History
The medieval Church
 Find the model of the medieval St. Paul’s Cathedral (The Church 1
display, case 13.1)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.

What does the cathedral show about the power and wealth of the Catholic Church at
this time?
Look at the cases to the right and behind the model. What other evidence can you find
to support the view that the Church played a central role in people’s daily lives?

Make a sketch of the model. Label it to show the materials you think it was built out of and
any measurements you can find.
Suggest three different reasons why the Catholic Church built such a large cathedral in
London.
1.
2.
3.
 Find the Immigration display (case 10.4)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.


What evidence has been discovered by archaeologists of a Jewish community in
London in the early middle ages?
Why do you think they were discriminated against and later expelled from London by
Edward I?
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History
The medieval Church
Imagine that you are a London-born Jew who has to leave England on the orders of
Edward I. Write a list of adjectives to describe how you feel.
 Watch the Black Death audio visual programme
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.


What evidence is there in the film that many people thought the plague was a
punishment from God?
Why do you think they believed this?
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History
The medieval Church
Imagine that you are a medieval priest. Draw a poster to warn people what might happen
to them if they don’t repent of (be sorry for) their sins.
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History
The medieval Church
 Find The Church 2 display (cases 27.1–27.3)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.




What examples can you find of personal religious objects worn by Londoners or used
in their homes?
What different reasons might people have had for going on pilgrimages?
Can you find the badges brought back from Canterbury Cathedral? Whose shrine
would pilgrims have visited there? Do you know why this archbishop came into conflict
with King Henry II?
What evidence is there that saints were an important aspect of people’s everyday
lives?
Draw one of the objects in the cases and write a museum-style label for it. Include factual
information about the object. Explain the evidence it provides about the religious beliefs of
Londoners at this time.
Label:
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History
The medieval Church
 Find the listening post in the middle of the gallery and listen to the
two versions of the Lord’s Prayer.
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.


What language were church services held in at this time?
Do you think many people would have understood this?
As you go around the gallery, look out for the names of these different saints. Complete
the chart below to explain who or what they were the patron saint of (i.e. which group of
people they were believed to protect).
Saint’s name
Patron saint of
Paul
Catherine
George
Veronica
Thomas Becket
Christopher
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History
Black Death
 Find the Black Death audio visual programme
Read these questions before going into the programme. Discuss them with a partner or
your group when you come out. You may want to watch the programme more than once.








In which part of the world did the Black Death break out in 1346?
What impression is created by the rapidly moving list of countries on the left hand wall?
What was the city of London like in 1348? How did this enable the plague to spread so
quickly?
How did medieval people believe the disease was spread?
What is your reaction to the dramatised film of people infected with the disease?
What primary evidence is used in the film to show that some people believed the
plague was a punishment from God?
How many people are estimated to have died of the disease in London by the spring of
1350? What percentage of the population of the city was this?
How do you imagine the survivors felt?
Imagine that you are a Londoner living in 1349. Write a paragraph describing the
symptoms of the plague and how you think it is spread. Has any of your family or friends
died of it? What is it like living in a city where everyone is terrified and so many people are
dead or dying?
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History
Black Death
 Find The Church 1 display (cases 13.1-13.4)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.


What evidence is there that the Catholic Church played a central role in people’s lives
at this time?
Many medieval Londoners believed the plague was a punishment sent by God. Look
at the Cost of living display (case 16.1). Which crimes might people have thought God
was punishing?
Imagine that you are a medieval churchman who has survived the Black Death. Circle the
three words or phrases that you think would best describe your feelings (or add some of
your own).
terrified
confused
angry
thankful
smug
humble
isolated
helpless
unworthy
devout
Other ……..
 Look at The Thames and daily life and the Health displays (cases
17.6, 17.7 and 16.2)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.


