Life in Medieval England

Changes to the farming economy

• land owners were enclosing more land so they could farm sheep - less land for peasants to use

• less of a dependance on the feudal system - more land was rented out and peasants paid wages to work on it

• more opportunities for peasants to earn money e.g. selling fish, egg, cheese ect.

• Hugh Cok went from selling fish and brewing beer in 1277 to renting land to buying his own plot of land which he increased

Changes to towns

• towns’ populations increased as peasants found themselves having to look for work away from the countryside

• trade became extremely important

• the growing population led to the spread of disease with unsanitary living conditions as human waste was often thrown into rivers

Impact of the wool trade on general population

• around 40,000 sacks of wool were traded annually

• 66% of all wool produced in England came from small flocks of around 20 sheep owned by peasants

• the Church also profited by using some of its land to farm sheep

• regular trading with Europe ensured a whole range of goods like spices, wine, silk and glass were regularly imported into England

Impact of the wool trade on Edward

• in 1272 the export of wool to Flanders had been banned due to a row with Belgium so Edward agreed to settle the dispute if the merchants agreed to pay him customs duty (form of tax) on every sack of wool exported through London and other ports

• the wool tax was ratified in 1275 which brought Edward a steady income

• the wool trade offered Edward the chance to seize sacks of wool whenever he was short of funds e.g. 1297

• provided a steady long-term income

How Edward raised money through loans

• the Riccardi family from Italy had been lending Edward money since he was a prince and Edwards allowed them to collect the tax on wool as security on his loans

• in 1294 they couldn’t fund him enough because they were also funding the King of France

• the Frescobaldis became Edward’s maid source of loans

How Edward raised money through new coinage

• some people clipped coins which devalued their worth - no one trusted the value of coins

• some traders increased their values to compensate

• Philip de Cambio was arrested and charged with issuing coins with less silver in them

• in 1278, goldsmiths and Jewish moneylenders were arrested and accused of coin clipping. 273 Jews were hanged

• in 1279, Edward collected all the existing coins and reissued new ones with different values. He was able to make £25,000 profit

The expulsion of the Jews

• Christians were banned from raising money through moneylending by the Church

• many Jews were moneylenders because laws limited the jobs they were permitted to do

• Jewish moneylenders earned a living charging interest on the money the loaned

• Edward taxed the Jews however eventually made them poor

• in 1275, the Statute of Jewry made lending money illegal

• consequently many Jews lost their livelihoods, debts owed to Jews were cancelled, Jews were restricted in their movement around the country

• in 1289, Parliament agreed to grant Edward £100,000 if he the Jews were expelled from England

• in 1290, the Edict of Expulsion forced Jews to wither leave the country or convert to Christianity

• Edward and many others avoided paying loans

Influence of the Church

• most people were Catholic

• the Church owned 30% of land and had its own system of law courts

Changes to the court

• in 1294, Edward introduced assizes where judges regularly visited each area so cases could be dealt with promptly

• royal courts dealt with serious criminal cases and property rights

• parliament was the highest court

Statute of Gloucester

• 1278

• dealt with land disputes

• the process to recover alienated land was made quicker and easier

Statute of Winchester 1285

• introduced watchmen to each town and borough

• trees other than oak had to be cleared 200ft either side of the Kings highway to protect travellers from outlaws