Towns and Villages before 1066

• Most people worked for a thegn who gave them a place to live and to farm

  • Henceforth most people lived in the countryside.

    • Only 5% of the population at the time lived in towns.

• Famine could strike at any time leaving people starved.

• The main industry was sheep farming.

Economic impact of the Norman Conquest

Daily life in Norman villages

Work for the poor

• Working life changed very little by the Norman Conquest .

• Peasants worked long hours in the fields and almost everything was done by hand with almost no machines to help.

• Crops could be destroyed by disease and bad weather.

  • Even when conditions were good it was difficult to grow enough food for the winter months.

• Most people in villages were peasant farmers but most villages would need a blacksmith and a miller.

Work for the rich

• Lords and bishops were the richest people after the kings.

  • Bishops ran the diocese (a group of parishes).

  • Lords owned land but weren’t farmers.

• Knights were quite rich and spent their time perfecting their military skills.

Housing and health

Houses were dark, damp and smoky - made up of a large single room usually without windows.

• There would be a fire in the middle of a room for warmth and cooking - heat would escape through a hole in the roof.

• The floor was made of earth covered in straw.

Diet for the poor

• The poor ate what they could grow so the diet was very simple.

• The staple foods were bread, oat porridge and vegetable stew

  • Bread was made from rye and they had to pay to bake it in the lords ovens.

• Meat was rare and the only way to preserve meat was by salting or smoking it.

  • Salt was expensive so meat would usually be smoked.

• They kept hens for eggs and grew vegetables and fruit.

• Water was not safe to drink so peasants would brew their own weak beer to drink - they would also drink milk.

• The diet of peasants was very repetitive but likely healthier than the rich but if the crops failed peasants were at risk of hunger and even famine.

Diet for the rich

• The rich ate bread made from wheat and was called ‘white bread’ though it is more like modern brown bread.

• They ate more meat that the poor such as pheasant, woodcock, partridge, larks and blackbirds.

• The rich didn’t eat many vegetables, dairy or fresh fruit as it was seen for the poor. Apart from onions, garlic and leeks.

How were towns affected by the Norman Conquest?

Why did Norman towns grow?

• Towns grew as trading centres mainly in livestock, fish, salt and wool.

  • Britain’s main export was wool to the towns of Flanders so costal towns on the south east coast grew.

• Other towns grew where rivers crossed or where important roads met.

  • Or around important castles and abbeys.

• Town citizens had responsibilities such as: serving as watchmen and paying taxes.

• Once a town became large and established it could apply for a charter from the lord or king to become independent.

  • This meant it could govern itself and maybe run its own market.

Features of Norman towns

• There were churches , Abbeys and monasteries

• Sine towns had market places

• Houses (usually wooden) were built close together, often the buildings were larger above the ground floor because land in towns was expensive.

  • Streets were narrow and there was very little provision for hygiene.

• A high street would’ve been wider and the main street of the town.

• Overcrowding led to overflowing waste and an increased risk of disease, house fires and theft.

Jobs in Norman towns

• Blacksmiths - Made a tools and weapons (usually with iron) and earned a good living.

• Bakers- Bread was the staple food but some bakers would cheat their customers so their food was subject to strict laws.

• Armourers

• Moneylenders

• Carpenters

• Barbers - They cut hair, extracted teeth and amputated limbs of poor people.

• Apothecaries - Sold remedies made from herbs and plants.