Why do you think that people who lived close to the river were particularly at risk from
diseases, including the plague?
What different methods did doctors use to try to cure diseases? Why did these have
so little success?
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History
Complete the table below with three more examples of evidence which help explain why
the plague spread so quickly in London and killed so many people. One example has
been done for you.
Evidence
Glass urinal
Explanation
Shows how limited medical knowledge was.
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History
Living in a feudal society
 Look at the Normans display (case 10.1) and the board beside it
List three ways in which Norman kings strengthened their position of power.
1.
2.
3.
Circle the three skills or qualities that you think most important for a Norman ruler to have
(or add some of your own):
physically strong
determined
fearless
ruthless
unforgiving
intelligent
decisive
male
able to compromise
Other …
 Compare the 100 years war display (case 11) with the Food and
famine display (case 12)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.




What evidence is there in case 11 of the high status of knights in the medieval feudal
system?
Do you know what obligations the knights owed their lord?
What evidence is there in case 12 of the occupation of the majority of people living
outside London?
How did these people have to serve their lord?
Draw and label an object that is evidence of the high status of knights in early medieval
society.
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History
 Look at the picture of the Peasants’ Revolt in the Cost of living
display (case 16.1, bottom right hand corner)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.




What triggered the uprising?
Can you think of any other factors that might have contributed to it?
Why did the rebel’s burn tally sticks like the ones in the case?
Why do you think many Londoners supported the rebels?
Imagine that you are a medieval lord. Read the opinions below. Tick the ones that best
reflect your views after the uprising.

I must be harsher with my tenants.

I should be careful not to upset my tenants too much in case they rebel again.

If I want to keep my farm workers, I had better start paying them wages.

Peasants do not know what is best for them; they need a strong lord to control them.

I am surprised that so many townspeople joined the rebellion.

We all have to pay taxes and it is only right that we should all pay the same.

King Richard was right to make an example of the rebel leaders by executing them.

It is only a matter of time before peasants gain more freedom.
 Find the City government and working life 1 display (cases 14.1-14.3)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.



Who was the first mayor of London in 1189?
What did King John confirm in 1215?
Why were these events so important to Londoners?
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History
Draw one of the objects made by a craftsman living in medieval London. Write an
advertisement for it as though you are trying to sell it. Who might want to use it? What
special features can you draw their attention to?
Look around the first half of the gallery, from the Normans display (case 10.1) to the
Black Death audio visual programme. Imagine that you are a villein living in the
countryside outside London. Give three reasons why you might to run away and live in
London, rather than any other town or city.
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History
 Watch the Black Death audio visual programme
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.


What effect did the Black Death have on people living in London?
How do you think it contributed to the decline of the feudal system outside London?
Imagine that you are a medieval landowner. Most of the peasants who live in your village
have died. Write an advertisement to try to encourage other peasants to come to work for
you. What will you offer them in return for their labour?
 Look around the whole gallery
Complete the chart below with five more examples of different occupations in medieval
London.
Occupation
Businesswoman
Evidence
Personal seal used on letters and documents
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History
As you are looking around the gallery, look out for these medieval Londoners who are
mentioned in different displays and the Black Death programme. When you find them,
match their names up with their occupations by drawing a line between them. Then
answer the questions below.
Henry Fitz Ailwyn
a tanner
Alice
a burglar
Nicholas Burle
a painter
Matilda of Weston
a priest
Christine de Beners
mayor of London
Adam Pykeman
a brewer
John Leche
a nurse
Geoffrey Penthogg
a fishmonger
Richard Chyld
a businessperson
Johanna
a surgeon
Robert at Hyde
a water carrier
William Garter
an ironmonger
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History
Do any of the women’s occupations surprise you? Why?
Rank the people in order of the status that you think they would have had in medieval
society (1 = highest, 12 = lowest)
Which group of invaders does the surname of the highest status woman suggest she is
descended from?
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History
Work and trade
 Compare the Trade 1 and the Trade 2 displays (cases 17.4 and 18.1)
Discuss these questions with your partner or group:


