Living Conditions in medieval Britain Flashcards
(15 cards)
How did farming and food affect the lives of people in medieval Britain?
Most medieval people were peasants who did hard physical work on the land - bad harvests could lead to starvation
What were towns like in medieval Britain?
They were small, but busy, containing many different crafts and trades - they were especially busy on market days
What was technology like in medieval Britain?
Technology was limited and most things were made by hand - watermills and windmills were the most powerful machinery
Religion in medieval Britain
Almost everyone was Christian and a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Every parish had its own church and there were many cathedrals and monasteries
Government in medieval Britain
The people were ruled by kings who taxed them, but the tax money was mainly used for the king’s court and to fight wars
Housing in the countryside - poor vs rich
poor - most lived in small huts made of woven sticks and covered in mud, open fires burnt in the houses and smoke escaped from a small hole in the roof - windows were small with wooden shutters
rich - the lord of the manor usually lived in a large manor house, animals were valuable and so were sometimes brought inside at night
Housing in towns
Houses were built close together and only the rich had gardens. Workshops of tradesmen and craftsmen were often part of their houses. People were supposed to clean the drains and street near their houses, but not everyone bothered
water in towns
Conduits were lead pipes that brought spring water to some towns, water was also sold from water sellers with leather sacks
waste in towns
public latrines (toilets) were often erected in market squares and the waste from the town was removed by rakers. Cesspits were cleared by gongfermors who took it outside the town walls to be used on fields or tipped into streams
water in the countryside
fresh water was taken from springs or wells, spring water was often shared with animals so could be unsanitary
waste in the countryside
Midden (waste heap) in the gardens of houses. Some cesspits constructed near village houses, waste used for fertiliser
The role of bread in their diets
nothing mattered more than a good harvest and hence a plentiful supply of bread - the poor ate rye bread which could contain a fungus that led to illness and death
role of meat and fish in their diets
people who could afford it ate a wide variety of meat - church didn’t allow meat on Fridays so fish was eaten instead - wealthier people ate cheese, eggs, nuts and fruit and honey was used as a sweetener
role of pottage in their diets
a thick vegetable soup that was eaten by peasants
role of ale and cider in their diets
ale was made by boiling water (which killed germs) and barley (nutrient rich) and cider was similar but used apples - hence making these drinks healthier than the water in the town
