The Life of the Serf – Harshness of Manor Life
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For the privilege of living on the lord’s land, peasants paid
a high price.
- They not only had to play in labour but also a tax on all the
grain ground in the lord’s mill.
- Peasants also paid a tax on marriage and were forced to
pay a tax to the church as well known as a TITHE, or
church tax.
- Serfs lived in crowded cottages, close to their neighbours
and usually possessed only one or two rooms.
- Main room was used for cooking, eating and other
household activities, second room used for the family
bedroom.
- Peasants warmed their dirt-floor by bringing pigs inside
and at night, the family huddled on a pile of straw that often
crawled with insects.
- Peasants diet consisted mainly of vegetables, coarse
brown bread, grain, cheese and soup.
- For most serfs, both men and women, life was work, work
and more work.
Many children did not survive to adulthood b/c of illness and malnutrition with avg. life
expectancy being only about 35 years.
Your Task – Journal Entry or Letter
Although the majority of people belonging to the peasant class or Serfs were largely illiterate and
did not possess the ability to read or write, you task is to write a journal entry or letter to a relative
describing a typical day of life on the manor. Your written piece should successfully capture what
life was like for the lowly serf during the medieval ages. Be creative and provide a location for
your manor, a made up name for your lord and a name for your manor. Use the space provided
directly on the sheet.
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