4


DiScOvErInG HiStOrY


A freeman had to rent land from his lord. He also had to work on the lord’s land without any payment. Otherwise he was free to do as he wished. Compared to a serf, he worked for far less time on the lord’s land.


Both serfs and freemen had to pay one tenth of their crops to the local priest. This payment was called a tithe. They also had to pay rent to the lord of the manor. This was paid either in money or in goods from the farm, such as eggs. A bailiff appointed by the lord checked that each peasant was paying the correct rent.


Peasants lived in small wattle and daub houses of one or two rooms. They used thatch (dried straw tied onto the rafters of the house) on the roof. The whole family cooked, ate and slept in one room. When the weather was bad they brought the animals inside the house for warmth. The house was very dark and smoky because there was no chimney for the fire and very small windows.


Eating


Food was very simple. Wheat, barley or rye was mixed with beans to make pottage (a thick vegetable soup). They used milk from cows that grazed on the commons. From this they could make butter and cheese. Chickens provided eggs. They could not afford meat except on very special occasions like Easter or Christmas. Nuts and berries were collected from the forest. Onions and cabbage were the only vegetables they ate and they were grown beside the house. Ale was their main drink. Food was difficult to preserve as there was no such thing as fridges then. People used a great deal of salt to try to keep food fresh. All the food they collected and harvested in the summer and autumn had to last until the spring. This meant that peasants lived in constant fear of hunger and famine.


Work


The land around the manor was divided into three open fields. Each peasant had a long strip of land within each field. To make sure they did not take all the nutrients from the soil, they rotated (changed) what they grew in each field.


Because they had no fertilisers, every third year they left the field fallow (did not plant anything). This meant that the soil could refill with minerals and nutrients. This system of farming is called open-field crop rotation.


They ploughed fields using oxen and gathered the crops using a sickle or a scythe. A flail was used to divide the wheat kernels (the grains) from the stalks. Any tools they used were usually made from wood from the forest. For a few days each week peasants had to work on the lord’s land. During busy times of the year women and children were also expected to help with farm work. At harvest time peasants were expected to do even more work on the lord’s land. This extra work was called boon work.


94 Year 2 Year 3


Dark bread with broth Sometimes cheese


Bowl of curds (from milk) Fig 4.16 Typical menu of a serf


Fig 4.15 Typical peasant living conditions in a wattle and daub house. Note the animals living in the house also.


Fallow Year 1 Fig 4.17 Open-field crop rotation


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