How do the types of goods imported into London in the earlier medieval period (10661348) differ from those in the later period (1349 – 1485)?
Look at the countries they were imported from. What evidence is there that new trade
routes had been opened up by 1485?
What status do you think merchant traders had in London by this time?
Use the Trade2 display to complete the chart below. List the country, or countries, that
goods were brought into London from between 1349 and 1485.
Goods
Country / countries of origin
Pottery
Glassware
Metal objects
Clocks
Floor tiles
Coral
Ivory
Amber
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History
 Look at both the City government and working life 1 and 2 displays
(cases 14.1-14.3 and 26.1- 26.6 )
Complete the chart below with five more examples of evidence for different industries,
trades or crafts in medieval London.
Industry, trade or craft
Metalworking
Evidence
Crucible used for melting metal
 Find case 17.6 (part of The Thames and daily life display)
Imagine that you make medieval pottery. Write a paragraph explaining how foreign
imports have influenced your designs. Do you believe that imported goods are better than
ones produced in England?
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History
 Watch the Black Death audio visual programme and then find the
Textiles display (case 17.11)
Discuss these questions with your partner or group:




Can you think why the deaths of so many farm labourers in the countryside during the
Black Death led to more landowners becoming sheep farmers?
How would this have benefited the London wool merchants?
What evidence can you find of different woollen products produced for the London
market?
How would these articles have looked different when they were originally produced?
Imagine that there were magazines in medieval London. Design an advertisement for the
‘Medieval Woman’s Weekly’ to encourage London women to buy English wool rather than
imported foreign cloth. What advantages does wool have over silk? What attractive
colours can it be dyed? What is the latest fashionable garment for the modern woman?
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History
 Find the two City government and working life displays (cases
14.114.3 and 26.1–26.3)
Discuss these questions with your partner or group:



What different trades and crafts were practised by people in medieval London?
What evidence is there that skills were highly specialised?
Can you find any evidence that women also practised certain trades?
Draw and label an object from one of these cases that would have been used by a
medieval craftsperson to make something. Write a museum-style label for it explaining
how it was used.
 Look around the whole gallery, from the Normans display onwards
If you had lived and worked in medieval London, what job would you have liked to do?
Why?
Which job do you think would have been the worst? Why?
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History
Daily life in medieval London
 Find the Human life display (case 17.5)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.



What evidence can you find of daily life in medieval times in this case?
What examples of medieval entertainments and past-times can you see?
Read the board at the bottom of the case. How could these objects give a false
impression of life in medieval London?
Complete the chart below with evidence of five more examples of medieval entertainment
and past-times. Record the object and the material that it is made out of, as well as how it
was used.
One example has been done for you.
Object
Skate
Material
Bone
Use
Ice-skating on the Thames or frozen
fields in winter
Discuss with your partner, or group, what other objects you think medieval Londoners
might have used in their daily lives. Which of these are unlikely to have survived because
of the materials they were made out of?
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History
 Watch the Black Death audio visual programme and then find the
Health display (case 16.2)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.



How did Londoners believe the plague was spread?
What precautions did they take to protect themselves from it?
How effective were these?
Imagine that you are a medieval apothecary (a bit like a pharmacist today). Design a
poster to advertise one of your remedies to cure the plague.
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History
 Look at the Cost of living (case 16.1) Health (case 16.2) and The
Thames and daily life (cases 17.6–17.9) displays
Imagine that you are a medieval Londoner. Write a paragraph explaining the dangers and
difficulties you face in your daily life. What safety measures do you take to try to protect
yourself?
 Look at the Food display (case 17.10)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.




What different kinds of food were available in medieval London?
Where could you have bought these?
What types of food did the majority of Londoners live on? What did they drink?
What evidence is there of how food was grown, prepared and cooked?
 Look at the Textiles display (case 17.11)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.




