Economic And Social Changes

Question 1

What % of people lived in the countryside in medieval times?

Answer 1

90% of people

Question 2

How many lived in villages according to the domesday book and when?

Answer 2

13,400 in 1086

Question 3

What was the heirachy of the peasantry?

Answer 3

Freeman - free peasants but had to pay their lord rent for land
Villeins - worked the land with no pay and no freedom but got farm land for themselves
Borders and cottars - villeins but poorer and got less land
Slaves - made up 10% of the pop in 1066. no freedom or land

Question 4

What did freemen have to carry out?

Answer 4

800N (extra unpaid days) of work for the lord

Question 5

What percentage of crops did villagers give as a tithe?

Answer 5

10%

Question 6

What were demesnes?

Answer 6

Specific areas in the village that included,

Stone, Manor House, barns, churches, villager’s houses, grazing land and mills

Question 7

What were peasant homes walls made of?

Answer 7

Wattle and daub

Question 8

What was the reeve?

Answer 8

Senior official In the village to manage the manor and peasants

Question 9

What were the farming ploughs made of?

Answer 9

Metal and were pulled by oxen

Question 10

How were villages divided?

Answer 10

25-35% of the land was kept for the lord and the rest was divided among the peasants

Question 11

How was village land organised for peasants use?

Answer 11

Cottages was where they lived, strips of land was where they grew crops and common land was where they grazed their animals

Question 12

Where did peasants animal’s live?

Answer 12

In their house with the people

Question 13

How did peasant class change and stay the same from the AS to the Normans

Answer 13

Continuity: 97% of the pop were still peasants
Change: the no. of freemen fell significantly as they couldn’t afford higher taxes Normans were charging and the no of slaves reduced as it was not economical to support them

Question 14

How did land and wealth change and stay the same from the AS to the Normans

Answer 14

Continuity: churches were still centre of village life and cottars still had small houses with regular plots
Change: the value of land in Yorkshire dropped by 60%

Question 15

How did social life change and stay the same from the AS to the Normans

Answer 15

Continuity: peasants still mainly ate what they could grow like bread, oat porridge and vegetable stew and rarely ate meat
Change: lord of the manor spoke french instead of English and bishops, lords and knights needed to run their estates and take part in local commissions

Question 16

Give some information about buildings in towns

Answer 16

Houses were close together
land was expensive so first floor was bigger than ground floor
a wall which guards patrolled surrounded the town
High street was the main road through the town leading to the gates

Question 17

Give some information about a charter

Answer 17

Large and well established towns applied for a charter form the local lord/king to become independent
Chartered towns governed themselves through a council and mayor
Charter towns still had to pay taxes to techie lord and king

Question 18

What was a town guild?

Answer 18

A group of tradesmen and craftsmen that set prices, organised training, made sure goods were well made and controlled who was allowed to carry out business and wages

Question 19

How often did towns have a market?

Answer 19

Once or twice a week with few shops open most days

Question 20

What did market traders have to give?

Answer 20

Tax to their lord

Question 21

Where did traders come from and what did they sell?

Answer 21

The countryside to sell eggs, cheese, butter, fruits and vegetables. There were as many animals as people also

Question 22

What was hygiene like in towns?

Answer 22

Streets were narrow, there were no drains and instead an open ditch in the middle of the street,
Overcrowding led to overflowing waste, increase in disease, house fires and theft

Question 23

Give some information about jobs in towns

Answer 23

Merchants and craftsmen operated from buildings on high streets
Citizens of towns served as watchmen, helping town milita when there was trouble and had to pay taxes
Once people were accepted as master of their trade, they could become well off

Question 24

Who was at each stage of the social hierarchy in towns?

Answer 24

Doctors, lawyers and property owners becoming richer when the Normans took over. Crafts men came under this group and servants and unskilled workers at the bottom

Question 25

In 1086, what did the domesday books record about towns?

Answer 25

There were 18 towns in 1086, with a population of over 2000 ams 122 smaller towns and boroughs

Question 26

How was england still rural in 1086?

Answer 26

Only 5% of the population lived in towns

Question 27

How does the domesday book show the growth of trade?

Answer 27

By 1086, there were 13 salt houses in droitwich

English coastal towns like Boston, Lincoln, London and Southampton grew

Question 28

Why did people move from a countryside to a town?

Answer 28

To learn a trade or work as a servant to a rich merchant

Question 29

Who were money lenders and were they subject to guild control?

Answer 29

Jews that landed money to people who would pay it back later, they were unpopular as Jews performed it. They were not subject to guild control as they didn’t actually sell anything

Question 30

What did apothecaries do and were they subject to guild control?

Answer 30

Sold remedies made of herbs and plants and were subject to guild control

Question 31

Give some jobs that were subject to guild control

Answer 31

Blacksmiths, armorers, apothecaries, carpenters and barbers