Ch.21.1.6 The manor system “The homes in feudal society were part of the manor system, which tied the lowest class of people to the land and their lord. the manor was system’s basic unit, a walled-in, self-contained world located on land belonging to the lord. a typical manor included a manor house, a church, a village, and lands with meadows, forests, pastures, and farms. The village provided such necessary businesses as a mill, bakery, and forge where metal was worked into tools. The manor’s farmland was divided into strips: one for the lord, one for the church, and the rest for the peasants and serfs. (The laborers farmed the lord’s lands as well as their own. They paid the lord rent for their land and fees for almost everything they used on the manor.)”

Life on the manor Average life span was 30 years Peasants and serfs got by on a diet of bread, cheese, and vegetables. Only time off was sundays and religious holidays. Workers lived in one-room huts with dirt floors The lord and his family lived in the stone manor house with tiled floors and fine furnishings. The lord would manage his lands, judge court cases, hunt, and have feasts in his large dining room. Church was the center of life on the manor.

Designing a manor Design your own feudal manor. You may use the image on page 611 of your textbook for inspiration. Your manor must include all of the necessary buildings and features as described in this section. Your manor must fill a sheet of copy paper, be colorful, and neat. Include one well-written paragraph summarizing the structure and layout of your manor. This will need to be completed by the end of social studies tomorrow (Thursday).