What evidence is there that some people made their own clothes?
What materials were used for most Londoners’ clothing?
What other materials were available for those who could afford them?
Can you find evidence of changes in fashion?
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History
Draw and label one object that was used to prepare of serve food, and one item of
clothing, or accessory, worn by medieval Londoners.
Beside each one, draw an object that you think we would use today for the same purpose.
Write a short paragraph explaining:
 what objects can tell us about people’s daily lives
 how they can sometimes give a false, or misleading, impression.
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History
English: Literature
The Canterbury Tales
 Look at The Church 1 and The Church 2 displays (cases 13.1-13.4
and 27.1-27.3)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.



What was a pilgrimage and why did people in medieval times go on them?
Whose shrine would Chaucer’s pilgrims have visited at Canterbury Cathedral?
What souvenirs might they have brought back with them?
Make a sketch of each of the three badges in case 27.2.
Write a short paragraph explaining how they relate to the life story of Thomas Becket.
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History
 Find case 14.1 (in the City government and working life 1 display)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.


How would Chaucer’s pilgrims have travelled to Canterbury?
The distance from London to Canterbury is approximately 60 miles. How long do you
think it would have taken them?
Imagine that there was Tourist Board in medieval Canterbury. Design a poster for them to
encourage pilgrims to visit the cathedral.
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History
 Find the listening post (Listen up!) in the centre of the gallery
Listen to the two versions of the medieval Londoner telling his brother about the girl he
wants to marry then discuss the questions below.




What language is the man talking in?
What dialect is he using?
Can you pick out a number of familiar words?
Why might it be easier for us today to understand a medieval Londoner, rather than
someone from East Anglia or the Midlands, for example?
 Find the carved chest in the Cost of living display (case 16.1)
The carving shows a scene from The Pardoner’s Tale. In the story three friends find a
hoard of treasure and fall out over dividing it up. The panel shows one buying wine for the
others into which he puts poison. The other two attack him and stab him to death then sit
down and drink the poisoned wine. The moral of the story is ‘greed is the root of evil’.
Discuss with your partner, or group, why someone might want to have a chest carved with
this scene.
What does it show about the popularity of The Canterbury Tales in medieval times?
 Find the page from the Canterbury Tales in the Books and printing
display (case 23)
Before the introduction of the printing press, how do you think most people would have
been introduced to The Canterbury Tales?
Write the publisher’s ‘blurb’ to appear on the back of the first edition of the Canterbury
Tales. This should include a brief, lively description of what the poem is about. How will
you encourage medieval people to buy it? Will you include quotations recommending it
from people who have already read it?
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History
 Find the Food display (case 17.10)
Imagine that a film is being made of The Canterbury Tales. You have been asked by the
director to research the props needed for the first scene in the Tabard Inn. Draw clear,
outline pictures of the different objects you think will be needed, labelled to describe
materials, colours and any other features you think the props department would need to
know about.
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History
 Chaucer’s pilgrims
Find the following displays and discuss the questions with your partner or group.
The Normans (case 10.4) and 100 years war (case 11)


What sort of armour would the Knight have worn? What kinds of weapons would he
have carried?
The Squire was training to be a knight. Part of this training involved acting as a
personal attendant to a knight. What might some of his duties have been?
 Food and famine (case 12)


What sort of tools would the Ploughman have used?
What hardships would he have suffered in his life?
 Human life (case 17.5)



As well as being a nun, the Prioress is described as a well-bred lady.
What sort of fashionable accessories might she have worn or used?
Are you surprised that a nun would want to be fashionable?
 The Cost of living (case 16.1)


What would the Merchant have carried his money in?
How would he have checked that he was not being cheated before he accepted coins
from someone?
 Health (16.2)

What evidence is there that the Physician may have tricked people into believing he
was curing them, when really he had very limited medical knowledge?
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History
 Food (case 17.10)


What different sorts of food and drink would the Host, Harry Bailey, have served in his
tavern?
What different tools and cooking methods would the Cook have used?

Case 26.3 (in the City government and working life 2 display)


The Wife of Bath is described as a skilful cloth maker. What sort of cloth were most
clothes made out of in medieval times?
What sort of tools would she have used?

