Daily Life as a Peasant
By: Tyler S
My Responsibilities as a Peasant
"It is the custom in England, as with other countries, for the nobility to have great power over the common people, who are serfs. This means that they are bound by law and custom to"
Jean Froissart in 1395
- plough the field of their masters
- harvest the corn
- gather it into barns
- and thresh and winnow the grain
- they must also mow and carry home the hay
- cut and collect wood
- and perform all manner of tasks of this kind.
Jean Froissart in 1395
My Restrictions/Benefits for Being a Peasant
Restrictions
- Had to pay rent for land used to your lord
- Had to pay a tithe tax to the church of 10% of what he farmed
- Had to work the lord's fields and church fields before he could work his own
- Had to obey the laws and customs of the land and swear a oath to their lord
Benefits
- Received protection from their lord
My Daily Life as a Peasant
Every morning I get up and get dress in my Brown and red tunics and long stockings. I get a little bread to eat since there is not much in our Cruck house before I head out to the fields. My wife takes our two wooden buckets and goes to collect water. The children go with me to clear stones from the fields so that my plow won't hit a rock and break. This afternoon my neighbors and I have to go work in the churches land and we won't get paid. At night I always have to bring my ox, chickens, and our cow in our house to make sure they stay safe.
Our life is nasty, brutish, and not very long.
Our life is nasty, brutish, and not very long.