Can someone generally describe their use? Were they loosely strewn about, like straw in a barn? Were they woven into mats? Would they be on the second floor as well? Would stone floor castles have them, or just lower class dwellings? Government buildings? When did this practice stop? How much do we know for sure / are there any contemporary depictions? The extent of my knowledge comes from "The Time Travellers guide to Medieval England" where it was touched on.
Thank you
In medieval Europe, loose fresh rushes would be strewn on earthen floors in dwellings for cleanliness and insulation. Particularly favored for such a purpose was Acorus calamus (sweet flag), but despite its alternate vernacular name "sweet rush", it is a plant from a different monocot order, Acorales.
Burton, Alfred. Rush-bearing: An Account of the Old Custom of Strewing Rushes: Carrying Rushes to Church; The Rush-Cart; Garlands in Churches; Morris-Dancers; The Wakes; The Rush. Manchester: Brook & Chrystal, 1891