What Was It Like to Be a Peasant in Medieval England?

Modern movies would have us believe that peasant life in medieval England was brutal and filthy, as they were ruthlessly exploited by the ruling classes. But the life of a peasant in medieval England was actually quite enjoyable. Yes, famines and diseases were a constant threat, and social mobility was limited,

What Was the Difference Between Freemen and Serfs?

Peasants in England were divided into two main classes: Freemen and Serfs. Serfs were bound to labor for the lord (usually three days a week), while freemen had more freedom in the labor they chose to perform. Instead of paying their way through labor, freemen paid rent in taxes. There was intermarriage and mobility between the two groups. In some situations, a Freeman might make the pragmatic decision to become a Serf to get access to a better plot of land or escape high taxes. Serfs also had opportunities to become Freemen. However, different rules that governed their status could make things like inheritance tricky.

All peasants were far from being slaves, especially after the Norman conquest. There was a massive effort by the Normans to grant both Serfs and Freemen substantial rights. They were given political representation and could argue their issues in the court. Lords were strictly forbidden from beating peasants, and huge fines were levied for breaking this law.

Working the Land in Medieval England

Medieval Europe was defined by the feudal system, and four in every five people were peasants. The majority of those were serfs tied to the land. However, unlike slaves who were bonded to people, peasants were bonded to plots of land. Landlords owned the land, and the peasants happened to come with it. Also, unlike enslaved people, peasants had opportunities to make a decent living, and entrepreneurial peasants could become wealthy.

While this may not seem like a great way to live, peasants did have certain rights. Their houses and the pieces of land they worked on were kept in the family and passed down. Even though they were required to pay rent, their bond to the land also meant that their lord could not simply evict them. The landlord was also forbidden from depriving peasants of their livelihood. As such, there was certain job security for everyone in the family.

Landlords could be from a number of different sectors of society. They could be major or minor nobility, the church, or even, in some cases, other peasants, who had acquired the land after becoming wealthy.

Medieval Farming Technology

Farming the land was much easier than it had been during ancient times when the Romans ruled over England. This was thanks to the introduction of various new technologies, such as the heavy moldboard plow in the 10th century, which replaced the lighter ard plow. This heavy plow made tilling the hard, claylike earth of Northern Europe much easier and quicker. The collars that connected the plow to the draft animal were also improved. Until the Middle Ages, horses could not be used for plowing because the collar would choke them. Now horses could replace oxen, working faster and with greater stamina.

The peasants practiced crop rotation and were aware of the need to retain the quality of the soil by planting certain crops at certain times of the year. Although they would not have known about the specifics of what nitrogen was, they knew that planting certain crops in a field after a crop of wheat would restore the properties of the soil. The main crops harvested in England were wheat, barley, oats, rye, and peas. Alfalfa and vetches were used to improve the soil and harvested as food for cattle, horses, pigs, and sheep.

Having Fun: What Did Peasants Do for Leisure?

Finishing work quicker meant there was more time for relaxation or investing in other pursuits that could bring income to the family. Holidays and vacation time were extremely common and often mandatory! Sundays off were obligatory, as were many religious holidays and feast days. In individual areas, weddings, births, and funerals might also be on occasion for time off, and most landlords were generous. Days might even be given off when minstrels, mummers, fairs, and plays were in town. During times of high wages and good harvests, peasants could expect to work no more than 150 days a year.

The pace of work was leisurely, and peasants worked, on average, far fewer hours during the day than workers in the modern age. Manorial records from England show that peasants in the 14th century worked an average of 27.7 hours a week. And unlike in the modern era, there was no stressful commute!

During all their free time, there were plenty of things to do. Various games such as Dice and Nine Men’s Morris were popular, along with variants of Skittles and particularly violent versions of football or soccer. These games often devolved into chaos that involved good-natured fighting and wrestling.

The Importance of the Medieval English Wool Industry

One of the biggest industries in Europe during the medieval era was the wool industry, and the best wool came from England. Sheep became very valuable to peasants during this time. In the 14th century, London joined the Hanseatic League, a conglomeration of merchant guilds and trading towns in Northern Europe. This gave peasants with sheep and those who invested in the wool industry a link to the rest of Europe. Through this market, some English peasants found financial success.

