Towns Flashcards
1
Q
What were Anglo Saxon towns like?
A
- there had been very few towns in Anglo Saxon England but the few there had been were important trading centres with mainland Europe.
- they looked like villages -houses built from wattle and daub and there were often animals grazing inside and out and crops were grown.
- Anglo Saxon towns had a big defensive wall around them.
2
Q
What were Norman towns like?
A
- Normand conquest mean the destruction of some towns either as a result of a a local rebellion or to make way for a castle.
- trade links with France were also improved and towns benefited firm Norman provisions to improve trade and goods.
- Domesday survey in 1086 recorded 18 towns with a population of over 2000 and 112 smaller towns and boroughs.
- England was however still vastly rural in 1086 only 5%pf population lived in towns.
3
Q
How did towns affect villeins?
A
They could move to towns to escape their lords. If they managed to live in a town for 366 days (year and a day) they would be declared a freeman. They often took work as apprentices.
4
Q
Where did towns tend to develop?
A
Where bridged were as people needed to cross rivers or important roads/crossroads. E.g oxford and Cambridge were situated at river crossings so traders could take advantages of passers by.
5
Q
How did England change under the Norman’s (via towns)?
A
- towns grew
- growth of trade
- roads and bridges developed more
- villeins trend to escape
- Guilds were introduced
