SOURCE3 Life on a manor in the Middle Ages
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A Lords often owned and operated grain mills. They kept a portion of all grain ground as tax. The lord lived in a castle or a manor house. The woods, and any game they contained, were the lord’s property. B The house of the steward — the lord’s business manager — was surrounded by stables, barns, a bake house and a kitchen. C Animals grazed on an open stretch of land called a common. D The bailiff, who collected taxes and ensured the steward’s directions were carried out, had a house on the manor. E The reeve , who supervised farm work carried out by serfs to ensure it was done properly, also had a house on the manor. F Women were the property of their father and then husband, and were married by about 14. They cooked, spun and weaved, and tended to the animals and the children. G The three-field rotation system was introduced by the Anglo-Saxons. Crops were grown in two fields, with the third left to lie fallow (not used) so the soil could recover its nutrients. Fields being used were divided into strips, with different serfs working each strip. Crops were rotated to prevent the same nutrients in the soil always being used. H The miller operated the mill, where grain such as wheat was ground into flour. I At the tithe barn, the peasants deposited one-tenth of all they produced for use by the church. J The church (and its grounds) was a central feature. People went to church regularly. It was also the place where they paid their tithes and often held their simple markets. The tithe was a tax given to the church equal to one-tenth of what someone received, grew or raised. K Serfs lived in simple wattle and daub huts with thatched roofs. A hole in the roof allowed smoke to escape from cooking fires. Windows had rough wooden shutters. L As well as farming, some serfs also worked as blacksmiths and carpenters. They generally could not read or write. M A serf who had been punished by the reeve was placed in the pillory. This punishment instrument consisted of a wooden framework built on posts, with holes through which the victim’s head and hands were placed and then locked. N Thatchers wove thick bunches of straw, reeds and sticks together to form roofs of village houses. O Scythes, sickles and rakes were used to harvest crops. P A serf’s most important tool was the heavy-wheeled plough. Q Lunch for a serf might be coarse bread and vegetable soup, washed down with ale. R Although some trees had been cleared for farmland many generations ago, the medieval manor still had many treed areas which offered shade and protection for wildlife.
TOPIC3 Medieval Europe 61
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