Life as a Noble
We have a glorified view of the life of the nobility in this time: grand castles, fine clothes, and glittering courts. In truth, nobles lived only slightly more privileged lives than their serfs. The castles looked grand, but in truth they were cold and drafty, in fact that’s why tapestries were invented, to try to keep the warmth in. Yes, the clothes were fine, but they were also restrictive and uncomfortable, and they probably smelled bad from not being washed often enough. Going to court and holding court were duties, and not always enjoyable. If you were a noble, you often had people living with you in the castle, and so had little privacy. You also had to visit your lands, and might at any moment be called either to war, or to the court of your lord. The food might be better, though Henry II of England was famous for the dreadful food (the meat was usually spoiled) he served at court.
In fact as a noble, in many ways your life was not your own. Both girls and boys got married to whom their parents chose, not for love. They both had to continue on with the duties of their parents and run the estate and serve in their lord’s military. Only occasionally could they leave this life, usually to join a monastery or a convent, and only then if the son was not the heir. Both men and women had to give their inheritance or dowry to the monastic institution, meaning that peasants really couldn’t do it.
Life as a Serf
We often think of the lives of serfs as powerless and miserable, and if we’re talking political power, that’s mostly true. But in reality, some aspects of a serf’s life were quite good, especially if he or she served under a good lord. Serfs were tied to the land, so they couldn’t really go anywhere, but they were guaranteed under the system of feudalism the protection of their lord from outside attack. They were also guaranteed land to farm and a share of that produce. They also had the protection of the Church, and the assurance that they would be looked after spiritually, and some extent materially by the institutions around them. Since they were not slaves, they could not be bought and sold, but they also had to obey their lords, and not hunt on their lord’s lands—there is a special word for that—poaching.
They lived in small one and two room cottages, usually with their farm animals. This means that they were warm, probably warmer than their lords. They also weren’t required to give military service, and only fought to defend themselves, or in rebellion. They also got to marry for love, not for economic or political expedience (assuming the Lord approved the match). The food however was pretty dull, mostly a plain gruel (without salt or sugar) except on feast days.
The Obligations of a Serf
There was a complex set of personal relationships which defined the obligations between serf and lord. In return for security and the right to cultivate fields and to pass their holdings on to their sons, the serf had many obligations to their lord. Bound to the land, they could not leave the manor without the lord's consent. Before a serf could marry, he had to gain the consent of the lord as well as pay a small fee. A lord could select a wife for his serf and force him to marry her. A serf who refused was ordered to pay a fine.
In addition to working their own land, the serfs also had to work the land of their lords. The lord's land had to be harvested by the serfs before they could harvest their own land. Other services exacted by the lord included digging ditches, gathering firewood, building and repairing fences, and repairing roads and bridges. In general, more than half of a serf's workweek was devoted to rendering services to the lord.
Common Names from Britain in the Middle Ages
Male
These accounted for about 70% of the male population in the 13thand 14thcenturies.
Adam / Geoffrey / Gilbert / Henry / Hugh / JohnNicholas / Peter / Ralf / Richard / Robert / Roger
Simon / Thomas / Walter / William
Female
These names accounted for about 60% of the female population in the 13th/14thcenturies.
Agnes / Alice / Avice / Beatrice / Cecily / EmmaIsabella / Joan / Juliana / Margery / Matilda / Rohesia
Middle Ages Surnames
Medieval surnames primarily originated based on occupation or place of residence. Some of the names from the Middle Ages are still common surnames in the 21st-century. Examples of surnames from medieval England include:
o Baker: maker of bread
o Baxter: a female baker
o Bennett: blessed
o Brickenden: maker of bricks
o Brooker: dweller by the brook
o Brown: one who has brown hair or dark skin
o Carpenter: maker of wooden objects
o Carter: transporter of goods
o Cheeseman: maker of cheese
o Clarke: scholar, cleric, or secretary
o Cook: cook, butcher, or keeper of a restaurant
o Cooper: wooden bucket maker
o Draper: maker or seller of woolen cloth
o Fisher: catcher of fish
o Fletcher: maker of arrows
o Foreman: pig farmer
o Forester: one in charge of the King’s forest
o Granger: farm bailiff
o Gregory: watchful
o Hayward: one responsible for fence and wall repair
o Hughes: son of Hugh
o Kilner: potter
o Lister: textile dyer
o Mannering: Manly
o Mason: stone mason
o Mercer: merchant
o Nash: dweller by the ash tree
o Payne: pagan
o Rolfe: peasant
o Sawyer: one who saws wood
o Shepherd: one who watches over sheep
o Slater: one who works with slate
o Taylor: maker of clothes
o Tyler: maker or layer of tiles
o Walter: dweller by water
o Ward: guardian or watchman
o Webb: weaver
o Webster: weaver
o Wood: dweller by the wood
o Wright: maker of wooden objects
Diet
Nobles, Knights / Peasants, SerfsDuring the medieval ages a Lord would eat well. He would feast on a diet of fresh vegetables like onions, garlic, cabbages and lettuce. He would eat meats like pork, fish and poultry. Herring, salmon, trout or cod was salted or dried where poultry, pork and sometimes beef would be made into stews.
Being fat was considered a sign of wealth. / · Bread
· Pottage, a kind of soup-stew made from oats
· Beans and peas
· Other vegetables
· Occasionally pork or lamb
· Beer