded, ill, elderly, dying, or dead.

These litters often resemble the more luxury-transport style of litters, but more often seem to be improvised – sometimes they appear to be handbarrows or even ladders.

• Miracle of Saint John, bible (BNF Fr. 403, fol. 43v), c. 1250
• Arthur and his knights meet the Knight in the Litter (fol. 49r) and Lancelot in a litter (fol. 70r), Lancelot Cycle (Ashmole 828), beginning of the 14th century
• A wounded knight in a litter is cured by kissing the Grail when it appears, Estoire del Saint Graal (Brit. Lib. Royal 14 E III, fol. 99r), c. 1315-1325
• A kneeling woman in a litter at the exposition of the body of Gerardus of Villamagna, scenes from the life of Christ and the life of the Blessed Gerard of Villamagna (PML M.643, fol. 37), c. 1320
• The Lady of Nohaut rides beside Lancelot, who is in a litter (fol. 45v), Yvain meets a damsel accompanying a wounded knight in a horse-drawn litter (fol. 134r), Lancelot lifts the wounded knight from his litter (fol. 134v), Romance of Lancelot du Lac (Rawl. Q. b. 6), 1320-1330
• Sleeping Lancelot discovered by the wounded knight (fol. 100) and wounded Lionel transported to the alms-house (fol. 105v), Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 1422), c. 1330-1340
• Christ healing lepers on fols. 122v and 128v of the Bohun Psalter (Brit. Lib. Egerton 3277), 2nd half of the 14th century
God daunted al his pride and al his boost,
For he so soore fil out of his char,
That it hise lemes and his skyn totar,
So that he neyther myghte go ne ryde,
But in a chayer men aboute hym bar
Al forbrused, bothe bak and syde.

The Monk’s Tale
from The Canterbury Tales, ll. 722-726

• The mock suicide of the temptress, Queste del Sant Graal (BNF Fr. 343, fol. 44v), c. 1380-1385
• Iwein meets Drian (fol. 285), Iwein tries to lift Drian (fol. 285), Lancelot lifts Drian (fol. 286), Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 118), beginning of the 15th century
• Transporting the body of Poppaea, De mulieribus claris (BNF Fr. 598, fol. 141), beginning of the 15th century
• Iwein meets Drian and Iwain tries to lift Drian (fol. 1), Lancelot lifts Drian (fol. 3), sleeping Lancelot discovered by the injured knight (fol. 310), Lancelot du Lac (BNF Arsenal 3480), c. 1405
• Lamentations of Meliadus, Tristan de Léonois (BNF Fr. 100, fol. 36), first quarter of the 15th century
• An epidemic in Rome, Ab urbe condita (BNF Fr. 260, fol. 187v), first quarter of the 15th century
• Lucan transported to the Chastel Bohort, Tristan de Léonois (BNF Fr. 97, fol. 193v), first quarter of the 15th century
• The miracle of raising Drusiana (fol. 14r), the miracle of healing a paralytic man (fol. 59r), the miracle of raising the widow’s son (fol. 61r), a book of hours (PML M.359), 1430-1435
• Gabriotto in the Decameron (BNF Arsenal 5070, fol. 164v), 1432
While þe Grekis to her schippes wende,
Þe mene whyle, Teutran for þe peyne
Of his woundis gan more & more gompleyne,
With-oute staunche so pitously þei blede:
His officeris fast[e]gan hem spede,
In a liter, maked ful ryal,
Toward his paleis & dongoun principal
To carien hym softe and esely;
And at his prayer, ful benignely,
Thelefus and also Achilles
Conveied hym amongis al þe pres,
Til he was brouȝt þ as him list to be

Lydgate’s Troy Book
Book II, ll. 7374-7385

• Lucan injured by Tristan, Roman de Tristan (Musée Condé 648, fol. 200r), c. 1440-1460
• Evander weeps for Pallas, Aeneis (BNF Latin 7939 A, fol. 190v), 1458
• Duke Robert, unable to walk due to his illness, being carried on a litter by Ethiopians into the city of Jerusalem, Grande Chronique de Normandie (British Library Yates Thompson 33, fol. 101), c. 1460-1468
• Resurrection of the son of the widow of Nain (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 220v), funeral of the Virgin (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 243), miracle of Saint John (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 366), miracle of Saint Alexander I (BNF Fr. 50, fol. 376v), funeral of Saint Alexis (BNF Fr. 51, fol. 305), Speculum Historiale, 1463. Note that several of these appear to be made in a ladder style.
• Arthur weeps for Erec (fol. 113v), Gawan and Gareth seek Lancelot (fol. 185v), collection of Arthurian romances (BNF Fr. 112 (3)), c. 1470
• Lancelot kidnapped by the enchantresses (fol. 456v) and Lancelot and the injured knight (fol. 501v), Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 115), c. 1470
• Lancelot meets Drian, Lancelot du Lac (BNF Fr. 111, fol. 101v), c. 1480
• The miracle of Saint Matthew, The Golden Legend (BNF Fr. 245, fol. 104), c. 1480-1490
• General injured with an entourage of his officers, c. 1580-1600