Village life

What did the peasants caught up in the path of Norman armies experience?

Plunder, brutality and murder

What happened to refugees and communities?

They fled combat areas and were permanently displaced

How did the value of manors based on rent returns change in Yorkshire?

The value dropped by 60% between 1066 and 1086 which suggests a long term impact

What did the value of manors fall by in Sussex after the conquest?

40%

How did the Normans force the peasants to work harder?

They demanded higher rents and increased obligations

what was a farm?

Land leased at a specific rate, in return, the tenant, known as the 'farmer', received the profits from the estate

What was there a downward move from?

Landowner to tenant

What did the downward movement lead to?

A decline in the number of high-status peasants and a rise in landless labourers

What did a loss of income and status for many mean?

A descent into the villan class

What did the Normans not fundamentally change in the countryside?

The basic structure of agriculture or introduce any new innovations

Where did the manorial system predominate?

In the South and the Midlands

What was a nucleated village?

A settlement pattern in which dwellings were clustered together around a focal point, such as the lord's Manor House

What did a nucleated village often include?

A Manor House for the lord or sheriff, a church and three large common fields

What was more common in the North and East?

Isolated, dispersed settlements which meant a major would cover a larger area

What happened to many of the displaced peasants in Yorkshire and Durham?

They were resettled in planned, nucleated villages

What advantage did the resettlement of peasants give lords?

Allowed greater control over the workforce

What impactful events happened between 1066 and 1100?

Bad harvests, famines, diseases, storms and fires

How many English villages were recorded in 1066 and 1086?

13,400

What did peasants graze their animals on?

Common land

What customs survived in the North and East of England?

Danelaw customs