The wool industry was so important to England that it formed the backbone of the entire economy. From 1250 to 1350, the industry was so successful that numerous “wool churches” were built, financed by the money from the wool trade.

What’s on the Menu? The Peasant Diet

The peasant diet in England was hearty and nutritious. Vegetables were available, such as cabbage, peas, onions, turnips, swedes, carrots, parsnips, beans, leeks, and many others. Local herbs were readily available in gardens and were used to add flavor to dishes. Meat, such as mutton, beef, and pork, was available too. Chicken and eggs were also part of the diet, and dairy was present everywhere. Milk, butter, and cheese were produced in abundance.

Bacon was a staple in the winter. Many peasant families had a pig, as they were easy to feed and provided plenty of meat to sustain a family through the winter. Pigs were so common, in fact, that laws had to be created to govern their ownership. Even in towns, each family owned a pig. Swineherds could even be hired to look after pigs during the day.

Nevertheless, bread formed the backbone of the peasant diet. While white bread went to the nobility, the peasants were stuck with the healthier brown bread. Oats, barley, rye, and wheat could be turned into bread or added to other foods.

Most settlements were close to rivers and waterways, and peasants were generally free to go fishing. Salmon was a common item on the peasant menu. In fact, during the medieval period, salmon was seen as peasant food! Fruits were grown and added to the diet. Berries, mushrooms, and a host of other foodstuffs could also be foraged in nearby woods.

Ale was also readily available and drunk in quantity, especially if the local water source was suspicious (which happened, but wasn’t as common as modern preconceptions).

Personal Hygiene in the Medieval Era

Contrary to popular belief, peasants were not filthy wretches caked in mud. They bathed and tried to keep themselves free of awful smells. Diseases during the medieval era were thought to emanate from “miasma,” transmitted through bad odors, and especially through the breath. Therefore, keeping one’s mouth smelling decent was of prime concern.

While toothpaste wasn’t available, and toothbrushes were expensive luxuries, peasants used a young twig from a tree, such as hazel, which was found all over England. Chewing the end of the twig exposes fibers that can be used to brush teeth. Salt was added to the mix as an abrasive, and a clove would freshen the breath.

To clean the body, animal fat and wood ash were mixed to make an excellent soap. Sage, thyme, and other freshly scented plants could be added to the mixture to leave the peasant smelling as fresh as a daisy. If all else failed, ash with a bit of water works as a degreaser, but it is corrosive, and using it had to be done quickly to avoid getting burns!

Canterbury Tales: Traveling as a Peasant

Many peasants lived and died on their plots of land without seeing much of the world. For others, however, travel was part and parcel of life. Making trips to the market was a necessary feature of some lives, while religious pilgrimages could hardly be denied by the lords. For peasants, travel would have been on foot. It was a slow but leisurely method that allowed the peasants to admire the scenery and enjoy the social life of traveling.

To leave the plot of land to which they were bonded, peasants generally had to obtain permission from the landlord, but this rule doesn’t seem to have been strictly enforced. Furthermore, it’s important to note that the land was not a prison. Peasants who lived there could come and go very easily.

The roads were full of travelers from all walks of life, and traveling was a way to meet new and interesting people. Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales are all about this feature of medieval England.

Relocation & Urbanization

Travel was also a necessary feature for any peasant on the run! Although landlords tried to keep the peace with the subjects under their care, there were altercations that could cause a peasant to flee. Monasteries and nunneries were separate from the law and would take in strays, although being expected to live the life of a monk or a nun could prove a bit much for an outlaw peasant.

Another option was to escape to the towns that were growing at the time. This rapid growth meant that towns were always looking for labor, and a peasant could easily find work and protection there. The law stipulated that any peasant would be free of their prior duties and injustices if they evaded capture for a year and a day.

Times have changed considerably, as have outlooks and attitudes to life. While the peasant life might not seem appealing today, there was plenty to enjoy. Of course, famine, disease, rebellions, and wars could disturb daily life, much like they do today. Overall, peasants lived fulfilling lives characterized by happiness and laughter, death and sorrow, marriages and births, fun and games, friendships and love.