Was Life Any Better in a Medieval Town?
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How did Towns Form?
After the Normans came, towns began to occur,
usually alongside castles.
As they grew in size and became prosperous
they were able to buy a charter, a document
which gave them their freedom from the lord of
the manor on whose land the town had grown up.
By the 12th century, Lords of the manor were
often short of money and were glad to sell the
rights of the town to pay off their debts
The “Town Charter” allowed the townsfolk to
have a Mayor, whom they elected, and a law
court of their own.
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What were Medieval Towns Like?
Round each town were thick walls, for safety against
enemies. The town gates were locked every night at
sunset.
Each town had a Town Crier who called out messages
and news at the Market Cross.
The streets were dirty, narrow and cobbled. Down
the middle of each street ran an open drain.
The front room of houses was often used as a shop.
Shopkeepers nearly always sold things they made
themselves.
Water had to be drawn from wells or fetched from
the river. You could also buy it from water-carriers,
who took it round the streets in buckets.
How is your town different from one in Medieval times?
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What did people do in the Towns?
Men of the same craft or trade lived in the same
street, and often gave their name to the street.
Look at the
plan of the
town. What
sort of
occupations
could you
find there?
Butchers’ Row
Castle
Silver
Street
Bakers
Church
Row
Street
Candlemakers
Street
Weavers
Fish Street Row
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In the Middle Ages, few people could read,
so shops used pictures instead of names.
What services were these shop signs offering?
Tailor
Cobbler
Pawn Brokers
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A Typical Town Street
rubbish thrown
into the street
Buildings are timber
framed
Pigs eating
rubbish in
the street
Upper storey
overhangs to
maximise space
Sewage in the
middle of the
street
Buildings are
closely packed fire risk
rats
Shops in front room
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The Guilds
To ensure quality of products and comparability of prices,
craftsmen joined together in Guilds. These were like trade unions
today as they helped widows and orphans, and it is known that the
Carpenters’ Guild gave 14 pence a week to a member who was ill.
Members of the Guilds promised to do their work well, to use good
materials and charge an honest price for their work. The Guilds
punished dishonest craftsmen.
The Guilds also helped look after the town church and paid money
for candles on the altar.
The Guilds met in the Guildhall. Some of these buildings can still be
found in towns, like the one below from Thaxted, Essex.
Draw and colour some suitable
signs for the following guilds:
Goldsmiths, Bakers, Butchers
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Apprenticeship
When a boy was about 14, he might become an apprentice, which
meant he would learn a trade. He went to live with the master
craftsman and would be trained for 7 years.
He would sleep on the shop floor at night and was expected to help
sell goods to passers-by.
He would be paid no wages except for a small amount of pocket
money.
When an apprentice had learned his trade he was called a
journeyman, and was paid a proper wage.
If he could save enough money he might later be able to buy a
workshop and become a master craftsman himself.
•How skilled do you think craftsmen of the Middle Ages
were?
•Would you be able to change careers like you can do easily
today?
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Surnames
The English started using surnames sometime after
1200. The names were used to tell people the craft
or trade of their owners.
Here are the names of some Medieval people:
Tanner Miller
Weaver Fisher
Baker
Mason
Smith
Taylor
Butcher Carpenter
Cook
Wright
Can you work out what
craft or trade their
owners did?
How many people in the
class have surnames which
could be related to a craft
or trade?
Wright is probably the hardest
and is more frequently seen at
the end of a name e.g.
Cartwright. It basically means a
handicraftsmen, especially
someone who works with wood;
so Cartwright is someone who
makes wooden carts.
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Add as many words as you can around the picture to
describe what it might have been like to live there.
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Do you think life would have been better in the countryside, or
in the towns? Score each of the following from 1 (very bad) to
10 (good) and be prepared to give an explanation
Score (1- 10)
explanation
Eating & drinking
work
Getting things
done
Getting ill
others
Total score
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1. What was the importance of the town charter?
• A) it gave the town an official name
• B) it allowed the Lord of the Manor to keep laws in
place as the towns grew
• C) it gave the people who lived in the town freedom
from the Lord of the Manor
• D) it kept a record of the people who lived in the town
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2. Who were represented by the guilds?
•
•
•
•
A) farmers
B) shopkeepers
C) businessmen
D) tradesmen
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3. Which of the following was not a feature of a
typical town street?
•
•
•
•
A) drains running down the middle of the street
B) single storey buildings
C) timber frames
D) animals living in the street
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4. What was the name given to a young person
at the end of their training?
•
•
•
•
A) master craftsman
B) apprentice
C) tradesman
D) journeyman
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5. Which of the following is not a valid
reason why towns grew up in the 1200s?
•
•
•
•
A) the King granted charters for towns to set up
B) it was safer to be near a castle
C) people started to specialise in trades and crafts
D) the Lords of the Manor had less power over
people
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