Case 27.3 (in The Church 2 display)

What evidence is there that the Monk and the Friar could have led very comfortable
lives?
Why do you think this led some people to lose respect for them?

A new edition of The Canterbury Tales is being published. The illustrator wants to draw
each pilgrim holding an object that immediately identifies which character they are.
Choose three of Chaucer’s pilgrims. Find and draw one object in the gallery for each of
them that the illustrator could use.
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History
Each of the characters in The Canterbury Tales tells a story that reflects their own
character, profession, social rank, morals (or lack of them!) and /or interests. Imagine that
you have been asked by a publisher to invent a new character and tale for a collection of
short stories called The Lost Canterbury Tales.
Look around the gallery and invent a new character based upon evidence on display e.g.
the School Master, the Innkeeper’s Wife, the Tailor. Write a detailed description of your
character, including physical appearance, clothing, their job and their personality. Write
the outline of the story they will tell. Will it have a moral, or point, to it?
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History
Medieval Mystery Plays
 Look at the Church 1 and 2 displays (cases 13.1-13.4 and 27.1-27.3)
What evidence can you find to show that the Catholic Church played a central role in
people’s lives?
 Look at the two City government and working life displays
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.




What were medieval guilds or livery companies?
What did they have control over?
What benefits did they provide for members, and other citizens?
Which guilds do you think would have been the wealthiest?
 Look around the whole gallery
Make a list of the different trades and crafts that were practised in medieval London.
Below is a list of six Bible stories dramatised in the plays:

The Temptation and Fall of Adam and Eve

Noah’s Ark

The Nativity

King Herod and the Slaughter of the Innocents

The Last Supper

The Crucifixion
Decide which group of trade or craftsmen would like to perform and fund each of the plays.
Write your choice beside the title of the story.
Below each one give a reason for your choice. For instance, you might decide that vinters
(wine sellers) would like to perform the Last Supper because the disciples could pass
round a cup of their wine!
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History
Design a poster to advertise a performance of the play. How will you encourage
people to come to see it?
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History
English: Report writing
Imagine that there were newspapers in Medieval London. Back at school you are going to
write two different newspaper reports about the Black Death: one for a tabloid and one for
a broadsheet newspaper.
Find the Black Death audio visual programme and watch it through once with a
partner or small group. Come out of the enclosed area and discuss your initial
reactions to the programme with your group.






Did you find it shocking? Powerful? Boring?
What different techniques were used to convey factual information?
Which of these do you consider to be most successful?
Did the programme help you to empathise with the suffering of medieval Londoners at
this time? If so, how?
What aspects of the Black Death do you think the programme makers wanted to
emphasise?
Would you have made the programme differently? If so, how?
Now read the questions below. You will need the answers so that you can include
factual information in your articles. Watch the programme again with the questions
in mind.
See how many of the questions you and your group can answer. If necessary,
watch the programme through a third time in order to answer them all.


In what year did the Black Death break out in Asia?
Make a list of some of the cities it spread through before it reached London.


How many people lived in London in 1348?
Describe the city.



What were some of the symptoms of the Black Death?
How did medieval people think it was spread?
Who did they think was responsible for the plague, and why did they think it was
inflicted upon them?


