Life in towns in Norman England
I can describe features of town life and changes to towns under the Normans.
Life in towns in Norman England
I can describe features of town life and changes to towns under the Normans.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- There were around 100 towns in Norman England in 1086, but most had a few hundred inhabitants.
- The immediate impact of the Norman conquest was bad for towns, with houses demolished and trade disrupted.
- Over time, many towns grew as Norman lords spent money in towns and trade links developed with Normandy and Flanders.
- Unlike in some areas, Anglo-Saxons with skills in crafts and industries continued to do well under Norman rule.
- Immigration from Normandy and Jewish immigration were a feature of Norman town life.
Common misconception
Towns and cities have always been where the richest people in society live.
For most of English history, the richest people were landowners and lived in the manor house of their manorial estate.
Keywords
Trade - buying and selling products and services with the aim of making a profit
Immigration - the process of people coming from one country to another to live there
Guild - organisation set up by craftspeople to fix the price of goods, ensure quality and protect wages and working conditions
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
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