The Jews in England
The Jews, first brought to England from Rouen by William the Conqueror and favoured under William Rufus, formed no part of the townsfolk but stood as a class apart.…
Domestic Life in Castle and Manor-House
Domestic arrangements in castle, manor-house, and citizen’s dwelling were broadly similar, typically comprising a hall, a solar raised over cellars, and a kitchen.…
Building Materials and Architecture
Houses, whether in town or country, were commonly built of wood, since stone construction lay beyond the means of all but great nobles and exceptionally wealthy Jews.…
Dress and Fashion
After the excesses of William Rufus’s reign, when nobles wore long curled hair, feminine ornaments, and long pointed shoes, a reforming party under Henry I.…
The Feudal Manor
The feudal manor, into which the ancient township had by now fully transformed, centred on the baron’s castle or manor-house, originally developed from the thegn’s hall.…
Land Distribution Among Villeins
Villein holdings consisted of strips of arable land scattered across the large open fields, each tenant contributing oxen in proportion to his holding to the common plough-team.…
Services Due to the Lord
In return for their holdings, villeins owed the lord a mixture of labour-rent on the demesne, customary payments in money or kind, and special “boon-work” on particular occasions…
The Reeve and Week-Work
The reeve or bailiff superintended the manor’s labour, farming-stock, dues, and revenues, letting unoccupied land and keeping the general account.…
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