Describe the city of London during the outbreak.
How many people had died by the spring of 1350?
Look around the rest of this central part of the gallery, in particular at the Church 1 display
(cases 14.1-14.3, the Health display (case 16.2) and The Thames and daily life display
(cases 17.6 and 17.7). Make notes about any aspects of medieval life that you think will
be useful to add background detail to your articles.
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History
English: Persuasive writing
Imagine that there was a London Tourist Board in medieval times. Back at school you are
going to write a leaflet on their behalf to try to persuade tourists to return to the city after
the Black Death.
Look around the gallery. Make notes about the city using the headings to guide you.
Must see sights
For example, St. Paul’s Cathedral (The Church 1 display, case 13.1)
Shopping
Look at the Trade 2 (case 18.1) and the Textiles (case 17.11) displays
Food, drink and accommodation
Look at the Food (case 17.10) display
Entertainment
See the Human life display (case 17.5)
Dos and don’ts for a safe visit
See the Cost of living and the Health displays (cases 16.1 and 16.2)
Getting there
Look at the various maps around the gallery. Find out about different forms of transport.
Discuss with your partner or group any other aspects about life in the city that you think will
be useful to include. Make notes about these.
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History
Geography: Landscape and settlement
 Watch the introductory visual programme at the start of the gallery
Circle the correct answer to complete the following sentences:
1. The Roman city was called
London
Londinium
Lundenburg
2. The Saxon town of Lundenwic was situated
to the west of the Roman city
inside the Roman city walls
3. The first London Bridge linked the City with
Westminster
Lambeth
Southwark
4. Before 1066 the most prominent public buildings were
churches
castles
guildhalls
5. During the later medieval period, London expanded mainly to the
north
south
east
west
6. The settlement pattern of the medieval city is best described as
dispersed
linear
nucleated
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History
 Find the panels headed Back to the land AD 410-600 (beside case 3 in
the Anglo-Saxons display) and Lundenwic AD 600-886 (beside case 4
in the Anglo-Saxons display)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.





Where was the site of the old Roman city?
Do you know why the Romans chose this site for their city?
What do you notice about the location of early Anglo-Saxon settlements?
What does this suggest was the main economic activity of the Anglo-Saxons?
Where was the Anglo-Saxon town of Lundenwic?
Why was this site chosen? Why was it abandoned around 851?
 Look around the first half of the gallery (AD 410-1348).
Using the maps and plans on the panels, draw and label a sketch map of London. Use
shading and a key to show the expansion of the city during this period.
You should include:




the Thames
the Fleet river
the outline of the old Roman city walls
the early Anglo-Saxon settlements




Lundenwic
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Westminster
the Tower of London.
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History
 Look at the Normans display (case 10.1) and The Church 1 display
(cases 13.1-13.4)
What kinds of buildings would have dominated London’s skyline during this time? (i.e.
1066-1348)
 Look around the second half of the gallery (1349-1558)
What evidence can you find for other large buildings (public or private) constructed during
this later period?
How did the Reformation and the dissolution of the monasteries change the physical
landscape of London?
Complete the chart below by finding four more examples of public buildings erected during
the medieval period. Explain who built them and what they were used for. One example
has been done for you.
Name, or type, of
building
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Group of
people/organisation that
built it
The Catholic Church
Use or purpose
For public worship; to
glorify god; to show the
power of the Church.
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History
 Look around the whole gallery
List three benefits of living and working in London at this time and three problems. One
example has been done for you.
Benefit
Problem
a)
a) Overcrowding within the city walls
b)
b)
c)
c)
 Look around the whole gallery
Circle the number that you think best describes the amount of damage caused to the
natural landscape of the London area by humans in medieval times. (1 = none and 10 =
complete destruction)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Write a description of late medieval London (around 1550) including physical and human
features. Some key words you may wish to include are given in the box below.
churches
buildings
roads
river
bridge
stone
mud
walls
boats
shops
brick
streets
fields
tower
steeples
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History
Geography: Migration and population
 Find the following displays and discuss the questions with your
partner or group.
Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans (cases 2-10)


Which countries did these different invaders and settlers come from?
Can you suggest any economic reasons why they might have wanted to come to
Britain?
Immigration (case 10.4)


Which other community migrated to England in the early Middle Ages?
Why do you think they were expelled by King Edward I?
 Food and famine (case 12) and City government and working life 1
display (cases 14.1-14.3)
Can you suggest several different reasons why people might have wanted to migrate from
the countryside to London during this period?
Make a list of the different places that people migrated from to live in the London area
during this time.
Imagine that you are a migrant to London during the medieval period. Explain why you
want to live and work here.
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History

