The Commoners There were two types of commoners who made up all of the Middle Ages work force. The Serfs & The Freeholders

The Serf The Serf was considered property of the Manor They were granted rights to farm part of the Manor’s pastures, they did not actually own it As property, the Serf could never leave the Manor and were expected to work on the Lord’s Demesne Had to donate 2  3 days per plowing, planting, weeding, or harvesting

The Serf II The land that the Serf would farm was a strip within the Manor These strips were passed on within Serf families from generation to generation Serfs had to turn over a percentage of the produce they grew on the land to the lord They were able to sell any produce left over after they fed their families & paid the lord – this still wasn’t a lot of $$, and there wasn’t always produce left over…

The Freeholder The Freeholder, while like a Serf in terms of their responsibility to the Lord, had different rights than the Serf The Freeholder owned a small part of the land, of which they paid rent. The Freeholder was often someone who lived/owned the land before the Feudal System arrived They were only required to pay rent when on the Manor land, what does this mean? They were free to go as they pleased…

Living Arrangements The Commoners often lived in small, one bedroom houses, and slept on low beds made of straw This was also the bed of choice for most great lords and ladies The houses were quite small, no more that 9 to 10 metres (30 ft) long and 3 to 4 (12 ft) metres high

Working Arrangements Men worked the fields; ploughing, planting, etc. Often from dawn to dusk, and in cooperation with their neighbours – this was the “law of the manor” Women also work the fields, but the majority of their time was spent around the home keeping her family fed and clothed They wove cloth, made clothes, brewed beer, baked bread, cooked meals, preserved meals for the winter, and cared for the children. Grandparents were seldom available to care for the children (most people died too young) Women also gathered firewood and hay. They were also called upon to cure sickness.