chapter 5- economic & social changes

• what was village life like ?

  • peasants lived in cottages and grew crops
  • lord kept 35% of the land
  • metal plows were pulled by oxens
  • houses were built along roads and were clustered
  • church bells rang at the beginning and end of the work day
  • church services were held on sundays
  • peasants would work everyday but Sunday where they took part in leisure activities
  • all peasants had to pay 10% tax to the church
• what was housing like ?

  • usually cold, damp and dark
  • walls were made of wattle and daub
  • houses were vulnerable to fire
  • the manor was owned directly by the lord
  • manor house was made of stone and was more secure
• what did peasants do in the spring ?


  sowed the fields
• what did peasants do in the summer ?

  harvested the crops
• what did peasants do in the autumn ?

  plowed the fields
• what did peasants do in the winter ?


  lived of the food harvested
• what were the different roles and responsibilities ?

  • reeve
  • baliff
  • priest
  • miller
• who was the reeve and what did they do ?

  • chosen by the lord or by vote
  • job was to manage the day to day running of the manor
• who was the baliff and what did they do  ?

  • responsible for collecting taxes for the king
  • ensured crops were gathered and debts were payed
• what did the priests do ?

  • responsible for marriages and wills
  • ran the local church and conducted services
• what did the miller do ?

  produced grain and made bread
• what were the key features of a norman town ?

  • living conditions were cramped
  • castles were at the centre of many large towns
  • cathedrals in towns
  • burgesses were important figures in towns who had the right to buy and sell property's
• describe the growth of towns

  • grew in importance as administrative or religious centres
  • norman nobles encouraged towns to grow to develop foreign trade
  • between 1066-1100 21 new towns were developed
• what was traded and where ?

  • metal work
  • wool
  • salt
  • guilds
  • markets
• what was the importance of metal work ?

  • towns became centres of iron and lead production
  • important for house building
• what was the importance of wool ?

  • was sold in markets
  • exported to the rest of Europe
• what was the importance of guilds ?

  • weavers, goldsmith's etc. began to form specialist associations
  • held significant power
• what was the importance of salt ?

  • towns grew as a result of production and sale of salt
  • used in cooking and food preservation
• what was the importance of markets ?

  • towns needed grants to have one
  • places for traders tobuy and sell products
• what was the norman language like ?

  • French was used in court
  • Latin for religious ceremonies
  • anglo-norman was created
• what was peasant language like ?

  • spoke English
  • Norman words in everyday speech
• what were norman laws like ?

  • William kept most Saxon financial systems
  • trial by jury was introduced
• what were peasant laws like ?

  • can no longer hunt
  • murdrum fines
• what were norman castles like ?

  • were built to establish status
  • protect laws
  • castles became centres of trade
• what did castles to do of peasants ?

  • intimidated local population
  • land was seized and cleared
  • many worked within the walls
• what was norman land like ?

  • tried to keep Saxon landowners
  • few earls controlled most of the land
  • new groups known as knights were able to hold land
• what was peasant land like ?

  • changed very little
  • new lords to work for