Look at the different information boards around the gallery.
Complete the population chart below.
Year
Population of London
(estimated)
AD 750
AD 1100
AD 1300
AD 1450
AD 1550
Look around the whole gallery, including the Black Death audio visual programme, and
then explain:
1. why the population of London grew so rapidly between 1100 and 1300
2. why the population of London fell between 1300 and 1450
3. two problems created by the overall growth of London’s population during this period

Look around the whole gallery
Make a list of ten different jobs that people living in medieval London could have done.
Now rank each job from 1 – 10 (1 = the best job and 10 = the worst).
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History
Geography: Trade and communication

Look around the Anglo-Saxon displays (cases 2-6) and The Thames
and daily life display (cases 17.3-17.7)
In what ways was the Thames central to London’s development as a city?
How did Londoners reclaim land from the river?

Look at case 4 in the Anglo Saxon display
What was the main export from the London area at this time?

Find the Trade 1 display (case 17.4)
Complete the chart below with examples of three different goods imported into London at
this time and their country of origin.
Imported item

Country of origin
Find the Trade 2 display (case 18.1)
How do the goods imported into London in the later medieval period (1349-1558) differ
from those in the earlier period (AD 410-1348)?
What evidence is there that new trade routes had been opened up?
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History
Draw and label one imported object from the display.

Look around the whole gallery
Complete the chart below by filling in the different types of goods and services that could
be bought in medieval London. One example of each has been done for you.
Low order
(convenience) goods
Bread
High order
(comparison) goods
Glass goblets
Service
Doctor
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History

Find the board headed Most noble city AD 1100-1348 (next to the
Food and famine display)
In which directions did the main roads in and out of London run?
How could you describe the way the other streets within the city walls are laid out?
Draw and label a sketch map to show:



the Thames
the boundaries of the old Roman city
the expansion of the city during this
period


the main road running from north to south
through the city
the main road running from west to east
through the city
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History

Look around the whole gallery
Draw and label two objects which are evidence of different forms of transport in medieval
London. Write a museum-style label for them explaining what they can tell us about
communications in medieval London.
Citizenship: Power, conflict and authority

Look at the Anglo-Saxon and Viking displays (cases 2-9)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.
 What evidence is there that warriors held the most power in Anglo-Saxon, Viking and
Norman times? (410AD - around 1200)
 What qualities did leaders need to be successful? How do you think they maintained
authority?
 Do you think it would have been possible for a woman to be a monarch at this time?
Why or why not?
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History
Imagine that you are an Anglo-Saxon ruler during the time of the Viking raids (in the 800s).
Make a list of the skills and qualities you will need in to defeat the Vikings and maintain
your position of power. Number them in order of importance (1 = highest).
Imagine that you have now successfully driven the Vikings out of the London area. Do you
need the same, or different, skills and qualities to rule your people successfully? Make a
second list, also numbered in order of importance.
 Look at the Normans (10.4) and the Food and Famine displays (case
12)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.



Who had the most power in Norman London?
Which group of people helped this person maintain authority? How?
Which group of people had the least power in Norman times? Were there any ways
that they could protest about, or change, their situation?
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History
 Look at the City and Guilds information board (in the City
government and working life 1 display)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group:


What idea did French immigrants introduce to London? Who was the first mayor of
London in 1189?
What did King John confirm in 1215? What do you think this meant to the people of
London?

Draw a picture of the Common Seal of London (in case 14.2).
Explain why this seal was so important to Londoners – both practically and as a symbol.
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History
 Look at the Food and famine display (case 12) and then the Cost of
living display (case 16.1)
Discuss the questions below with your partner or group.


