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.
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.
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.
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
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
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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