Peasants 2

Managing Your Peasants II of V

Farming and feudalism

Provided by lords

Land, law, protection, food and drink on certain work days and certain feast days. Rights of lords

• Multure – toll paid for grinding grain at the lord’s mill, everyone had to contribute a

certain amount of their grain (varies – 13th part to 24th part, more for serfs, less for freemen, none for the priest or lord)

• Tallage – a tax. In early period it could be “Imposed at will” by a lord, maybe several

times a year. And was not a fixed amount. Less frequent and more fixed in amount in later period. More common and longer lasting in France than England.

• Heriot - Right to the “best animal” of a peasant who has died. (Mortuary - Church gets

the second best animal.) Could also be one third of total assets. Might include other items such as all copper vessels, carts, hives, colts, bacon and woolen cloth. Later heriot also referred to the fee paid by a peasant taking over a tenancy.

• Merchet - A payment by unfree tenants for the right to marry off daughters or other

female relatives. Services owed by peasants –dependant on the size of their holding and legal status (free or unfree). A free man would owe his lord rent and maybe a few small services. A serf would owe rent and many services: perhaps 3 “day works” (probably only about a half days actual labor) a week and more at harvest time, plus he would have to pay for many “privileges” (marriage, allow a child to become a monk, gather wood, keep or sell livestock etc.) All peasants were supposed to attend the Manor Court. Rights of peasants (may be purchased or customary)

8 Right of Commons – the right to use the common lands –uncultivated pastures, “waste” lands and the arable and meadows after they have been harvested – for pasturing animals. Not an unlimited right – number of animals allowed is dependent on the size of the holding.

• Hous-bote – the right to obtain wood from the wastes for building or maintaining a

house. Sometimes whole trees, but usually what could be gathered “by hook or by crook”(that is what could be knocked down or pulled off standing trees, or dead wood.)

• Fire-bote – to gather wood to burn as fuel

• Haye-bote – wood for fences

Brought to you because history is where peasants had a hard life This piece from the late Mahala de Sorbonne Another History is neat Project