Life in villages in Norman England
I can describe features of village life and changes to villages under the Normans.
Life in villages in Norman England
I can describe features of village life and changes to villages under the Normans.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Village life followed a seasonal pattern.
- Many features of village life stayed the same after the Norman conquest.
- Norman landholders often worked villagers harder and this was resented.
- The feudal system meant a decline in the numbers of freemen and a tighter control over villeins.
- Some villages in the north were destroyed during the Harrying of the North.
Keywords
Manor - a unit of land presided over by a lord
Demesne - the lord of a manor's land which was farmed for him
Villein - a peasant who held between 15 and 30 acres of land and who worked the lord’s land for two or three days per week; 40% of peasants were villeins in Norman England
Freeman - a peasant who held up to 100 acres of land which they rented from a lord for money; they were free to rent land from another lord if they chose to
Common misconception
Village life was the same all over Norman England.
While there were many common features, the Viking settlement of the Danelaw meant that freemen in villages in the east were much more independent of the lord of their village's manor than in other parts of the country.
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Life in villages in Norman England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: Life in villages in Norman England, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Norman England: in what ways did life change for ordinary people? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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