What was Life Like in Norman Towns? (AQA GCSE History)

Summary

Unlike life in villages, life in town life in England changed quite considerably after the Norman Conquest. There were also far more towns and 21 new ones were developed between 1066 and 1100. Towns had their own hierarchies of power and there was a greater degree of freedom for the people who lived in them. They played an important role in driving trade through their merchants and markets. Merchant associations known as guilds were introduced by the Normans and they became very influential. The essential skills of craftsmen were taught to apprentices in towns and they offered more opportunities than life in the countryside. However, they were overcrowded and dirty and the risk of disease and fire was constant. 

Who held power in Norman towns?

• Much like in the feudal system and villages, a hierarchy of power developed in Norman towns

Features of Norman towns

• English towns developed several key features after the Norman Conquest

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Freedom in Norman towns

• Life in towns appealed to people for several reasons:

  • Employment opportunities with tradesmen

  • Opportunities to learn a craft from craftsmen

• Town life especially appealed to villeins because they would be declared freemen if they secured employment and lived in a town for a year and a day

• Although towns were on land that belonged to the king or a lord, once they reached a certain size they could apply for a charter and become independent

• If the town charter was granted, the town was able to:

  • elect a town council and mayor

  • set its own taxes (which went to the lord or king)

  • establish a regular market or fair

• People who lived in towns and had full citizenship rights were known as burgesses

  • They were tried in town courts when accused of crimes 

  • Burgesses enjoyed more legal protection than villagers who were tried in manorial or honorial courts

Housing in Norman towns

• Norman towns were often overcrowded and unplanned with dwellings built on whatever land was available

  • In existing towns, the cramped conditions were often the result of large areas of housing being demolished to make way for the castle

  • Even new towns became overcrowded as they were surrounded by city walls and space was limited

• Land in towns became very expensive so buildings often had several floors and served several purposes

  • The ground floor was often used as a shop, alehouse or workshop for a craftsman

  • The upper floors were used as living accommodation - often for several families in the same few rooms

  • To maximise the space available, the upper floors were often bigger than the ground floors and extended out onto the street

• Almost all houses were made from wood and at great risk of fire because:

  • they were heated by open fires

  • many contained workshops and kitchens with open fires

  • they were closely cramped together

Jobs in Norman towns

• Many towns became associated with a particular trade or business

  • The wool trade was England’s biggest industry and, although wool was produced in villages, it was normally brought to towns such as Shrewsbury, York and Lincoln to be bought and sold

  • Gloucester became important for its metal production and Exeter became known for its tin and leather as well as being a port

• Guilds were introduced by the Normans to English towns

  • These were merchant organisations that controlled who could set up and operate businesses

  • To become a merchant, you had to join the guild

  • Each town had guilds for a variety of trades such as masons, carpenters, weavers and bakers

  • Leaders of guilds often became important and influential figures in towns

• Craftsmen also fulfilled the important role of training apprentices

  • Apprentices were taken on as teenage boys and worked with their masters for seven years in exchange for food and housing

  • Once their apprenticeship was completed, they became journeymen craftsmen who were paid a daily rate

  • To graduate to being a master craftsman, a journeyman would have to complete a piece of work that was judged as being faultless

    • This was known as a masterpiece

Hygiene in Norman towns

• The risk of disease was much greater and therefore life expectancy was lower in towns than in villages

  • This was because conditions were much more cramped and overcrowded - creating ideal conditions for disease to spread

  • Towns also had far more visitors, and therefore potential carriers of disease, than isolated villages

  • Towns had much larger populations than villages and this meant the lack of a sewage system was a much bigger problem and more dangerous

Diet in Norman towns

• People in towns had a richer and more varied diet than people in villages

  • They also had better food security and were less at risk of starvation

  • The markets and shops in the towns meant that a variety of meat, fish, fruit and vegetables were brought into towns

  • Wealthy people in town would also be able to access imported goods like wine and spices