Read the information card (in the bottom right hand corner of case 16.1). What
sparked off the Peasants’ Revolt in 1381?
Why else do you think the peasants (and those who joined them) felt unfairly treated?
Complete the following sentence:
1. as if you were King Richard
2. as if you were a farm labourer.
The rebellion was caused because ….
Imagine that you are a Londoner living at the time of the Peasants’ Revolt (1381). Write a
paragraph explaining why you do, or do not, support the rebels.
 Look at the Church 1 and the Church 2 displays (cases 13.1-13.4 and
27.1-27.3) and then at the Reformation and dissolution display (cases
29.1-29.7)
Discuss the following questions with your partner or group.



What evidence is there that the Catholic Church was extremely wealthy and powerful
during medieval times?
Why do you think this led to conflict between some monarchs and important
clergymen?
Can you find out from the information boards why Henry VIII made himself ‘Supreme
Head of the Church of England’?
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History

Why do you think he felt it necessary to close and destroy the monasteries and other
religious houses?
List three reasons why the Catholic Church and the monarchy came into conflict during
this period.
Citizenship: Migration
Find the following displays and discuss the questions with your partner or group.
 The Anglo-Saxons, Vikings and Normans displays (cases 2-10)


Which countries did these different groups of people come from?
How did they contribute to the multicultural development of this country? (For example:
consider their different skills, languages, systems of government, beliefs and cultures).
 The Immigration display (case 10.4)



Why do you think some members of the Jewish community decided to settle in
London?
What happened to them in 1290? How do you think they felt about this?
What does this show about the attitudes of some Londoners at this time? Why do you
think they held these views?
 The Trade 2 display (case 18.1)


Which different countries was London trading with at this time?
Can you suggest why some people from these countries might have ended up living
and working in London?
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History
Complete the table below as fully as possible. One example has been done for you.
Group of
people
AngloSaxons
Country/ies
of origin
Germany
Possible reason
for migration
Seeking better
land to farm
Contributions to
development of culture
Brought their own language,
storytelling traditions and
skills as craftsmen.
Imagine that the medieval Mayor of London wants to encourage people to come and
live and work in the city. Design an advertisement to be placed in a foreign
newspaper. What incentives (such as job opportunities) can the city offer foreign
migrants?
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History
Citizenship: Crime
 Find the Cost of living display (case 16.1)
Complete the chart below with five examples of crimes committed in medieval London.
Beside each one give details of any measures Londoners took to prevent themselves
becoming the victims of this crime. One example has been done for you.
Crime
Burglary
Preventative measure
Londoners used keys to lock up their homes.
Imagine that there was a Crime Prevention Agency in medieval London. Design a poster
to make medieval Londoners aware of different types of crimes and what they can do to
protect themselves and their property.
 Look around the whole gallery
Suggest three reasons why crime rates might have been higher in medieval towns than in
the countryside.
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History
Citizenship: Community and belonging
Find the following displays and discuss the questions with your partner or group.
 The Church 1 and The Church 2 (cases 13.1-13.4 and 27.1-27.3)




What evidence is there that the Catholic Church played a central role in people’s lives?
How did religious houses, such as monasteries, assist the community?
How were hospitals funded?
What was a religious guild? What benefits did these provide for their members?
 Reformation and dissolution (cases 29.1-29.3)


What effect did Henry VIII’s closure of the monasteries and other religious houses have
on the poor and sick?
On what condition did he allow some of the hospitals to re-open?
 City government and working life 2 (cases 26.1-26.6)



What were guilds, or livery, companies?
What powers did they have?
What benefits did they provide for the residents of London?
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History
Complete the chart below to show what role different institutions played in the life
of the community in medieval times.
Institution
Contribution made to community
Hospitals
Cared for orphans, the poor and sick
Monasteries
Parish churches
The city authorities
Guilds or livery
companies
The monarchy
Imagine that you are a Londoner living at the time of the Reformation (when Henry
VIII broke with the Pope in Rome and closed the monasteries).
Circle the three words or phrases that you think would best describe your feelings (or add
some of your own).
afraid
confused
not bothered
isolated
joyful
relieved
helpless
angry
resentful
Other …
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